A frenetic pace with a dash of Sept-Îles sauce!

“I will not hide the fact that the athletes and the member delegates prefer to hold the games in a remote region. Sept-Îles is an ideal setting. The welcoming committee worked round the clock to make the games a success”, said Yves Collin, Mission Director for Montreal.

The Quebec Games represent an event that highlights the life of a young athlete. Other than the athletic reason, each delegation member, from the committee organizer to the media representatives – all of them were right in the heart of a frenetic activity. This is known as the mini version of the Olympics which will took place for about 10 days.

“The people of Sept-Îles were pleased and it showed. It was therefore normal to feel a warm welcome from them”, added François Proulx, mission delegate for the Montreal basketball and volleyball teams.

This large gathering will enable the people present on the competition sites to establish contact with the entire province. And when an event takes place in a city like Sept-Îles with its population of 26 000 people, everyone’s gaze will be focused here.

“If we walk in the street with our accreditation card, I am sure that if we tried to hitchhike, someone will stop and offer us a ride – thanks to the games being held here!”, remarked photographer Marco Veillette enthusiastically.

Covered in banners, this northern city vibrated to the rhythm of the Quebec Games. In some restaurants, parents of the delegates sang chants of the region. And this chanting got louder and louder as people took turns singing.

Several businesses gave their employees clothing to wear bearing the same colours as the Games. The popularity of the event was so far-reaching that the financing segment lacked promotional items.

“It was a completely different context from the last winter games held in the MRC of L’Assomption. I’m not taking away credit, but the product was much more diluted than in Sept-Îles, where the Games highlighted this year’s event – an event truly considered par excellence”, observed Mr. Collin.

Athletes demonstrated a beautiful sense of solidarity as well. On several occasions, teams from different sports come to encourage their fellow-Montrealers. The ambiance on-site was really incomparable to the provincial championships.

During the opening ceremonies, a significant number of the inhabitants were present. “When the athletes were waiting to enter the scene, I saw several people from the city shaking their hands. Others blasted their horns”, Marco Veillette related.

At the end of each athletic day, the feast-like ambiance continued throughout the city. The Conrad-Parent arena was transformed into a “Games Bar”, a great way to water down the evening.

(Photo: Bruno Misson)