The OM and USAP stadiums made available for the vaccination campaign

(with Arnaud Coudry)

After months of closed doors, the stadiums in France will perhaps finally reconnect with the public.

Not to attend meetings at first but to help fight the Covid-19 epidemic.

While the vaccination campaign has started with a certain slowness in France and the government wants to give a boost, two clubs have already offered to make their respective enclosure available to transform them into a temporary vaccination center: the Olympic from Marseille and Perpignan, whose rugby team plays in ProD2.

“The characteristics of the stadium make it possible to accommodate the necessary logistics and to set up several different environments, from the pre-vaccination consultation to the vaccination sessions, while guaranteeing the safety of vaccines and vaccination.

In addition, the capacity of the Orange Vélodrome, as well as its ease of access, could encourage massive support for the Marseille population when possible, ”explained the Olympian club.

Olympique de Marseille supports the anti #COVID ー 19 vaccination campaign and proposes to make the @orangevelodrome stadium available to all Marseillais

- Olympique de Marseille (@OM_Officiel) January 6, 2021

"In these times of crisis, it seems normal to us to contribute as much as possible to the fight against the pandemic", summarized Abdou Sbihi, the medical technical director of the OM who has every interest in contributing to this mobilization.

The faster the threat of Covid-19 recedes, the faster the public will be allowed into the stadiums.

A news which would constitute a relief for the finances of the clubs.

It is also for this reason that Perpignan has offered the same services.

François Rivière, the president of the rugby club proposed that the Aimé-Giral stadium be transformed into a vaccination center "open to all".

In a post published on his Facebook account, the Catalan leader explains that his enclosure "has premises allowing a reasonable health organization for such a campaign".

The president of Perpignan hopes the return in the stadiums of the vaccinated people

The Aimé-Giral stadium in Perpignan.

According to him, this initiative supported by the mayor of Perpignan, Louis Alliot (RN) would also allow supporters to return to the stadium, once they have been vaccinated.

"If some of our supporters agree to be vaccinated, I think I would therefore ask that these people regain free access to the stadium, within the time limits set, therefore this could allow many partners and supporters to return soon for support our team ", advance François Rivière, who explains:" A third of our subscribers are over 65 years old and another third are in the age group between 50 and 65 years old, so we fit I believe into the target population wanted by the authorities ”.

Read also

• Covid-19: the Brest stadium transformed into a canteen for high school students