Défi sportif

The Défi sportif (French pronunciation: [defi spɔʁtif], sports challenge) is a multi-sport event for disabled athletes. The Défi sportif is unique in that it involves athletes of the five types of disabilities: auditory, physical, psychiatric, intellectual, and visual as well as athletes of all levels: from students, to up-and-coming athletes and Paralympic athletes from different countries participate. The Défi sportif is held every year in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The main site is Montreal's Complexe sportif Claude-Robillard, but other sites in Montreal are used, such as Centre Pierre-Charbonneau, Collège de Maisonneuve, Mount Royal, Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, etc.

History

The first Défi sportif opened on April 19, 1984, under the auspices of the organization known as the Regional Association for the Recreation of Disabled Persons of the Island of Montreal. The inaugural Défi sportif welcomed no less than 720 athletes competing in 16 different sports at three sites. In fact, it is the first time that associations representing all five types of disability gather to participate at one sporting event.

One of the events goals was to be self-financing. To that end the business community was approached and by the event's second year, numerous patrons, partners and sponsors lent their support and popular Quebec humorist Yvon Deschamps signed on as spokesman, a role he would play for the next fifteen years.

In 1986, the Défi sportif was named "Sporting Event of the Year" by the Montréal-Concordia Sports Commission.

The Défi sportif was originally a provincial event, but by 1989, more and more sports clubs from outside Quebec sent participants, and in the early 1990s, the Défi sportif went officially international with athletes Canada, the United States and France.

In 1998, the Défi sportif hosted athletes from eight different countries, including Germany, France, Australia and Poland and was named the Quebec international sports event of the year.

In 2005, the Défi sportif welcomed some 2700 athletes over five days of competition. Its official spokespeople included wheelchair athlete Chantal Petitclerc.

In 2006, the Défi sportif welcomed some 2800 athletes over its run from April 26 to 30. Its official spokespeople once again included Petitclerc.

Sports involved

Competitions in the following sports are held at the Défi sportif:

References

External links

Défi sportif

Multi-sport events

Global

Olympics	Olympic Games Summer Winter Youth Olympic Games

Continental	African Games Asian Games Summer Winter Beach Indoor and Martial Arts European Games Pacific Games Pan American Games

Associations	Commonwealth Games Inter-Allied Games¹ Island Games Jeux de la Francophonie Lusophony Games Spartakiad of Peoples of the USSR¹ World Outgames

Communities	Croatian World Games Gay Games Islamic Solidarity Games Maccabiah Games Pan Arab Games Pan-Armenian Games Women's Islamic Games¹ World Indigenous Games

Disabled sport	Deaflympics Défi sportif IWAS World Games Armed forces Invictus Games Warrior Games Paralympic Games Summer Winter Special Olympics Summer Winter

Professions	Lumberjack World Championship Military World Games World Police and Fire Games

Youth and students	Asian Youth Games Australian Youth Olympic Festival Commonwealth Youth Games CPLP Games European Youth Olympic Festival Gymnasiade International Children's Games SELL Student Games Universiade World Interuniversity Games World Youth Games¹

Other sport	Dew Tour Mind Sports Olympiad SportAccord World Mind Games World Combat Games World Games X Games

Regional

Africa	African Youth Games African Games All-Africa University Games Central African Games¹

Americas	ALBA Games Bolivarian Games CANUSA Games Central American and Caribbean Games Central American Games North American Indigenous Games North American Outgames Pan American Games Parapan American Games South American Beach Games South American Games

Asia	ASEAN Civil Service Games ASEAN School Games ASEAN University Games ASEAN ParaGames Asian Beach Games Asian Games Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games Asian Indoor Games¹ Asian Martial Arts Games¹ Asian Para Games Asian Winter Games Asian Youth Games Central Asian Games Children of Asia International Sports Games¹ East Asian Games Far Eastern Games¹ South Asian Games Southeast Asian Games West Asian Games

Europe	Black Sea Games EuroGames European Games European Sports Championships European Youth Olympic Festival Games of the Small States of Europe

Oceania	Australasian Police and Emergency Services Games Micronesian Games Pacific Games

Inter-continental	Afro-Asian Games¹ Arafura Games Arctic Winter Games AsiaPacific Outgames FESPIC Games¹ Indian Ocean Island Games Mediterranean Games Nordic Games¹ Pacific Ocean Games¹ Pan Arab Games

National

Americas	Canada Quebec Western Colombia United States amateur juniors seniors

Asia	Bangladesh China All-China Games National Games of China National Peasants' Games India Indian Empire¹ Indonesia Japan Malaysia Para Mongolia Pakistan Philippines National Games Batang Pinoy Palaro Singapore South Korea Summer Winter Thailand youth Vietnam

Europe	Albania¹ Nazi Germany¹ Netherlands Poland (youth) Soviet Union (youth)¹

Oceania	Western Australia (high school)²

NCSG³	Alabama California Florida Massachusetts Missouri Montana Nebraska New York North Carolina North Dakota¹ Texas Wisconsin

Historical¹

Pre Modern Olympics (in chronological order, 1900BC–1852AD)	Tailteann Games Panhellenic Games Ancient Olympic Games Pythian Games Nemean Games Heraean Games Panathenaic Games Roman Games Cotswold Olimpick Games Gog Magog Games Wenlock Olympian Society Annual Games

Alternatives to the Modern Olympics	Aryan Games Friendship Games Games of the New Emerging Forces Goodwill Games Islamic Games Liberty Bell Classic People's Olympiad South African Games Spartakiad Workers' Olympiads

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