The Francophone Games
The event ‘Francophone Games’ known in the French as “Jeux de la Francophonie” is a mixture of sports and arts, held with the participation of the French-speaking nations as a part of their cultural expression. The event is held every four years, with 45 French-speaking nations taking part. It is not only an event; it is more than a competition as it is a medium of cultural exchange as well.
The event traces its history from the 1970’s when it was formally planned, and launched in 1989. Since then it has been arranged by the French-speaking nations, and is comparable to the Commonwealth Games. That is because the history shows that there is a long story of challenge between the British and the French in the cases of both politics and culture.
Along with Canada and France, participants from the countries of Europe, Middle East and Africa take part in the Francophone Games. About 3000 participants took part in the 2009 Games.
The participating countries send their best athletes to this Olympic-style competition. It is not only an athletic competition but also an artistic one. All the nations present their culture by practicing poetry, songs, and dances of their own style. Thus, the cultural diversity of same language speaking people represented by the competitors shows the vastness of the difference among the nations not only of the French- speaking region but also the whole world.
The next Francophone Games
- The next event will be held in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire on July 21–30, 2017.
Related Pages
- Other International Multi-Events
- About the Commonwealth Games
- About the Lusophony Games
- Multi-Sport Events (Games) Calendar
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