The wheelchair basketball Blues had no doubts about it. But when they arrived at the Bercy Arena on Friday 30 August to warm up before their first group match against Canada and felt the fervour of the crowd, there was still an effect. “Wow. ” In this same venue, the hall was filled with Victor Wenbanyama’s team during the Olympic Games. Obviously, the wind was not content with the Paralympic Games. The stands were packed.
Among the 12,000 spectators, the French were in the majority. Like Hélène, a basketball fan, her husband Claudio (who did not want to reveal his surname) and their two children, Julia, the Olympic mascot in her hands, and Adrien, whistled around her neck to celebrate her baskets. The small family had made the trip from Pau, the only time before the start of the school year. “We are lucky to see a French match. And then, it was important for us to show our children that even with a disability we can do great things.” said Helena.
Jérémy Chény and Maxence Grados, with boxes of popcorn on their knees, were impatient to see the Frenchman play: “This is our first experience of wheelchair basketball. And seeing the French team on top is really an opportunity.” The attractiveness of the ticket price also has a lot of influence. “We just watched the women’s match between the USA and Germany. In total, for 40 euros, we will have four hours of entertainment. It’s really cheap, so whatever the result of the French team, it will be great!”
The public, “this sixth man”
In the stands, Canadians are rare. Philippe Chéssy painted three red letters on his left cheek: CAN. But he also wore a jersey in the colours of France. “I encourage France, my host country, and Canada, my country of origin”he said with a smile on his face.
The 28-year-old, a PhD student in political science, had already seen wheelchair basketball demonstrations during the halftime of an NBA game. He had found “That is much more impressive than basketball for healthy people”. Mathilde Halbout, her lawyer friend, also wears the three letters CAN on her cheek, but she did it to “to please him”. His heart leans more towards the French.
The game had not even started and already “Let’s go Blues” were chanted, a Marseillaise improvised, not counting the “surf”. Thousands of blue, white and red flags were waving in the stands, as were XXL portraits of the players, like those we saw during the Olympic Games. Among them, Sofiane Mehiaoui, who has been with the team since 2005, and Jérôme Laureri.
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