The Est-du-Québec region will be represented by a delegation of 128 athletes. Among them, 105 are from Bas-Saint-Laurent and 23 from Gaspésie-Îles-de-la-Madeleine.
These young athletes will participate in competitions in 16 disciplines. Only four disciplines will not be represented by the Eastern Quebec team, namely wheelchair basketball, diving, ringette and trampoline.
The absence of athletes in this last discipline saddens Josée Longchamps, the head of delegation. The Quebec Gymnastics Federation has changed its standards over the past few years in qualifying coaches and so they will need to upgrade.
Ms. Longchamps says Rikigym staff are already working towards next year’s final in Sherbrooke, so they can once again feature Eastern athletes in the sport.
In the first block, athletes from Eastern Quebec will compete in women’s curling, fencing, gymnastics, weightlifting, women’s hockey, figure skating, speed skating and taekwondo.
During the second block, it will be the turn of athletes in badminton, boxing, men’s curling, men’s hockey, judo, artistic swimming, cross-country skiing and table tennis to defend the colors blue and yellow.
Twenty years have passed since the last provincial final of the Quebec Games in Eastern Quebec.
The region will live its eighth experience as a hostess, after hosting the first final in history (Rivière-du-Loup, summer 1971), three winter finals (Rimouski 1975 and 2001, Matane 1989) and a summer final ( Gaspe 1993).
On the Côte-Nord, Sept-Îles hosted the sports youth in the summer of 1983 and 2007 and Baie-Comeau presented the Quebec Games in the winter of 1993.
The Final, which will begin on March 3, will of course be open to the public. The 11 competition sites will be spread over Rivière-du-Loup, Saint-Antonin, Saint-Pascal and La Pocatière. The Rivière-du-Loup secondary school and Cégep will be at the center of the activities.
Based on information from René Levesque.
