SPECIAL OLYMPICS FRANCE CUP BY PARIS WORLD GAMES
Paris, the land of dreams
PARIS WORLD GAMES and SPECIAL OLYMPICS FRANCE join forces. Together, the two organizations will enable young athletes with mental disabilities to take part in the biggest international event for young athletes in France. 12 international SPECIAL OLYMPICS unified soccer delegations will gather in Paris this summer alongside the 10,000 participants of the PARIS WORLD GAMES.
Shared values
Because society's view of disability needs to change. Both players share the same values and the same determination to thrive through sport and experience the pleasure of success. The two organizations have therefore decided to create the SPECIAL OLYMPICS FRANCE CUP BY PARIS WORLD GAMES, to show that there is a champion in every one of us.
A commitment to solidarity
This new alliance is committed to thrilling spectators and participants and, above all, to supporting this initiative together during this international unified soccer competition taking place from July 8 to 10, 2019.
This new partnership will make dreams come true for SPECIAL OLYMPICS FRANCE athletes taking part in the PARIS WORLD GAMES.
Interview Daniele Curcio
Could you please briefly introduce yourself and tell us about Tournaments Abroad please ?
My name is Daniele Curcio, I'm from Italy and I am the President of Tournaments Abroad, the world's largest international refereeing network. Since I became a referee in 2003, I've dedicated myself to refereeing. I started Tournaments Abroad in 2010 together with my English colleague Matthew Day. Tournaments Abroad is now a major refereeing operator in many countries around the world, and all continents. Every year we manage all aspects connected to refereeing for 20+ major international tournaments, from the Paris World Games to the Ibercup tournament series, and we welcome, coach and train 1000+ officials from all around the World.
What were your selection criterias for the PARIS WORLD GAMES?
The Paris World Games is our single biggest event. In order to cover all games during this great event, we have selected a total of 135 referees. We have officials of all levels of experience and backgrounds, in order to have the right one for each game, from the more challenging Under 19s games via the playoffs and all the way to the finals. Our main focus is on developing referees. For this reason all referees attending the tournament are what we call "future prospects". Referees who have shown potential to become top-level officials in the years to come, and need international experience to achieve their dreams. The Tournaments Abroad refereeing group at the Paris World Games is certainly one of the most talented group of officials at any international youth tournament worldwide.
How many nationalities are present among the referees of the Paris World Games 2018?
This year we are delighted to be able to count on the presence of referees from 33 different countries, a new record for the Paris World Games. Aside from the numerous referees from England, France and The Netherlands, we are really proud of welcoming some officials from new nations, the first time we have seen them at PWG or Tournaments Abroad! To name a few: Sanjay Karki from Nepal and the official groups sent by the Federations of Kosovo (led by Valbon Hoxha) and Latvia (led by Jevgenijs Keziks). I'd also like to mention Greece, Serbia and Israel who will be represented. Finally, a shout out goes to the 3 match officials coming all the way from Australia, including our youngest ever referee Jock Quartermain, and his brother William. In short, we have a really global group and we are very proud of that!
What will help these referees to excel?
Referee development is our absolute priority. In order to offer all officials a chance to become "better referees", we have put in place a support team of observers and assessors that will help them excel both on and off the field. Observers are rarely mentioned when it comes to refereeing, but their role is essential in ensuringreferees have all the tools at hand in order to proceed.
Tournaments Abroad and the Paris World Games have persevered in recruiting, year after year, a growing number of observers whose role will be to mentor, coach and evaluate the performance of our officials. Their role has a double, equally important significance - first, it guarantees that only the best referees will get the finals, second it will offer all officials a chance to look back at their performances and learn how to perform even better in their next game. I'd personally like to mention the great job done by John D'Arcy, our assessors coordinator, who carefully selected 21 observers for this year's event.
What will bring those exceptional referees to Paris World Games?
Paris is of course a very charming and welcoming city, and the Paris World Games offers referees the opportunity to improve while making new friends from all around the world.
The possibility of refereeing teams from a number of countries such as Iraq, Algeria, Zambia and many others is a wow factor that not many tournaments offer. These are teams referees don't normally officiate in their local leagues and who play a completely different style of soccer, offering a new challenge to all our officials. It's like a mini World Cup for them!
Finally, I'd like to mention a very special program that Tournaments Abroad started last year, in conjuction with the tournament, which is called the "Tournaments Abroad Referee Academy". This is an elite development group for 20 young referees from around the world selected by us. They get the opportunity to train,develop and receive coaching from some of the world's most well-known referee instructors, many of whom are active at UEFA and FIFA level. To mention a few names, we are proud to have in our team former FIFA referee Michel Vautrot, current Premier League referee David Coote, and many other UEFA officials such as Adrian Casha, Sten Klaasen, Leif Lindberg. The Tournaments Abroad Referee Academy makes the Paris World Games an even more attractive tournament for young up-and-coming referees from all around the world.
In your opinion, what are the main values of soccer and refereeing?
The referee is quintessentially a figure who loves to see good, fluid soccer. No referee wants to intervene with yellow and red cards; no referee wants to be in the midst of a controversial incident.
We are all lovers of the beautiful game and strong backers of fair play. Soccer is at its best when played fairly and to the spirit of the laws of the game, and a referee will always strive to uphold these principles.
Finally, What do you think is a good referee?
As the saying goes, a referee has had a good game when no one notices that they were on the field! A referee always does their best to allow the game to flow, whistling as little as possible and constantly communicating with players and coaches alike.
What many spectators aren't aware of is the incredible work a referee does when the whistle is not in their mouth: speaking with players, observing how the teams are playing, analysing potential problems and confrontations that may lie ahead.
A referee should always be respected, but utter, complete respect is a characteristic that is earned before and during the game. This means from the moment that the referee meets the players, shakes hands with the captain, and interacts with the manager. And on the field, a referee should avoid being overly demonstrative and authoritarian. Being humble but decisive; a good communicator but without tolerating dissent: these are traits that make a top referee.
Interview Daniele Curcio
Could you briefly introduce yourself and tell us what Tournaments Abroad is all about?
My name is Danielle Curcio, I'm from Italy and I'm President of Tournaments Abroad, the world's largest network of international referees. Since becoming a referee in 2003, I have dedicated myself to refereeing. I launched Tournaments Abroad in 2010 with my British colleague Matthew Day. Tournaments Abroad is now a major international refereeing group operating in various countries and on all continents.
Every year, we help over 20 major international tournaments manage all aspects of their refereeing, from the Paris World Games to the Ibercup tournament.
In addition, we host and train over 1000 referees from all over the world.
What were the selection criteria for the Paris World Games?
The Paris World Games is our biggest event. To manage all the matches throughout the tournament, we called on 135 referees. These referees have unique training and are oriented to all levels, so that we have the right referee for every match, from U19 elimination matches to the final. Our aim remains to ensure the development of our referees. That's why all our referees are what we call "future prospects". These are referees who have demonstrated the potential to become top-level referees in the near future and need international experience to realize their dreams. The group of referees Tournaments Abroad is sending to the Paris World Games is certainly one of the most talented in international youth tournaments.
How many nationalities can be counted among the referees at the Paris World Games 2018?
This year we're delighted to be able to count on the presence of referees from 33 different countries, a new record for the Paris World Games. In addition to a large number of referees from England, France and the Netherlands, we will be welcoming for the first time, for both Tournaments Abroad and the Paris World Games, referees from new countries, including Sanjay Karki from Nepal, as well as groups of officials sent by the Federations of Kosovo (led by Valbon Hoxha) and Latvia (led by Jevgenijs Keziks). I'd also like to mention Greece, Serbia and Israel, who will also be represented. Finally, I'd like to thank 3 referees who will be making the long journey from Australia, among them our youngest referee Jock Quartermain and his brother William. All in all, we've got a great international group and we're proud of it!
What would help these referees excel?
Referee development is our top priority. So that we can offer every referee the opportunity to become one of the "best referees" we have set up a team of observers to help them both on and off the field. Observers are rarely mentioned, but their role is essential to ensure referees' progress.
Tournaments Abroad and the Paris World Games have set themselves the mission of recruiting, year after year, a greater number of observers who can act as role models, coaches and evaluators. Their roles are twofold: firstly, to ensure that only the best referees are in charge of the finals; and secondly, to enable referees to review their performances and improve from match to match. I'd like to mention the very important work of John D'Arcy, our observer coordinator, who himself selected the 21 observers who will be present at this year's tournament.
What attracts the best referees to the Paris World Games?
Paris is of course a charming and welcoming city, and the Paris World Games offer referees the opportunity to improve their skills while making new friends from all over the world.
The opportunity to referee teams from countries such as Iraq, Algeria and Zambia, among others, is a wow-factor that few tournaments can offer. These are teams that referees are not used to officiating at club level, and which play a different style of soccer to that of the local league, presenting a new challenge for our referees. It's like a mini World Cup for them!
Finally, I'd like to mention a special program that Tournaments Abroad launched last year in conjunction with the Paris World Games, called the Tournaments Abroad Referee Academy. It's an elite development group for some twenty young international referees we've selected. They have the opportunity to train, develop and be coached by well-known referees who are often active at UEFA and FIFA level. We are proud to include former FIFA referee Michel Vautrot, Premier League referee David Coote, and many other UEFA referees such as Adrian Casha, Sten Klaasen and Leif Lindberg. The Tournaments Abroad Referee Academy makes the Paris World Games all the more attractive for future top-level referees.
In your opinion, what are the most important values associated with soccer and refereeing?
Referees like to preside over a smooth, beautiful soccer match. No referee wants to intervene with yellow or red cards; no referee wants to be in the middle of a controversial incident.
We're all in love with the beautifull game, and we're all in favor of fair play. Soccer is at its best when played with respect for the rules and for others. The referee will always try to uphold these principles.
Finally, what makes a good referee in your opinion?
As the old saying goes, a referee has had a good game when nobody notices his presence on the pitch. A referee will always try to let the game go on, whistle as little as possible and communicate as much as possible with players and coaches.
What fans sometimes don't appreciate is the incredible work the referee does when the whistle isn't in his mouth: he talks to the players, observes the game, and anticipates potential problems and confrontations to come.
A referee should always be respected, but total respect is earned before and during the match. That is, from the moment the referee meets the players, shakes hands with the captain and talks to the coach. And on the pitch, the referee must avoid excessive authoritarianism. Being humble but decisive; a good communicator but not tolerant of dissent: these are the traits of an excellent referee.
Day 6
This is the last day of Paris World Games 2017!
It was devoted to the soccer finals, all played at the Déjerine stadium.
The teams Com Bagneux, Camioneros, Centre de Formation de Football de Paris, Ordin FC, FC Nandy and Al Minaa finally won the U13, U14, U15, U16, U17 and U19 respectively.
The matches took place in the purest sportsmanship, and watched by many spectators who had come to the stadium.
Last but not least, the Paris World Games team would like to warmly thank all the participants and the volunteers for taking part in this edition, and give you rendez-vous in 2018!
Day 6
It's the last day of the Paris World Games 2017!
This one was devoted to the soccer finals, all played at the Stade Déjerine.
In the end, it was the Com Bagneux, Camioneros, Centre de Formation de Football de Paris, Ordin FC, FC Nandy and Al Minaa teams who came out on top in the U13, U14, U15, U16, U17 and U19 categories respectively.
The matches were played in the purest sporting spirit, and watched by many spectators who had made the trip.
The entire Paris World Games team would like to extend its warmest thanks to all the participants and volunteers who took part in this year's event, and look forward to seeing you again in 2018!
Day 5
In basketball, while players from the Frenchy Associate came to host a workshop throughout the afternoon for our young players, it was indeed our sponsor Evan Fournier who presented the prizes to the teams of handball and basketball.
Welcomed like a star, he took the time to congratulate the players one by one, then to pose with them for a small photo shoot.
A real highlight of the day, sportingly and humanely!
For the handball precisely, the final matches took place. In the boys category, UMS Pontault Combault wins the tournament against the Entente Seine Nord 92 after a technical and tight match. For the girls, the team of CSM Finances 1 is the winner of its match against the Handball Federation of India, hence wins the tournament.
All the teams were present for the prizes ceremony, and the handball tournament ended on an excellent note in anticipation of the next edition!
Finally in soccer, a few winners have already been nominated. For example, ACCB 1, Paris FC, and SFC Neuilly-sur-Marne won the categories U10, U11 and U12 respectively.
The rest of the finals are played this Thursday all day at the Déjerine stadium, under a beautiful sun.