Ladji Doucouré did not wait for the 2024 Games to preach the values of sport at the foot of buildings. Eight years already that with his partner Mathieu Lahaye, the former athlete installs his Golden Blocks in the neighborhoods. The adventure began in the city of Grande Borne in Grigny (Essonne), “with a C3, 2,000 euros, our heart and our guts”, says Mathieu Lahaye.
The principle of the tour is simple: for an afternoon, a sports field is set up in the center of the district with, in particular, breaking or double dutch (rope jumping) but also athletic battles which serve of red thread. “We put on a T-shirt and let’s go! », Says Mallory Leconte, passed by the Golden Blocks of Île-Saint-Denis in 2017 and crowned, this winter, champion of France in the 60 m.
“The young people in the neighborhoods don’t necessarily know that there are clubs likely to welcome them. They don’t think about playing sports, says the girl. The Golden Blocks allow them to discover that it is possible, without imposing constraints. It’s free and you can arrive a quarter of an hour before the start. »
Lauraline Lerus, French junior champion in the 60m and who is currently training at the Fontainebleau pole, was also discovered in one of these ephemeral stadiums. Because the idea is also to put young people in contact with the athletics clubs where the tour stops (60 dates all over France, including Montreuil (Seine-Saint-Denis) this Wednesday May 25 and this Saturday May 28).
“We don’t arrive in the neighborhoods with our big clogs”
Of the 200 children who participate in each city, about fifteen then come to try out in a club. “We don’t arrive in the neighborhoods with our big clogs, we rely on the cultural associations that are in place. We also forge links with the mothers who are already helping in the neighborhoods, otherwise it wouldn’t make sense, ”says Mathieu Lahaye.
This year, the association took on a new dimension via the Golden Blocks Academy which allows teenagers to learn about many activities, always in the heart of the neighborhoods, (tennis, BMX, breaking, skateboarding, etc.) while allowing some (70 this year) to be trained as journalists.
“The spirit of the Olympics is easy to bring to life, you just have to rely on those who are already working, no need to invent new concepts”, believes Mathieu Lahaye, although Golden Blocks has never attracted the attention of Paris 2024. Recently, in Bobigny (Seine-Saint-Denis), the association had around ten tennis courts painted at the foot of buildings.
“Since then, young people know that they too have the right to play tennis”. Just like those who, in Grigny, discovered that there was an athletics stadium at the Grande Borne. “Because it was on the other side of the street, and they weren’t going there,” concludes Mathieu.
