Basketball, handball, volleyball, rugby… “Le Parisien” has been offering for several weeks and before each weekend an overview of the events not to be missed in Île-de-France.
The poster to follow: Racing rugby players are aiming for a place in the last European four
RUGBY.
It's the hour of truth!
After a first group stage and round of 16 with back and forth matches, which left the possibility of recovering after a misstep, the serious things begin for the eight clubs still in the race for the European Cup .
Four French representatives are among the last survivors, including Racing 92.
After smashing their neighbor Stade Français in the 8th round (55-31 over the two games), the Ciel et Blancs face the English of Sale for a place in the half.
Laurent Travers' players will have the advantage of receiving and will leave with the label of favorites.
While the English have never passed the quarter-finals of the continental event (in 2006), the Ile-de-France residents have already played in three finals.
Three painful memories because they never managed to lift the big cup.
To hope to defeat the Indian sign, they will already have to get rid of Sale this Sunday.
🚨 Announcement 🚨
Here are the dates, kick-offs and broadcasters for the Champions Cup quarter-finals!
🙌
More information ➡️ https://t.co/OYrrVfhUm8 pic.twitter.com/2LmtgkAEL2
— Champions Cup France (@ChampionsCup_FR) April 20, 2022
The event: the clash PSG - Montpellier in Coubertin
HANDBALL.
This is the shock of this 25th day of the championship.
This Friday evening (8:30 p.m.) in Coubertin, PSG will be crowned champion of France if they beat Montpellier.
The Parisians leave with a huge capital of confidence after their demonstration (41-24) against this same opponent, a little less than a month ago in the Coupe de France.
In the first leg, Montpellier had clearly hooked the Parisian ogre and lost by one goal (33-34) on the buzzer.
The challenge, with this 9th national title (the 8th in a row) which is reaching out to them, is threefold.
The first effect will be to get closer to the Hérault club (14) and pass only 2nd ahead of Ivry in the history of the French Championship.
The 2nd is to continue the incredible series of victories in this competition.
PSG is aiming for 30 out of 30, unheard of.
The last is to put yourself in the best conditions before receiving Wednesday (8:45 p.m.) the Germans of Kiel in the quarter-final first leg of the Champions League.
This is the main objective of Nikola Karabatic and his teammates at the end of the season.
The first leg between @mhbofficiel and @psghand gave us an incredible scenario!
🔥
Your predictions for the return match this Friday at 8:30 p.m.?
⬇️#LiquiMolyStarLigue #StarMatch #PARMON pic.twitter.com/5NbAtWe7u0
– National Handball League (@LNHofficiel) May 4, 2022
The phrase: “It is imperative to win”, warns Chris Singleton
BASKETBALL.
The Sceaux players no longer have the right to make mistakes.
Beaten by Monaco (57-67) last week during the first day of the final stages of the Women's National 1, the partners of Olga Maznichenko must win this Saturday against Feytiat to hope to win one of the two tickets put in game to access the Women's Ligue 2.
“Everything will happen on Saturday, warns coach Chris Singleton.
Before the start of the playoffs we were second out of four, that's still the case but we blew our joker.
It is imperative to win against Feytiat otherwise we know that the situation will be seriously compromised before playing the last two away games.
»
A challenge all the more complicated as Sceaux will evolve without its leader Aminata Konaté (injured).
“She is the best player in the championship in her position, it is a serious handicap but we will do everything to win”, according to Singleton.
Sceaux is the last Ile-de-France team to have played at the highest level in France, the Women's League, during the 2001-2002 season.
20 years ago…
The place to go: an MMA evening at the Accor Arena
Second largest organization in the world of the discipline behind the UFC, Bellator settles for the second time in its history at the Accor Arena in Paris on Friday evening (from 8:30 p.m.).
During the first edition, in October 2020, the Parisian sports hall was unfortunately only able to accommodate 1,000 spectators due to the health situation and the pandemic.
At least 10 times more are expected this time.
One of the most anticipated fights of the evening, which will award the title of world heavyweight champion, will pit French veteran Cheick Kongo (46) against American Ryan Bader, the belt holder.
The fighter Lucie Bertaud, also known for her participation in the show
Koh-Lanta: Les Armes Secrètes
, of which she will finish as a finalist, is also on the program for the meeting.
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Top tip: the Blitz Society Bar
CHESS.
This Friday, at 6.30 p.m., the Blitz Society (4, rue du Sabot in the 6th arrondissement), the first Parisian chess bar,
organizes a France-Ukraine match.
Four great French players will face in public and “online” four Ukrainian Grand Masters, live from their country.
The French players who will be present are: Laurent Fressinet, multi champion of France, coach of Magnus Carlsen;
Marie Sebag, one of the few women in the world to hold the prestigious title of international chess grandmaster;
Yovann Gatineau, French champion under 20 and already International Master;
and Vincent Riff.
The conditions for organizing such a meeting being more than delicate, the names of the Ukrainian representatives will be revealed at the last moment.
Finally, note that all donations and contributions collected during this evening will be entirely donated to the benefit of Ukraine.
The epic to follow: the basketball players of Cergy-Pontoise dream of Pro B
BASKETBALL.
Show, game and stake.
The Maradas complex should be full and vibrate as rarely in the next few hours.
Tombeur de Chartres - one of the contenders for the rise - last weekend in the round of 16, Cergy-Pontoise welcomes Lorient this Saturday for its quarter-final first leg of the National 1 playoffs. A historic match for the Spartans, nickname players.
“It's unheard of, savors Manuel Munoz, manager at the club.
It is the first time that a promoted player has reached the quarter-finals of this competition.
It's amazing when you remember where you come from.
We only learned of our rise in July and we had to build our team at the last moment last summer.
It's a great experience for our players and the club, but now that we've tasted his emotions, we want to go all the way.
»
At the end of April, 1,300 supporters had already crowded into the stands of the enclosure to encourage the players of Cergy-Pontoise against Chartres in the round of 16 - "a club with a budget 4 times greater than ours", estimates Munoz -, they should to be even more numerous and more boiling for the arrival of Lorient.
The club chaired by Amara Sy has also planned many activities throughout the evening.
Also qualified for the big eight of the National 1, Rueil hosts the Stade Rochelais.
The winner of these playoffs will join Angers, first of the season at the end of the season, in Po B next season.
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The athlete to watch: Paralympic table tennis champion Fabien Lamirault in Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines
PARA TABLE TENNIS.
Quadruple Paralympic champion, the Francilien will be one of the main headliners of the event.
From Thursday until Sunday, the International Velodrome of Saint-Quentin en Yvelines hosts the 2nd edition of the International Para Table Tennis Tournament.
A spectacular and prestigious meeting, belonging to the world circuit and qualifying for the World Championships which will take place at the beginning of November in Granada (Spain).
The best table tennis players in the world - from 33 countries - will be present.
Among them, the Tokyo Paralympic medalists including Fabien Lamirault.
One of the stars of the discipline.
Paraplegic since a road accident at the age of 17, the Francilien, native of Longjumeau and used to the hall of Issy-les-Moulineaux where he trains regularly, won two gold medals at the last Games.
Two charms of the most precious metal which are added to those unchecked in 2016. This meeting will also serve as a preview to two years of the Paralympic Games in Paris.
The discovery: an introduction to chessboxing, a mixture of chess and boxing
CHESSBOXING.
Since 2019, the discipline imagined by Enki Bilal in his comic strip
Froid Équateur
has seen its practice take shape in France.
After the creation of a French federation and a French team (8 gold medals at the 2019 World Championships) as well as the organization of official fights in Paris, this sport combining chess and boxing saw its development hampered by the health crisis.
To prepare for the 2022-2023 season, the Chessboxing Club Paris is offering this Sunday, from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m., a free discovery day in the Apollo Sporting Club room (3, quai du Lot, 19th).
A unique day to discover this atypical sport which combines physical performance and cerebral mastery, in the company of the champions who bring the discipline to life.
On the program: introduction to boxing and chess, workshops and exhibition fights.
The workshops, supervised by approved boxing coaches and Chess Grand Masters, are accessible to everyone (from 12 years old, adult guides required for children under 14), whatever the level in one or the other discipline.
The 226 m2 room equipped with a central ring will be able to accommodate around fifty participants.
The equipment (chess and boxing) is provided by the Chessboxing Club Paris.
Participants must simply show up in sportswear.
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THE PROGRAM
BASEBALL.
Division 1.
Sunday, 11 a.m. and 2 p.m.:
MONTIGNY-LE-BRETONNEUX - SAVIGNY-SUR-ORGE (Jean-Maréchal stadium), La Rochelle - SÉNART.
BASKETBALL.
Nationale 1. Quarter-finals
(first leg)
:
RUEIL - Stade Rochelais Rupella (Saturday, 8 p.m., Stadium);
CERGY-PONTOISE - Lorient (Saturday, 8 p.m., Complexe des Maradas).
National 1 Women
(playoffs, 2nd day).
SCEAUX - Feytiat (Saturday, 8 p.m., Clos Saint-Marcel room).
HANDBALL.
Liqui Moly Starligue
(25th day).
PSG - Montpellier (Friday, 8.30 p.m., Pierre-de-Coubertin stadium), Nancy
-
CRÉTEIL (Friday, 8.30 p.m.).
Proligue
(28th day).
Billère - TREMBLAY (Friday, 8 p.m.).
IVRY - Sélestat (Friday, 8.30 p.m., Auguste-Delaune gymnasium), PONTAULT - Valence (Friday, 8.30 p.m., Espace Roger-Boisramé), Villeurbanne - MASSY (Friday, 8.30 p.m.).
Butagaz Energy League
(24th day).
PARIS 92 - Plan-de-Cuques (Sunday, 5 p.m., Palais des Sports Robert Charpentier in Issy).
RUGBY.
European Cup (quarter-finals):
RACING 92 - Sale (Eng) (Sunday, 4 p.m., Paris La Défense Arena)
National
(26th day).
MASSY - Valence Romans Drome (Sunday, 3 p.m., Jules-Ladoumègue stadium);
Nice - SURESNES (Sunday, 3 p.m.).
Elite 1 Women
(14th day).
STADE FRANÇAIS - Stade Rennais (Sunday, 3 p.m., Christophe Dominici stadium, Paris XVI);
BOBIGNY - Grenoble (Sunday, 3 p.m., Henri Wallon stadium);
CHILLY-MAZARIN - Lyon (Sunday, 3 p.m., Jesse Owens stadium).
VOLLEYBALL.
Ligue A, playdowns
(7th day): Toulouse - LE PLESSIS-ROBINSON (Saturday, 8 p.m.).