Relativement méconnu en dehors de la Grande-Bretagne ou de l’Irlande, le hurling ou Iománaíocht en Gaélique, sport âgé de plus de 2 000 ans est le troisième sport en Irlande en terme de popularité. Il est difficile de le comparer à une autre activité sportive ; il est en effet unique de par sa pratique et parfois même dangereux !

Frapper et esquiver
Pour ce jeu d’extérieur, il vous faut des crosses, des casques et un balle. Chaque équipe est composée de 15 membres, à savoir six attaquants, six défenseurs et deux milieux de terrain. Le concept du hurling n’est pas bien différent des autres jeux de balle : deux équipes, une balle, deux buts. L’équipe qui marque le plus de points en 70 minutes remporte la victoire.

Mais alors, en quoi le hurling est un sport aussi formidable ? Eh bien il s’agit d’un sport d’action. La balle, appelée Sliotar, est à peine plus grosse qu’une balle de tennis et pourtant, elle est beaucoup plus grosse et surtout plus lourde. En aucun cas le genre de balle que l’on peut se permettre de prendre en pleine face ! Les joueurs ont le droit de tenir la balle à la main ou à bout de hurleys (le nom donné aux crosses de hurling) le temps de faire quatre pas, après quoi, ils doivent faire une passe. Si la balle est au sol, elle ne peut être ramassée uniquement à l’aide du hurley.

Tout n’est pas autorisé au hurling. Certes, il n’y a pas de hors-jeu possible et la balle se doit d’être projetée aussi loin que possible. Certes, la balle est souvent frappée à hauteur de visage, ce qui accroit le risque de blessures graves. Malgré tout, il y a des règles et le hurling n’est pas aussi barbare qu’il en a l’air. Pour commencer, il est strictement interdit de frapper les autres joueurs avec le hurley. La seule forme d’offensive autorisée est à coup d’épaules. Pourtant, des joueurs sont blessés chaque année. Si un casque doit d’être porté, il y a une raison à cela et c’est une très excellent raison.

Et… But !
Si vous pensez avoir ce qu’il faut pour intégrer l’équipe, voici comment marquer des points. Les buts sont en forme de « H » et c’est là que tout se joue. Si le Sliotar est envoyé entre les deux poteaux et au-dessus de la barre horizontale, cela vous vaut un point et un drapeau blanc est agité. Si vous parvenez cependant à marquer sous la barre transversale, cela remporte un but, soit 3 points, à votre équipe et un drapeau vert est levé.

Le score est affiché sous la forme « conté buts-points conté buts-points », par exemple Cork 2-14 Tipperary 1-15.

Il est intéressant de noter que le nom des joueurs n’est pas imprimé sur les maillots et que le numéro qui leurs est attribués correspond à la position sur le terrain. Il n’y a pas d’équipes mixtes au hurling, cependant une version féminine existe bel et bien, avec des règles quelque peu différentes, et porte le nom de camógaíocht.

[English]

Relatively unknown outside Ireland and Great-Britain, albeit over 2,000 years old, hurling – or Iománaíocht in Gaelic – is the third most popular sport in Ireland. It is hard to compare it to anything else for it is quite unique – and sometimes even dangerous!

Hit without getting hit
Clubs, helmets and a ball is what you need to play this outdoor game. Each team is made of 15 members with six defenders, six attackers, two midfielders and a goalkeeper. The players, called hurlers, are monitored by at least one referee, four umpires and two linesmen. The concept of hurling is no more complex than most ball games – two teams, one ball, two goal posts. The team that scores more points wins and has 70 minutes to do so.

So how is hurling such a great game? Well, it’s a pretty rough one. The ball, called Sliotar, is hardly any bigger than a tennis ball, yet it is hard and heavy – you most certainly do not want to get hit by it. Hurlers can hold the ball with their hands or with their hurleys (the name given to the clubs) only for four steps and must then pass it on. However, they can only pick the ball from the ground with the hurley.

Not everything is allowed while playing hurling. Granted there is no offside and the ball should be hurled as far as possible. Yes, the ball is often hit at face level, increasing the risk of serious injuries. In spite of all that, some rules apply and it is not as barbaric as it sounds. For one, you cannot club the other players. You are also supposed to get in the other hurlers’ ways only by hitting them with your shoulders. Still, many hurlers get injured every year. If helmets must be worn, there is a reason to it and indeed a very good one.

And... Score!
If you think you have what it takes to be part of the team, then here is how you can score points. You need to aim for the goal post, which is in the shape of a “H”. If the Sliotar goes between the poles and over the horizontal bar, you score one point and a white flag is raised. If you score below the crossbar, however, you score a goal, worth 3 points and a green flag is raised. Scores are displayed as “County goals-points County goals-points”, e.g. Cork 2-14 Tipperary 1-15.

Interestingly enough, hurlers’ jerseys do not bear the players’ names and the numbers they are given match their positions on the field. Even though hurling teams are not mixed, a feminine version exists with slightly different rules, known as camógaíocht (Camogie).

[Français]

Le sport est l'espéranto des races. [Jean Giraudoux] Écrivain français 1882-1944

J’étais résigné à écrire un article soporifique encyclopédique sur les sports les plus populaires en France et en Belgique. Football, tennis, cyclisme, basket… Ennuyeux au possible tant pour moi que pour mes lecteurs adorés.

“Sports?” J’efface donc mon premier somnifère article et remet le couvert: place aux sports extrêmes! Ou plutôt, aux extrêmes du sport… Du plus ennuyeux au plus génial!

Le flop

Le “sport” régional par excellence en “Belle Gique” est un mélange de tennis, cricket et troisième mi-temps: la balle pelote. Sur un terrain de 72 mètres de long, deux équipes de 5 joueurs se lancent mutuellement à la figure une petite balle de 50 grammes (pelote): c’est tout ce que j’ai retenu des règles du jeu. J’ai ensuite essayé d’éclairer ma lanterne en regardant sur Youtube: une part importante du jeu semble être de se promener sur le terrain de long en large, de prendre beaucoup d’élan et de regarder le ciel ; il faut reconnaitre que rattraper une balle de 5 cm de diamètre lancée à quelques dizaines de mètres/secondes est un sacré challenge. L’article parle d’un grand nombre de balles perdues, mais quand on qu’il est également vital de s’hydrater tout au long du jeu (et pas que de l’eau), on explique mieux la toute relative précision des tirs. Avec la colombophilie, c’est le sport régional par excellence.

(si vous ne comprenez rien, ne vous inquiétez pas, moi non plus).

Son pendant français s’appelle la balle au tambourin ; joué presque exclusivement dans l’Hérault, en deux équipes de cinq joueurs, ça m’a tout l’air de ressembler à la balle pelote. Au lieu de frapper la balle avec un gant, on utilise un tambourin.

Le top

Le film Yamakasi a contribué à susciter des vocations dans ce sport urbain. Dans ce film écrit par Luc Besson, sept jeunes de banlieue pratiquent un nouveau sport mêlant l’escalade, le saut en longueur et la course à pied: le parkour. Leur particularité ? Leurs parcours est en pleine ville, de terrasse en terrasse, surfant sur les toits et sautant d’une dalle de béton à une rambarde de sécurité. Le tout enrobé d’une philosophie de développement personnel. La discipline connait une grande médiatisation par les vidéos amateur du net.

(2 minutes 37 qui vous feront regarder la ville d’un autre oeil)

Pour finir, un sport méconu mais à forte teneur en génialitude: le bossaball. Vous prenez du beachvolley (qui est déjà dans les sports les plus jouissifs à regarder), ajoutez-y deux trampolines et des joueurs de samba… Votre génialomètre vient d’exploser ? Normal, un tel condensé de fun est rarement rencontré. Beachvolley + trampoline + musique = je vous laisse déguster en video!

Je ne dis pas que ce sport est pratiqué tous les jours en Belgique, mais au moins vous saurez où ça a été inventé (c-à-d pas au Brésil!).

Pour ceux que ça intéresse, les sports les plus populaires en Belgique sont le tennis, le cyclisme et le football. Pour la France, ajoutez le rugby et le handball, où les Bleus sont assez forts. Voilà.

Sport is the Esperanto of all human races. [Jean Giraudoux] French writer 1882-1944

I was resigned to write an encyclopedic article about the most popular sports in Belgium and France. Soccer, tennis, cycling, basketball… Überboring for me and for my lovely readers…

“Sports?” I decided to erase my first sleeping pill article and got back to work: go go go extreme sports! Truth be told, it’s about extreme sports on the scale of awesomeness: the most boring and the most awesome! Suit up!

The flop

This regional sport in Belgium is a mixture of tennis, cricket and heavy drinking: the balle pelote. On a field of 72 meters, two teams of 5 players throw a ball 50 gram ball at each other's face. Points are scored according to obscure rules (to be read here). That's everything I could figure out. I then tried to clarify the whole thing by means of Youtube: an important part of the game seems to be crossing the field to and fro, then stopping to watch the sky a few moments. Strange. However, we must admit that catching a ball (5 cm in diameter) thrown at a few tens of meters / second is quite a challenge. The article evokes of a large number of balls lost in the course of the game; but as it is vital to drink throughout the game (and not only water), the approximate accuracy of the throws can be deduced.

(if you don't get it at all, don’t worry, me neither).

His French counterpart is called the "ball on the tambourine" ; played almost exclusively in the Hérault, it opposes two teams of five players. Instead of hitting the ball with a glove, they use a tambourine.

The top

The film Yamakasi aroused the interest of many in this urban sport. In the film, written by Luc –wait for it- Besson, seven young men practice a new sport combining climbing, long jump and running: the so-called parkour. What's so peculiar about this one? The course goes through a myriad of improvised obstacles: balconies, terraces, roof surfing and jumping from a slab of concrete to a guardrail are all commonplace. The whole thing is wrapped up in in a philosophy of personal development. The discipline has enjoyed much media coverage thanks to amateur videos on the net.

(2 minutes 37 that will make you see the city from another angle)

Finally, a sport who’s value is vastly underappreciated: the bossaball. Take beach volleyball (which is already one of the most enjoyable sports to play or watch), add two trampolines and a couple of samba players... Your awesom-o-meter just exploded? That's normal, such a quantity of fun is hardly conceivable... Beach volleyball + trampoline + music = I’ll let you enjoy the video!

Q: Where does it come from?

A: it was was invented in Be.legendary.gium! Awesome, I told you!

I am not saying that this sport is practiced every day in Belgium, but at least you know where it was invented (i.e. not in Brazil!).

For those interested, the most popular sports in Belgium include tennis, cycling and football (Diables Rouges/Rode Duivels = Red Devils). For France, please add rugby and handball, where the Blues (French national team) are quite strong. Voilà.

Before the Pittsburgh Steelers & the Arizona Cardinals face off on Feb 1st, I wanted to make sure that anyone interested has an easy-to-follow guide to one of America’s most beloved pastimes. Whether you plan to enjoy the ritual stateside for the first time this year, or are simply fascinated by the hype from afar, you might be surprised to know that there is a lot more to the annual championship than just a game of “gridiron”. In America, the rituals accompanying the Superbowl are numerous and cherished, and though we all do things a little differently, there are a few elements that you can count on come Sunday:

1 – The Food: The general impression of the world community is that American nutrition isn’t up to par, and while I come from a part of the country that is extremely health conscious, all bets are off for the Superbowl. Hot dogs (with the fixin’s), Chili, Chips, Salsa, Guacamole, and (my personal favorite) the Chocolate malt are all must-haves.

2 – The Brew: Be it a classic Bud Light, a slightly higher-brow microbrew, or even the nonalcoholic variety… a Superbowl party without beer just feels wrong. Period.

3 – The Stakes: While sports betting is technically illegal in 49 out of 50 states (gotta love Nevada sometimes), betting on the Superbowl is a red-blooded American tradition. There are definitely some seriously high stakes around, but most of us keep it to a few dollars in an office pool, or between friends. In my experience, the person who knows the least about football, and can barely name the teams involved wins every time – much to the chagris of the “experts” in the vicinity. (This is where beer comes in – see above section entitled the Brew)

4 – The Open & Unabashed Consumerism: That’s right… I’m talking about the infamous Superbowl Commercials… This year, despite the recession, the price of a 30-second slot rose to an average of $3 million according to USA Today. It would seem that not even an economic slump will dissuade companies from dropping big bucks to reach the 97.5 million viewers that tuned in last year. The commercials are so hilarious and inventive that many Americans would rather duck out to the bathroom during a timeout in the game rather than a commercial break. In fact, some of the most famous lines from Superbowl commercials have become etched in American pop culture, and one from 2000 (the unforgettable “Wassup”) was even reinvented this year to become a viral campaign video in favor of Obama entitled “8 Years Later”.

[see video below for original followed by 2008 version]

5 – The Rockin’ Good Time: Really just a way to elongate the broadcast and allow spectators more time to engorge themselves on junk food, the Half-Time show (along with it’s less-flashy cousins, the Pre-Game Show & National Anthem extravaganza) is an institution. Every Year we watch as the biggest names in entertainment climb up on that stage and launch into some over-the-top medley of greatest hits & surprising collaborations. Like I said, every year we watch… and every year, no matter the performer, we criticize. At times it would seem we only watch the half-time show in order to talk about how lame/ostentatious/cheesy/awkward (or, in 2004 indecent) it was. We secretly love the spectacle of it all, and would never give it up, but heckling the half-time show is just part of the ritual.

6 – The Blood, Sweat & Tears: After all, when it really comes down to it, the Superbowl is just a football game. That one time a year when the AFC & NFC come together to showcase the best they have to offer. We love the underdogs, the nail-biters, and any other sports cliché you can think of… in other words, we just love the game. We awe at the sheer physical prowess of the players, watch with bated breath as the injured are removed from the field, and can’t help but get a little emotional as the victors claim their coveted trophy.

So there you have it… Superbowl Sunday in a nutshell. It might not be dignified, it might not be momentous, but it’s just about as American as it gets.

In 2000, “tejo” became a national sport in Colombia. This sport was played by the natives in Cundinamarca 500 years ago. They used a 1,5 pound golden disk, called “turmequé”. After it became popular, it was played with a stone disk and then a metal disk which is used nowadays. This disk, called tejo, is a 9cmx4cm.
The field is 19,50m long. This is the distance between the goal (bocín) and the zone where the players are. The bocín is a 15 cm circle with some triangles made of gunpower called mechas. The idea is to throw the tejos to make the mechas explode. In case no mecha explodes, the winner is the person or the team whose tejo is closer to the bocín.

The natives usually drank the common chicha. These days we have replaced it with beer and also some other spirits like aguardiente, an anise drink.

In spite of the fact that it’s a very cool sport, it’s not very common among the young people. In case you are interested in Colombia there are some championships. You can play alone, with a partner or in a team, it’s up to you!

If you have never heard about tejo, I’d suggest you watch this video and get to know this wonderful game.

L’idea degli Oscar rientra in tutta una serie di iniziative che celebrano questo sport nel Bel Paese. La passione per il calcio attraversa tutte le regioni, da nord a sud e mostra tutta la sua forza attraverso le esultanze di milioni di italiani di tutte le età. I videogiochi più famosi nel paese sono quelli riguardanti il calcio, tutti i ragazzi e sempre più anche molte ragazze si avvicinano, con passione e costanza al calcio. Nelle cittadine più piccole sono presenti piccole associazioni calcistiche all’interno delle quali molti giovani esordienti sperano di fare carriera. Tutta la passione che emerge dagli occhi rapiti dei tifosi italiani si riversa poi negli stadi gremiti ogni fine settimana. Degne di nota sono anche le immagini degli immigrati italiani in Germania e in tutto il resto del mondo che con i Mondiali del 2006 hanno riscoperto ancora di più le loro origini e l’affetto per i nostri giocatori.

Purtroppo a volte la passione e la necessità di liberarsi e di sfogare le preoccupazioni, le delusioni, la rabbia ha causato in Italia alcuni incidenti gravi che si sono lasciati dietro a volte anche delle vittime. Proprio nell’ultimo anno in Italia si è incominciato a porre rimedio a tali eventi impedendo ad alcune tifoserie l’accesso agli stadi per alcune partite considerate particolarmente calde e alcune trasferte. Questo intervento si è reso necessario perché i tifosi e i corpi della polizia non riuscivano a contenere da un lato l’entusiasmo dei tifosi e dall’altro alcuni gruppi estremisti che non fanno altro che danneggiare l’immagine del calcio italiano anche all’estero, causando danni fisici e morali notevoli.

L’iniziativa con cui si è aperto questo articolo e gli interventi delle forze pubbliche cercano però di salvare i principi basilari su cui le attività sportive e dunque anche il calcio, si fondano. E allora non ci resta che sperare che i tifosi, quelli autentici, che sanno godersi davvero una partita di calcio riescano a contenere le ondate di violenza a cui purtroppo abbiamo assistito ultimamente. Concludo l´articolo riproponendo le immagini di un tifoso italiano che nel suo piccolo ha fatto proprio questo.

The Soccer Oscar Night is part of a greater initiative to celebrate this sport in the Bel Paese. The passion for soccer spans all Italian regions, from North to South, and shows itself and its craft through the jubilation of millions of Italians, young and old. The most popular games in Italy relate to soccer, and more and more young people (both male and female) have begun playing soccer with passion and commitment. In the smallest towns little soccer associations have formed, which help hundreds of teenagers work their way up.
This passion rises to the surface each week-end in the stadium among the fans. Who has already forgotten the pictures of the Italian migrants in Germany and all around the world during the last World Cup? Those migrants discovered again the sense of belonging to Italy and to its culture.

Unfortunately such a passion also begets many problems and accidents, which have been happening more frequently in the last few years during many matches in Italy. The fans don’t control their disenchantment, concern & fury - causing even some fatal accidents. For that reason the Italian government started acting upon the situation with cautionary measures. In 2008 the entrance in stadiums and some away matches were forbidden to some supporters. This measure aimed to contain the violence of the fanatic fringe of soccer supporters that in the last years caused extensive damage, injuries or even the death of some fellow fans.

The initiative presented at the beginning of this article and the measures taken by the Italian police are trying to protect the real soccer lovers and the most basic principles of the sport. We should all hope that the fans, in cooperation with police, will be able to contain the violent episodes in stadiums, as an Italian soccer supporter did in the video below.

Fangen wir mit “Bobbele” Becker an. Der Sprachfehler ist nun wirklich nicht seine Schuld! Aber könnte er nicht zumindest versuchen, seinen Wortschatz von 100 auf 200 Wörter zu erweitern? Natürlich meine ich sein Deutsch! Woran liegt es, dass so viele Sportler nicht anständig sprechen können? Ich meine, sie müssen nicht Goethe oder Kant zitieren, aber zumindest die grundlegende Grammatik beherrschen! Verlange ich zu viel? Vielleicht...

Es gibt noch einen anderen Aspekt, der etwas Aufmerksamkeit verdient: Warum wechseln unsere Sportler, vor allem die männlichen, so häufig die Geschlechtspartner? Ein Grund könnte sein, dass sie ihre Hormone nicht unter Kontrolle haben. Nach Jahren sportlicher Höchstleistungen braucht der Körper vielleicht mehr „Aktivitäten“ als normalerweise, könnte man meinen. Aber das hört sich etwas an den Haaren herbeigezogen an. Sollten sie nicht etwas Verantwortung übernehmen, anstatt mit Fremden in Besenkammern und/ oder Weihnachtsfeiern rumzumachen? Zu ihrer Verteidigung könnte man jedoch anführen, dass es letztlich die Medien sind, die über diese nervigen Sittenverstöße berichten. Jetzt merke ich erst, dass es fast immer die Fußballer sind, die sich unmoralisch gegenüber Frauen verhalten! Warum habe ich noch nie so etwas von Dirk Nowitzki gehört! Und dann die ganze Bestechung beim Fußball! Warum können sie nicht einfach gut spielen und dabei sportlich lächeln? Vielleicht ist es auch nicht die mangelnde Reife der Männer, sondern das Geld, weshalb Sportsmänner ihre Prinzipien verkaufen! Geld zerstört Leidenschaft!

Wie auch immer, ich schweife ab. Zurück zum Sport: Ich mag Frauenfußball! Und die deutschen Fußballmädels sind zweifacher Weltmeister! Gut gemacht! Und sie zeugen nicht wahllos Kinder – was sicher auch daran liegt, dass sie es nicht können – dennoch glaube ich, dass Fußballfrauen einfach anständiger sind! Ich brauche noch mehr Fakten, um das zu belegen, aber die werde ich sicher nachliefern. Bis dahin gibt es hier eine nette Quelle, um mehr über den deutschen Frauenfußball zu erfahren:

http://www.dfb.de/index.php?id=503372

Und hier noch den deutschen Fußball-Helden Lothar Matthäus live in Englisch.

Viel schlimmer als sein Deutsch klingt das gar nicht.