In the stands, a big fellow warms up masked.
"It's really strange competition," sighs Quentin, who is participating in his first judo tournament since February.
"I missed it a lot", smiles the young man, who has just qualified, this Saturday, for the quarter-finals of an atypical competition: it is the first international judo tournament organized in France since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic.
"We proposed a very restrictive health protocol to the prefect and he validated it", welcomes Dominique Gaudinière, sports director of the Judo Club Venellois and organizer of this event in this town located north of Aix-en-Provence (Bouches -du-Rhône).
Wearing a mask is compulsory for everyone in the room.
A sense of circulation has been established and the capacity of the gymnasium has been reduced to a minimum: no more than 50 people in the audience.
The fighters are grouped together in teams, in dedicated areas, and must not be in contact with each other.
Except on the tatami, of course.
It is the only place without a mask.
Before fighting, judokas must comply with a strict protocol: washing hands, going through a footbath.
The mats are disinfected between each fight by children from the club.
“Be careful, you left a strip”: a volunteer watches over so that no square inch is forgotten.
An encouraging test before the French Championships
The organizers even hesitated to impose protection on the tatami mats.
"But we did tests and it is impossible at the pulmonary level, the fighters were constantly looking for ventilation," explains Dominique Gaudinière.
There is therefore a risk of contamination, but limited to the maximum: the temperature of all participants was checked at the start of the competition.
They also had to sign a sworn statement, in which they assure that they are neither asymptomatic patients, nor contact cases.
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“The tournament was very well organized, greets Maxime, a judoka from Nice, while adjusting his mask.
It's restrictive but you have to get used to it.
"For him, the season can now resume:" I think that with this device, the French Championships will be able to take place in a fortnight in Brest.
Executives from the French Federation were there to verify this.
Laurent Del Colombo, technical manager of the Paca League, shares his opinion: “The test is very positive.
I think we will apply a fairly similar protocol, perhaps even a little stricter.
“For the moment, the championships are maintained, provided that the health situation in Brittany does not deteriorate.
Dominique Gaudinière loose: “It was the first post-Covid tournament… I hope it won't be the last!
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