the effects on the sport of Haut-Marne

Category: Covid: the effects on Haut-Marne sport

Beyond the sporting and financial concerns resulting from the health crisis, Haut-Marne sport feeds another fear, which nobody talks about: a sudden and significant loss of volunteers. Gérard Renoux, the president of the Departmental Olympic and Sports Committee (CDOS), takes stock.
Le Journal de la Haute-Marne: Stopping of competitions and practices, closing of gymnasiums, partial unemployment … How is the sport of Haut-Marne doing in this period very troubled by the Covid epidemic

Gérard Renoux (president of the Departmental Olympic and Sports Committee 52): “We have the feeling that sport is the poor relation in this situation. Nobody talks about it and yet it plays a vital role in people’s lives. First of all, it is good for health, prevents sedentarization and fights obesity problems for example. Then, it is an outlet, a means of finding a balance. We forget a little that, if some do not get sick from the Covid, they could well become sick by dint of thinking too much. Everything is at a standstill and it’s dramatic. “
JHM: The reopening of gymnasiums, since December 15 (validated or not by the municipalities), is it going in the direction you want?
G. R. : “The bridle has been released but, in any case, some clubs will not be able to resume, vacations oblige, before the beginning of January. And then, there is especially a big uncertainty on the continuation. With the relaxation of the end-of-year celebrations, what will happen in January In the event of a third wave, everything is likely to close. We are in the dark. We have no visibility. “

“Less 15% of licensees”

JHM: Twenty-five French federations have been designated as priorities by the State to obtain emergency financial aid. Are there any concerns in this area for sport in Haute-Marne
G. R. : ” Not that I know. I was not informed of an emergency in the department. Some clubs and committees have had aid, particularly from the Region and the State, when they had employees. We must have about ten cases that made the request and they got a quick response. Nevertheless, there is every reason to be vigilant, even worried for 2021. To date, everyone benefits from the partial unemployment scheme. What will happen tomorrow Aid may stop. We don’t know where we’re going at all. “
JHM: What is the impact of the Covid on the number of sports licensees in the department
G. R. : “At the end of the first confinement, it was less. At the end of May 2020, the figures were almost equivalent to 2019. But this time, the confinement came earlier. There was reserve among the licensees. Today, we estimate a decrease in licenses of 15%. The situation may deteriorate further over the year, as long as this health situation persists. But what worries me even more are the consequences for volunteering. This stop will discourage some, who will not want to resume. But volunteers are already a scarce commodity. This loss is not yet quantifiable, but I fear that it will be really damaging in the months or even years to come. “
JHM: How do you plan to deal with it?
G. R. : “We have not yet thought about concrete solutions but it goes without saying that we will have to set up training and awareness campaigns. We must encourage young people to volunteer and try to be attractive. “

Interview by Delphine Catalifaud

Badminton: recreation, the keystone

At the end of September 2020, the figures were excellent for badminton in Haute-Marne. “We had an increase in licenses of 17%, compared to our best year,” says Benoît Darbouret, chairman of the departmental committee. With the resumption of the Covid epidemic, then the closure of gymnasiums, the curve was stopped sharply. At the end of October, Haute-Marne fell to -7%, then -22% at the end of November. “At the end of the year, we should reach -30% and certainly, in the worst-case scenario, -36% at the end of the season, he believes. November and December are the two biggest months for licensing. It will do damage ”.
“Small” committee in the department, with only 301 licensees, badminton will, like other disciplines, be affected by the health situation. Nevertheless, except for a significant loss of practitioners, he assures that his health remains good. “We are maintaining higher licenses compared to 2018-2019. And above all, we are not worried about our finances, ”he continues. Without a direct employee, since it only appeals to stakeholders benefiting from other schemes, CODEP will pass the course without hindrance. On the other hand, he said he was more worried about the neighboring department of Aube, which recorded, for its part, a decrease in attendance of 39%, which will probably be around 45% at the end of the season. “This is one of the three worst French departments in terms of license takeovers. And there are employees in some clubs, ”says Benoît Darbouret.
All the work, upon resumption, will focus on young people and the leisure public. “They are the heart of our practitioners,” recalls Benoît Darbouret. Two priorities that seem to be defending the new president of the Federation, Yoann Penel (36). “We need to set up working groups to keep these audiences, and in particular leisure activities, which may slip into federations such as UFOLEP. Several campaigns had been initiated at the start of the season to affiliate new clubs. But confinement has put everything on the ground and we are going to start from zero ”, regrets the Haut-Marne president.

Gym / swimming: licenses in progress, but …

1,336 graduates last year in Haute-Marne for gymnastics, a historic record, and 769 in swimming. Both are already recording a drop in licenses of around 30%. However, the figures should be handled with great care. Like quite a few other disciplines, swimming and gymnastics in Haut-Marne have not yet registered all of their members with their respective federations.
Thus, the Chaumontais swimmers are, to date, only 43 in good standing with their federal registration, while the Orcs have 319 members. Ditto in Langres where, of the 140 members listed last year, only four are again officially recognized by the Federation. “For now, we are waiting. As soon as the activity resumes, we will validate the licenses ”, recognizes Jean-Marie Bourbon, the president of the departmental swimming committee. The same goes for gymnastics. Stéphane Konieczny, his counterpart, announces a hundred memberships on stand-by, just for the club of La Chaumontaise. “If the situation calms down in January, people will come back. We feel that they are impatiently waiting. They are also kind to us. Now patience has its limits. It is imperative that we leave normally next September. Otherwise, we are going to disaster, ”he summarizes.
If both understand that the health situation takes priority over sports practice, they also know that, in their disciplines, volume sports, any lengthening of the duration of confinement will jeopardize, not only the performance of competitions for the whole season, but also the preparation of athletes. “We feel a real loss of motivation from our swimmers,” says Jean-Marie Bourbon. Each time, you have to start with a preparation program. You don’t get back into shape overnight in swimming. I even consider that what is lost today will never be made up ”. “If we don’t resume normally in January, we won’t be able to schedule the competitions. The delay will be too substantial, ”says Stéphane Konieczny. This is where the questions of partial reimbursement of licenses already taken will be added. With significant financial consequences for clubs which will only be collateral victims.
D. C.

Posted on 12-26-2020 at 4:50 PM