New Brunswick to Submit Bid for 2021 Francophonie Games

A delegation from the province will travel to Abidjan, Ivory Coast, to officially submit New Brunswick’s bid for the 9th Games of La Francophonie. 

The delegation will be headed by Post-Secondary Education, Training and Labour Minister Francine Landry, MLA for Madawaska-les-Lacs-Edmundston, who is also the minister responsible for La Francophonie. She will be joined by government and community representatives.

The delegation will try to convince the Comité international des Jeux de la Francophonie (international committee of the Francophonie Games) to entrust New Brunswick with holding the 2021 Games. They would be held in Moncton and Dieppe.

“Our government is fully committed to this bid,” said Premier Brian Gallant. “New Brunswick’s communities also support it and have a lot of experience organizing such events. The cities of Moncton and Dieppe have also made a commitment to participate in the project. I am confident of our success. I thank the whole team that worked hard to prepare New Brunswick’s bid.”

It is certain that the Games will take place in Canada. The only other bid is from Quebec (Sherbrooke).

The two delegations will make their presentations March 1 to the Conseil d’orientation (advisory committee) of the Comité international des Jeux de la Francophonie, which is meeting in Abidjan. The council will submit a recommendation to the International Organization of La Francophonie.

The official announcement about the location of the Games will be made at the Francophonie summit in Madagascar in November.

New Brunswick wrestlers Charles Thoms and Shawn Daye-Finley earned bronze medals at the VIIth Jeux de la Francophonie, in Nice, France, 2013 [Gov.NB][/caption]“We are optimistic as this crucial phase draws nearer,” Landry said. “We are counting on our excellent infrastructure, our considerable experience in organizing international events and the warm welcome of the Acadian community. Our province has a great deal to offer and much to gain from this event, which would strengthen our presence within the international Francophonie.”

Éric Mathieu Doucet, spokesperson for the bid committee, said he was proud of the file that had been prepared during the past few months to showcase New Brunswick.

“Moncton and Dieppe are outstanding for their enthusiasm,” Doucet said. “We have proven on several occasions that we can successfully organize high-quality international events. Acadie is characterized by its culture and French pride, and we want to share these assets with the young athletes and artists of the Francophonie in 2021.”

The Games constitute the largest sporting and cultural event of the Francophonie dedicated to youth. They are held every four years, in the year following the Olympic Summer Games, and they attract more than 3,000 participants aged 18 to 35 from nearly 80 countries.

The Games have never been held in New Brunswick. In 2001, they were held in Canada, in Ottawa and Hull (now Gatineau), Qubec

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