You can already picture the romantic image that you probably recognize from a trip to the south of France: a group of petanque players throwing a ball under a row of plane trees and sipping a glass of pastis. But that is no longer possible. At least not in Belgium, where zero tolerance is applied (in France 0.5 per mille is the limit). We have had a general alcohol ban during official championships for some time, but checks have also been carried out since March.
Broken nose
The reason was an incident during the Belgian Championships last year. Then a referee was attacked, he was hit in the head and was unable to work for a week. There have been few conflicts in Limburg so far.
“In all my years I have never experienced major problems with alcohol consumption,” says Eugène Beckers, player of Pelter PC. “So I was amazed that it was banned. I experienced a conflict once and that was in Liège in the 1990s. I was then chairman of PFV Limburg. A number of boys from the club were having a nice beer, until things suddenly got out of hand and one had to go home with a broken nose. Furthermore, I have never experienced a degenerate argument and I have already played in different countries.”
Alcohol testing
A petanque ball weighs approximately 700 to 800 grams. A heavy ‘bullet’, if used incorrectly. The Flemish petanque federation does not want to let it get to that point. So 25 members of the federation have undergone training to ensure that approved alcohol tests can continue. Several hundred have already been purchased. How exactly this works is written down in detail. For both men’s and women’s teams, two players are drawn per round to ‘blow’ at the secretariat. During the past twenty championships there was only one player with a positive control.
“We used to have to knock the players away at the bar. That is no longer the case.”
Gunther Vanden Eynde
Director of Petanque Federation Flanders Limburg
Gunther Vanden Eynde, director of Petanque Federation Flanders Limburg, thinks the checks are a good thing. “We used to have to knock the players away at the bar,” says Gunther Vanden Eynde. “That is no longer the case.”
Less conflict
The provincial championships are now behind us. These went smoothly, according to Vanden Eynde. “The matches ran smoothly and quickly, were completed on time and there were fewer conflicts. There is clearly a positive effect.”
Although there are also grumblings from some players. And clubs fear that the alcohol ban will result in lower revenues in the canteen. “After the organizing clubs of the championships heard this news, they were indeed concerned about the cash register,” Vanden Eynde continues. “Due to zero tolerance, more non-alcoholic drinks are now consumed and that is very popular.”
“Due to zero tolerance, more non-alcoholic drinks are now consumed and that is very popular”
Gunther Vanden Eynde
Director of Petanque Federation Flanders Limburg
Eugène Beckers (Pelter PC) sees it differently. According to him, a glass won’t do any harm. “The canteens of the clubs must have the right to drink. I do not believe that alcohol is being abused, so why the checks?”
© ANP / Liesbeth Govers – van der Wal
Pleasant sport
Now we are mainly looking forward to the Flemish triplet championship (team of 3) on May 19 in Pelt and the Belgian doubles championship (team of 2) on the grounds of PC Kelchteren in Houthalen-Helchteren.
The first thorough evaluation will follow after the summer season. It will then become clear what the real effects of the controls are and whether there will be any relaxations. “Many Limburg players just want to be checked,” says Gunther Vanden Eynde, director of Petanque Federation Flanders Limburg. “Anyone who blows negatively receives a target ball, the smallest ball used as a target, as a reward. This way, petanque can become a fun sport, even without alcohol.”
© sls