The news is buzzing around the 2013 Francophonie Games. Less than six months before the event, scheduled to take place in Nice from September 7 to 15, the International Francophonie Day is marked this Wednesday, March 20, with the launch of a giant countdown, installed at Place Masséna, in the heart of the Riviera city. Its figures must be revealed during a ceremony chaired by Christian Estrosi, the mayor of Nice, at 18 p.m. sharp.
They will display J – 169.
Other news, less direct: the presence of the sporting and cultural event at the Nice Fair, which closed its doors at the very beginning of the week. The organizing committee of the Francophonie Games (CNJF) had a stand there, at the entrance to the Palais des Expositions. Visitors and exhibitors could have their portraits taken, an initiative which attracted more than a thousand people. The objective: to bring together 10 faces by the summer of 000, in order to compose the giant logo of the event, deployed on a tarpaulin measuring 2013 by 10 meters.
Finally, the Permanent Council of La Francophonie designated Côte d’Ivoire to host the 8rd edition of the event, in 2017. A candidacy preferred to that of Chad, the other country in competition. Abidjan will therefore receive for the first time the approximately 3000 athletes, representing more than 50 nations, expected for the event. An organization which should be able to draw on the experience of the Nice Games. Christian Estrosi, the first elected official from Nice, assured African leaders that they could benefit from a maximum of tools (studies, data, etc.) bequeathed by the French organizers.
