In Athens, the International Youth Games end in joy

Last night in Athens, the 64 high school delegations participating in the International Youth Games met at Grammatiko, at the “games village”, for a closing ceremony full of emotion. The opportunity to take stock of an intense week.

Optimal organization

Friday, the penultimate day of the tests, the high school principal, Damien Ganier, told us of his satisfaction. We were then in Schinias, a magnificent site hosting the beach volleyball event: “ Since the first day, there has been a good alternation between moments of emotion, which are the gatherings of the AEFE community, and sporting moments like today, between here in Schinias, beach volleyball, and the on the other hand, kayaking, and the other cultural moments that the students were able to experience during the week. With yesterday the cultural route in the heart of Athens and two days before the sporting activities on the Grammatiko site.

As for emotion, it will be very present during the closing ceremony. Starting with a magnificent colorful parade of flags, from all the participating high schools, various officials from the organizers of these games, the AEFE and the Unss, took turns at the microphone, at the foot of the stands of the Games village.

Strong messages from sponsors

These games would undoubtedly not have been the same without the presence of the godparents.

The footballer Candice Prévost presented her documentary and her association “Little Miss Soccer”, in favor of the emancipation of women through football. Swimmer Malia Metella, for her part, was able to share her experience by returning to the place where she won her silver medal in 2004. The young people were also able to talk with Diane de Navacelle de Coubertinambassador of school sport of the Unss, with the disabled triathlete Yannick Bourseauxas well as with Florent Pietrusbasketball champion, around the different events contested during this thirteenth Greek edition.

Multiculturalism in the spotlight

First to speak at this closing ceremony, Alexandre Diebolt, n°2 of the French embassy in Greece, was delighted with the parade of flags which opened the ceremony. Renting a “ concrete experience of multiculturalism and multilingualism » through these Games, he salutes the work of the AEFE and the Unss, and of course that of the Franco-Hellenic Eugène Delacroix high school in Athens. But also that of Marie Christine Lefranc, head of the events and promotion office of the AEFE network, who in turn thanked Anaïs Bouxin, PE teacher in Athens, and visibly moved by the warm applause from the public. Before giving way to a thank you video from the JRI, especially for Anaïs and Marie-Christine. Enough to appreciate the work carried out by the “young international reporters”, which we mentioned in a previous article.

Very committed young officials

The journalist Gaëlle Millon, host of this closing ceremony full of emotion, will recall how the organization of these games owes a lot to the Franco-Hellenic Eugène Delacroix high school in Athens, and to the investment of the young officials, referees and organizers, all students in this school. The day before, the principal Damien Ganier, explained to us that at “ logistical level of things »everything had been managed “ so that participants have a feeling of ease and comfort during this week.”

Delighted professors and teacher-trainers

And by interviewing the guests of these games, it seems that the objective of a fluid organization was achieved. Beyond the games village providing a unique place, it seems that for the 128 teachers accompanying the high school students, the quality of the equipment made available to the establishments counted a lot.

Elie Youssef, PE teacher at the Protestant college of Beirut in Lebanon, particularly appreciated the beach volleyball courts. He says ” thank the AEFE for giving them the chance to play on such grounds. Volleyball professional, he explains that he rarely played on such sand: “These facilities are superb.”

Like the other teachers or teacher-trainers, he also greatly appreciated the international meeting space that these games provided for his students, in a spirit promoting shared values: “ the spirit of sport is everywhere, whether in the village where we are, it’s nice to see the students really getting closer to each other, getting to know other countries. They are all settled in the same village. I think it’s really good. »

The International Youth Games undoubtedly go far beyond sport. So, Hind Soneah NaikoAfrican high jump champion and PE teacher at La Bourdonnais high school in Curepipe, Mauritius, emphasizes being “ came to have a good time. “, the team of these students having come without “ claim to be on the podium.” She says she was amazed “ to see this beautiful organization and to see the children mix so easily.”

A mix of establishments that Jean-Paul Négrel, deputy general director of the AEFE, would like to highlight this, recalling that there are also high schools from France and the French Overseas Territories which participate. Qualifying the results of the JIJ as “ always very positive”he evokes a “ institution which has worked wonderfully for years, with the alternation between France and abroad”. During the closing ceremony, he promised the Athenian hosts to give them the scoop on the name of the French city designated to host the next games, as soon as it was known.

A list rich in diversity

This Saturday evening, with the awards ceremony, the suspense is heightened, to reward high schools from the four corners of the world.

The first prize awarded is that of the “Dance the JIJ” video competition. On the podium, the three winning high school students are as follows:

• in No. 3, the Bonaparte high school in Doha, Qatar
• in n°2, the French high school of Prague
• in No. 1, it was the René Cassin high school in Bayonne which won, with a very beautiful choreography, having involved a large number of students from the high school. For a very successful final result, which obviously owes a lot to the contribution of the audiovisual BTS: a meticulous editing, which has already reached nearly 25,000 views

An eye on social and environmental issues

But beyond pushing students to measure their sporting and cultural talents, these games were also an opportunity for participants to develop their ability to take social and environmental issues into account. Thus, explains to us Marie-Christine Lefrancit was proposed to establishments “ to choose three objectives among the seventeen sustainable development goals (SDGs) of the UN, and to illustrate them with a photo with a verbatim ». Thus, this “SDG photo program” was the subject of a prize.

Four high schools were named joint winners. The French high school in Prague (Czech Republic) has chosen the objective of “quality education”, to evoke “optimization of working time”. That of Lomé (Togo) which illustrated the objective of “good health and well-being” through a concept of “natural sports hall”. And finally, that of The Hague (Netherlands), which represented the objective of “peace, justice and effective institutions”, and the Vauban high school in Luxembourg, on the objective of “clean water and sanitation”.

A double for the French high school in Singapore

The highlight of the show, the ranking of the first ten teams will be announced on the microphone.

The big winner is the “International French School” in Singapore, for the second year in a row. A team made up of Maëva, Adrien, Inès, Illaé, Maëlle, Ewan, and their teachers Aliona and Frédéric.

But one thing is certain, none of the five hundred competitors in these French-speaking games left Athens a loser.

Podium:

n°1 – Lycée international de Singapore is therefore the big winner, for the second year in a row.

No. 2 – Jean Renoir High School in Munich

n°3 – French high school of Vienne

n°4 – Lycée René Cassin de Bayonne

n°5 – International College of Montreal

n°6 – French High School of Chicago

n°7 – Vincent Van Gogh High School in The Hague

n°8 – Lycée Romain Rolland de Clamecy

n°9 – French High School of Caracas

n°10 Lycée Vauban du Luxembourg