Défi sportif
Encyclopedia
The Défi sportif is a multi-sport event for disabled athletes. The Défi sportif is unique in that it involves athletes of the five types of disabilities: auditory, physical, psychiatric, intellectual, and visual as well as athletes of all levels: from students, to up-and-coming athletes and Paralympic
athletes from different countries participate. The Défi sportif is held every year in Montreal
, Quebec
, Canada
. The main site is Montreal's Complexe sportif Claude-Robillard
, but other sites in Montreal are used, such as Centre Pierre-Charbonneau, Collège de Maisonneuve
, Mount Royal
, Circuit Gilles Villeneuve
, etc.
One of the events goals was to be self-financing. To that end the business community was approached and my the event's second year, numerous patrons, partners and sponsors lent their support and popular Quebec humorist Yvon Deschamps
signed on as spokesman
, a role he would play for the next fifteen years.
In 1986 the Défi sportif was named "Sporting Event of the Year" by the Montréal-Concordia Sports Commission.
The Défi sportif was originally a provincial event, but by 1989, more and more sports clubs from outside Quebec sent participants, and in the early 1990s, the Défi sportif went officially international with athletes Canada, the United States
and France
.
In 1998 the Défi sportif hosted athletes from eight different countries, including Germany
, France, Australia
and Poland
and was named the Quebec international sports event of the year.
In 2005, the Défi sportif welcomed some 2700 athletes over five days of competition. Its official spokespeople included wheelchair athlete Chantal Petitclerc
.
In 2006, the Défi sportif welcomed some 2800 athletes over its run from April 26 to 30. Its official spokespeople once again included Petitclerc.
Paralympic Games
The Paralympic Games are a major international multi-sport event where athletes with a physical disability compete; this includes athletes with mobility disabilities, amputations, blindness, and Cerebral Palsy. There are Winter and Summer Paralympic Games, which are held immediately following their...
athletes from different countries participate. The Défi sportif is held every year in Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
, Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. The main site is Montreal's Complexe sportif Claude-Robillard
Complexe sportif Claude-Robillard
The Complexe sportif Claude-Robillard is a multi-purpose sport facility, located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, in the borough of Ahuntsic-Cartierville.-Overview:...
, but other sites in Montreal are used, such as Centre Pierre-Charbonneau, Collège de Maisonneuve
Collège de Maisonneuve
Collège de Maisonneuve is a francophone Cégep pre-university and technical college located at 3800 Sherbrooke Street East in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.-Partnerships:...
, Mount Royal
Mount Royal
Mount Royal is a mountain in the city of Montreal, immediately west of downtown Montreal, Quebec, Canada, the city to which it gave its name.The mountain is part of the Monteregian Hills situated between the Laurentians and the Appalachians...
, Circuit Gilles Villeneuve
Circuit Gilles Villeneuve
The Circuit Gilles Villeneuve is a motor racing circuit, venue for the Formula One Canadian Grand Prix, NASCAR Canadian Tire Series, NASCAR Nationwide Series and Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series....
, etc.
History
The first Défi sportif opened on April 19, 1984, under the auspices of the organization known as the Regional Association for the Recreation of Disabled Persons of the Island of Montreal. The inaugural Défi sportif welcomed no less than 720 athletes competing in 16 different sports at three sites. In fact, it is the first time that associations representing all five types of disability gather to participate at one sporting event.One of the events goals was to be self-financing. To that end the business community was approached and my the event's second year, numerous patrons, partners and sponsors lent their support and popular Quebec humorist Yvon Deschamps
Yvon Deschamps
Yvon Deschamps, CQ is a Quebec author, actor, comedian and producer best known for his monologues. His social-commentary-tinged humour propelled him to prominence in Quebec popular culture in the 1970s and 1980s...
signed on as spokesman
Spokesman
A spokesperson or spokesman or spokeswoman is someone engaged or elected to speak on behalf of others.In the present media-sensitive world, many organizations are increasingly likely to employ professionals who have received formal training in journalism, communications, public relations and...
, a role he would play for the next fifteen years.
In 1986 the Défi sportif was named "Sporting Event of the Year" by the Montréal-Concordia Sports Commission.
The Défi sportif was originally a provincial event, but by 1989, more and more sports clubs from outside Quebec sent participants, and in the early 1990s, the Défi sportif went officially international with athletes Canada, the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
.
In 1998 the Défi sportif hosted athletes from eight different countries, including Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, France, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
and Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
and was named the Quebec international sports event of the year.
In 2005, the Défi sportif welcomed some 2700 athletes over five days of competition. Its official spokespeople included wheelchair athlete Chantal Petitclerc
Chantal Petitclerc
Chantal Petitclerc, CC is a Canadian wheelchair racer.At the age of thirteen, she lost the use of both legs when a heavy barn door fell on her...
.
In 2006, the Défi sportif welcomed some 2800 athletes over its run from April 26 to 30. Its official spokespeople once again included Petitclerc.
Sports involved
Competitions in the following sports are held at the Défi sportif:- BadmintonBadmintonBadminton is a racquet sport played by either two opposing players or two opposing pairs , who take positions on opposite halves of a rectangular court that is divided by a net. Players score points by striking a shuttlecock with their racquet so that it passes over the net and lands in their...
- Ball hockeyBall hockeyBall hockey is a team sport and a variation of the sports of ice hockey and street hockey, where the game is played on foot in which players use sticks to direct a ball into their opposing team's net. When that occurs it is referred to as a "goal". At the end of the time allotted for the game the...
- BocciaBocciaBoccia is a traditional recreational sport, similar to bocce. The name Boccia is derived from the Latin word for boss – bottia. The sport is competed at national and international level, by athletes who require a wheelchair because of physical disability...
- CyclingCyclingCycling, also called bicycling or biking, is the use of bicycles for transport, recreation, or for sport. Persons engaged in cycling are cyclists or bicyclists...
- GoalballGoalballGoalball is a team sport designed for blind athletes. It was devised by Hanz Lorenzen , and Sepp Reindle , in 1946 in an effort to help in the rehabilitation of visually impaired World War II veterans...
- Hand cycling
- Rhythmic gymnasticsRhythmic gymnasticsRhythmic gymnastics is a sport in which individuals or teams of competitors manipulate one or two pieces of apparatus: rope, clubs, hoop, ball, ribbon and Free . An individual athlete only manipulates 1 apparatus at a time...
- SoccerFootball (soccer)Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
- SwimmingSwimming (sport)Swimming is a sport governed by the Fédération Internationale de Natation .-History: Competitive swimming in Europe began around 1800 BCE, mostly in the form of the freestyle. In 1873 Steve Bowyer introduced the trudgen to Western swimming competitions, after copying the front crawl used by Native...
- Tandem cycling
- Track and fieldTrack and fieldTrack and field is a sport comprising various competitive athletic contests based around the activities of running, jumping and throwing. The name of the sport derives from the venue for the competitions: a stadium which features an oval running track surrounding a grassy area...
- VolleyballVolleyballVolleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules.The complete rules are extensive...
- Waterpolo
- Wheelchair basketballWheelchair basketballWheelchair basketball is basketball played by people in wheelchairs and is considered one of the major disabled sports practiced. The International Wheelchair Basketball Federation is the governing body for this sport. It is recognized by the International Paralympic Committee as the sole...
- Wheelchair fencingWheelchair fencingWheelchair fencing is a version of Fencing for athletes with a disability. Wheelchair fencing is governed by the International Wheelchair Fencing that is a federation of the International Paralympic Committee, and is one of the sports in the Summer Paralympic Games.-Classification:*class A *class B...
- Wheelchair road racing
- Wheelchair rugbyWheelchair rugbyWheelchair rugby, , is a team sport for athletes with a disability. It is currently practiced in over twenty countries around the world and is a Paralympic sport....