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NEWS
Olivier GIRAULT, from handball to golf. Sojourn and discovery of the golf course at the Domaine du Val de Sorne
Simple, pleasant and natural: what a treat to meet with someone who has played on handball courts for years and represented the French national team, to get in on a game with the captain of «les Costauds», Olivier Girault!
In fact, Olivier Girault could be seen early this week discovering the golf du Val de Sorne with his buddy Stéphane Barber, a former rugby man with the Racing side. He was than happy to have a few words with us …
Le Progrés: Where is handball in your current life?
Olivier Girault: I’m a consultant with France Télévision and MC Sports.
L.P.: How many years did you spend with the French national side?
O.G.: from 1997 to 2008, and as captain from 2006 to 2008.
L.P.: Your favourite recollection?
O.G.: All 11 years of my career! Of course, there are also the results, but we often had a hard time of it, and that’s what makes it all the more wonderful. My most memorable recollection is the incredible group we were able to forge together and the exceptional moments we had.
L.P.: What about golf?
O.G.: I discovered golf quite by chance, in early June at the Cély golf course, at an interview with the editor of the magazine « Golf Régions ». Since then, I’ve been practicing quite intensively. My wife Céline also began playing around the same time, and even my daughter Leelou has taken it up!
L.P. Do you know the region?
O.G.: 3 days after taking up the game, I was invited by Fabrice Guy at the Golf de Pontarlier. I played in a scramble and also discovered the absinthe «bridge»!
L.P.: What about the Golf at Val de Sorne ?
O.G.: Well, that has to do with my friendship with the director Jean-Marie Laurent, who had previously been at the Golf de Cély, and Stéphane Barber is a common friend. Hence, the idea of coming for a visit to get to know the area. I was captivated right from the start, arriving through Vernantois. The scenery is exceptional and the golf course is magnificent. I’ll be back in a month’s time with my wife …
L.P.: In late October, USLons is organising the French wheelchair handball championships…
O.G.: that’s a really great initiative. The daughter of a former international player, Dominique Deschamps, has initiated a section in Montigny le Bretonneux, and I took part there in a small tournament. It all goes in the same vein as the association «Les Lutins de C-Lyne», founded by my wife to help orphans in France open up to the world of sports and cultural activities.
L.P.: What’s next?
O.G.: Stéphane Barber and his company SB productions want to organise a high level international sports celebrity meet here, so that they can discover the region and the golf. That may be taking place in July 2012, but the project is still just in its initial stages.
(Interview conducted by Roland Caire)
