On the outskirts of Ghent, on either side of the Watersportbaan, contingents of French-speaking and Dutch-speaking students are preparing to cross swords. After winning the French-speaking finals of the Aseus sports championship in Louvain-La-Neuve on March 30, teams from three French-speaking universities (ULiège, ULB and UCLouvain) and two high schools (HEPL and HE Vinci) compete to their Flemish equivalent. The challenge ? Win the first title of national champion at stake since 2018, the last edition to date.
An ideal start to the day for French speakers
For the occasion, almost all the sports facilities on the Ghent University campus are requisitioned. But not only, the first final of the day is held on the sumptuous ground of La Gantoise, the professional hockey team. Excuse a bit.
The students of UCLouvain therefore open the ball against those of AU Gent, at the stroke of 11am. Between the two teams, whether on the bench or in the stands, an imbalance is obvious. The Ghents, at home, can count on a full team and a dozen supporters. « Given this blue sky, we have the right to bring forward the start time of the aperitif“, launches one of them, landing beer in hand. On the French-speaking side, a few players did not know how to respond and, in the stands, only a mother who made the trip gives voice. « There are several absentees, it’s not fair play to have organized this final on the same day as the Welcome Spring Festival. Especially since it’s a long trip« , she regrets, referring to the festivities taking place at the same time in Louvain-La-Neuve. The rather hushed atmosphere, however, has no impact on the intensity of the game. their fine course by this title and, after a shoot-out session snatched at the last second, it is the Wolves who exult.
A few hundred meters further on, the women’s handball final ends. Here, the atmosphere goes up a notch. A group of four students from UCLouvain made the trip and raised the temperature. « We could have been in the field too« , explains one of them. « But our men’s handball team failed in the French-speaking final. So we came to encourage the girls who managed to qualify. Our two groups are very united« . In an electric atmosphere, sprinkled with numerous arbitration disputes, the French speakers finally won this derby from Leuven, against KU Leuven. Not enough to revive community tensions, however… « The team is made up of a majority of French women, who came to Belgium to do the physio“, thus assures a student, while a large delegation from Liège enters the hall.
Two rooms, two atmospheres
« We didn’t drive two hours for nothing, huh!« , immediately launches a student from the Haute École Provinciale de Liège, betrayed by his accent. The tone is set. For more than four hours, the students of the HEPL will finally offer an atmosphere worthy of a final, almost on a par with the one held three weeks earlier in Louvain-La-Neuve. The Liège men’s handball, men’s futsal and women’s futsal teams will succeed one after the other. opportunity, each in turn, to give voice for his comrades.The balcony overlooking the floor of the hall is red with people, while the songs and even the drums punctuate the steps of cheerleaders at the edge of the bench.The contrast with the atmosphere of the water polo final, on the other side of the building, or even with that of football, on the other side of the Watersportbaan, is striking.
Indeed, most of the other teams have, unfortunately, not had the chance to evolve mainly in the same place, like the HEPL. The distribution between different sites, sometimes several kilometers apart, as well as the busy schedule, did not facilitate travel. Especially since, despite the long wait since the last edition, relatively few students answered the call. « It’s true that we are a little disappointed by the mobilization of the students. But the fact that it takes place in Ghent, a few weeks from the blockade, does not help. It involves sacrificing a whole day of study « comments Sarah Nyundu, communication officer for Aseus. « LThe buses provided by the university left at 8:30 am from Louvain-La-Neuve, that did not motivate many people« also notes a student. The organization of the event, which was done well before the lifting of the last health restrictions, also probably contributes to this small disillusionment. « Even if it was finally possible to do so, we did not organize a community reception at the end of the day, as we usually do. As a result, in general, the students left after their match or stayed in a small group »,notes the representative of Aseus.
As for the sporting record, also mixed (6 French-speaking victories, against 9 Dutch-speaking), Sarah Nyundu nuances: « We are a little disappointed because we started the day very well. But we have to remain lucid, the Flemings have more resources and almost always win. In all sports or almost, they have students in the teams We are already happy to have been able to participate in all the matches, without having to forfeit. Because in some cases, the coaches had to find replacements at the ‘last minute' ».
Even if it was ultimately the Wolves from UCLouvain who crossed the linguistic border again with the greatest number of medals in their pocket (3), it was the people of Liège who made their mark. Throughout the day, a kind of distance was, it seems, maintained between French-speakers and Dutch-speakers. This did not prevent the students of the HEPL from warmly sharing the third half with their counterparts from the KUL. Before, potentially, saying see you next year.
-> All the results can be found on the Aseus website
#scenes #finals #Aseus #student #championship #Flemings #means #French #speakers
