In Annay, the opening of the city’s first multi-sports facility has hosted the forum of local sports associations in the new salle Michel-Obert. More than a year after the inauguration of the Salle Michel-Obert on June 14, 2025, municipal officials report that the complex is operating at 95 percent capacity, with weekday slots fully booked as community associations rush to secure training space.
From Municipal Debate to Full Capacity
The path to the Salle Michel-Obert was marked by sharp political friction. When current Mayor David Kusnirek served in the municipal opposition, he frequently challenged the project during council meetings, questioning its necessity and scale. The facility cost 6,5 millions d’euros, leaving the municipality with a residual cost of 2,5 millions d’euros for the town. “Why this room when we don’t have a club?” Kusnirek asked during budget debates in March 2025, shortly before construction concluded. The mayor countered with the foundational argument that drove the project forward: “It is precisely because there is no room that there is no club.” Today, both the administration and local stakeholders point to high utilization rates to evaluate the investment, reserving peak weekly time slots primarily for competitive sports associations.
Diverse Disciplines Take Root
The municipal forum for sports associations, held last Saturday at the new complex, brought together ten of the town’s fifteen sports clubs to field inquiries from residents. Badminton, tennis table, boxing, judo, yoseikan budo, archery, aikido, zumba, disc golf, and football were all represented, allowing residents to interact directly with volunteers and educators.
The local badminton club, founded in 2025, has grown to 104 members entering its second season. Club president David Plywaczyk noted that the organization has focused heavily on youth recruitment, expanding its coaching staff to six educators. Meanwhile, the ASL Judo club, active since the building’s opening, currently counts roughly 40 members, with president Julien Policnik expressing ambitions to expand further using the facility. The Boxing Club Ring Annay reports about 50 adherents under the leadership of Giovanni Miletti, while a newly formed aikido club launched in September with four members under the guidance of Cédric Depret, a 5th dan practitioner and regional technical committee member.
Facility Layout and Community Integration
The Salle Michel-Obert integrates four distinct zones designed to accommodate diverse municipal needs, including a multi-activity room, a boxing room, a dojo, and a city stade. By July 2025, the complex was already fully booked for the subsequent school year, utilized by existing clubs, newly formed associations, local schools, municipal services, and teaching staff. Sullivan Sambon, deputy mayor for sports and youth, noted during the recent association forum that municipal priority remains focused on competitive athletic structures as the town balances high demand across the community.
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