RIGHT NOW, IT'S « LE MONDIAL DE LA MARSEILLAISE À PÉTANQUE » !

On this occasion, we wanted to delve a little deeper and try to understand what makes Marseille and pétanque inseparable!

If the people of Marseille particularly cherish this sport, it's certainly because it was born nearby, in La Ciotat in 1908.

A certain "Jules," known as "le noir," emerged as the father of "pétanque," derived from the expression "prés tanqués," meaning "feet together."

Although the version we know today is a direct descendant of this pétanque from 1908, signs of similar games can be traced back to much earlier times in Egypt, Greece, Rome, and even Gaul!

From the Renaissance onward, boules games played a significant role in popular entertainment, becoming synonymous with skill, technique, and self-mastery.

Subsequently, the Lyon region spearheaded the sport's growth from 1933 with the creation of the "Fédération Nationale de Boules."

The term "pétanque" itself waited until 1910 to be officially recognized and established in common vocabulary during the first official competition held in La Ciotat, its birthplace!

So, if we love pétanque so much in Marseille, it's probably because it's a bit in our genes!