Last Saturday, the Saint-Étienne-de-Tulmont multisport hall hosted the first stage of the Departmental Youth Circuit (CDJ) badminton for the 2025-2026 season. An Olympic discipline, badminton is played in singles or doubles and attracts a growing number of young athletes each year in Tarn-et-Garonne. Le Volant Stéphanois, the organizing club for this first round, has more than a hundred members and actively participates in the development of badminton in the department. For several years, it has traditionally opened the CDJ season. The event was supervised by Caroline Maisonneuve, referee, and Éric Gelin, vice-president of the club, responsible for the competition and president of the Departmental Badminton Committee of Tarn-et-Garonne, which today brings together nearly 800 members. The mayor, Éric Massip, as well as several partners and sponsors, honored the presentation of the trophies with their presence. The competition brought together nearly seventy young players — girls and boys — from five clubs in the department (Montauban, Saint-Étienne-de-Tulmont, Verdun-sur-Garonne, Lafrançaise and Caussade), as well as two clubs from Haute-Garonne invited this year. The participants, classified between NC and D8, represented the Poussin, Benjamin, Minime and Cadet categories. From 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., no less than 114 matches were played in a sporting and friendly atmosphere. Each victory or defeat allowed young competitors to earn points to progress in the federal rankings. The Departmental Youth Circuit will continue its journey throughout the season, with four other stages scheduled in Montauban, Caussade, Golfech and Verdun-sur-Garonne. The president of the club, Joël Lahoreau, warmly thanked all the participants, the volunteers and the members of the office, essential to the success of this day. Le Volant Stéphanois finally reminds that all people wishing to discover badminton within the club will be welcome.
