La Pétanque: Coming Soon to an Olympics Near You?

A person is swinging a bat at a ball

Bocce, boules, pétanque: perhaps these words call to mind portly, aging men relaxing with a bit of pastis, shaded from the hot southern European sun. Détrompez-vous! Pétanque is not merely a quaint pass-time, it is a serious sport with a federation that is determined to take it all the way to the Olympics.

Claude Azéma, President of the Confédération Mondiale des Sports de Boules (CMSB) has officially announced pétanque’s bid to become an Olympic sport. He delivered the news on the home turf of one of the sport’s biggest supporters, and the federation’s honorary president, Prince Albert II of Monaco.

Prince Albert II of Monaco attending the 2013 Petanque Masters held at the Palace Square in Monaco, September 5, 2013. Photo by Marco Piovanotto/ABACAPRESS.COM
Prince Albert II of Monaco attending the 2013 Petanque Masters held at the Palace Square in Monaco, September 5, 2013. Photo by Marco Piovanotto/ABACAPRESS.COM

“One sport, several disciplines, one candidacy,” is the campaign’s motto, according to Le Figaro. They report that with the official letter on its way to the IOC, Claude Azéma says the next steps are to find, “an outfitter, an event organizer, and an international broadcaster.”

Le Monde noted that the campaign is based on the widespread presence of “boules sports” in 165 countries and supported by 262 federations. Other advantages include its prominent “social role” and its tendency to bring together players from different generations.

Want a taste of what internationally broadcast competitive pétanque might look like? Check out this video of teams from France and Italy vying for the 2012 world pétanque championship. Les boules, indeed.
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