"important handball club competition for men's teams in Europe and involves the leading teams from the top European nations. Other team sports like volleyball, water polo, roller hockey, futsal, field hockey and American football are also popular in some European countries. Some sport competitions features a European team gathering athletes from different European countries. These teams uses the European flag as an emblem. The most famous of these competitions is the Ryder Cup in golf. Other examples are the Laver Cup in tennis, the Mosconi Cup in pool, the Weber Cup in bowling, the IAAF Continental Cup in athletics, and"
"Charles Champaud also played an important role in introducing football to the country and was the person to bring the sport to the capital city of Sofia in 1895 (the first football game in Bulgaria being in Varna in 1894, organized by another Swiss teacher, Georges de Regibus). Charles Champaud Charles Champaud (), also spelled Sharl Shampov (), was a Swiss gymnast. He represented Bulgaria at the First 1896 Summer Olympics in Athens. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, vault, and pommel horse events. Although the rest of his placings in each competition are unknown, he occupies the prestigious fifth"
"Max Decugis Maxime ""Max"" Omer Mathieu Decugis or Décugis (; 24 September 1882 – 6 September 1978) was a male tennis player from France who held the French Championships/French Open record of winning the tournament eight times (a French club members only tournament before 1925), a feat that was surpassed by Rafael Nadal in 2014. He also won three Olympic medals at the 1900 Summer Olympics (Paris) and the 1920 Summer Olympics (Antwerp), his only gold medal coming in the mixed doubles partnering French legend Suzanne Lenglen. Decugis' father was a merchant at Les Halles, the company's name was ""Omer"
"player and a manager, and only the second captain after Beckenbauer to do so. Marseille Juventus Chelsea Valencia France Individual Monaco Juventus Marseille France Individual !colspan=""3"" style=""background:#C1D8FF;""| World Cup-winners status Didier Deschamps Didier Claude Deschamps (; born 15 October 1968) is a French retired footballer who has been manager of the France national team since 2012. He played as a defensive midfielder for several clubs, in France, Italy, England and Spain, such as Marseille, Juventus, Chelsea and Valencia, as well as Nantes and Bordeaux. Nicknamed ""the water-carrier"" by former France teammate Eric Cantona, Deschamps was an intelligent and hard-working defensive"
"widely acknowledged as one of the all-time greats of the sport, commenced his career at Germânia in 1909. After abandoning football in the early 1930s, due to the professionalisation of the game, the club successfully transformed itself to a universal sports club. Already in 1932, the water sports department sent its first representative to the Olympic Games. Many more athletes from the club since represented Brazil in major international sports events, and swimmers like Gustavo Borges and César Cielo are amongst the club's Olympic medal winners. The basketball and volleyball teams play in the national top divisions, and the swimmers"
"William Motti William Motti (born 25 July 1964 in Bondy) is a retired French decathlete. He was a two-time French champion at a time when Christian Plaziat was the foremost French multi-eventer. His personal best of 8164 points were achieved at the Summer Olympics in Barcelona 1992. He represented his country twice at the Olympics, coming fifth in 1984 and seventh in 1992. He also competed at the 1987 World Championships in Athletics and the 1993 IAAF World Indoor Championships. His only international medals were a silver in the high jump at the 1981 European Athletics Junior Championships and a"
"have dual citizenship with an EU country. Also, players from the ACP countries—countries in Africa, the Caribbean, and the Pacific that are signatories to the Cotonou Agreement—are not counted against non-EU quotas due to the Kolpak ruling. In July 2017, the club announced its ""Hall of Fame"" of notable players. The inaugural induction saw 20 former players named, including record appearance maker Jean-Marc Pilorget, all-time assist leader Safet Sušić, longest-serving captain Dominique Bathenay, and Ballon d'Or winner George Weah. Paris Saint-Germain F.C. Paris Saint-Germain Football Club (), commonly known as Paris Saint-Germain, Paris SG, or simply PSG, is a French"
"as the Home Nations tournament until the readmission of France immediately after the 1939 tournament, just before World War II caused its suspension until 1947. Since the admission of Italy in 2000, the tournament has been known by its current name, the Six Nations Championship. Victories by any Home Nation over all of the other three Home Nations in one Championship season is a Triple Crown. The Home Nations also contribute players to a unified team known as the British and Irish Lions. Southern Hemisphere teams who beat all four home nations in one tour are said to have a"
"then rejoined in 1939–1940, though World War II halted proceedings for a further eight years. France has played in all the tournaments since WWII, the first of which was played in 1947. In 2000, Italy became the sixth nation in the contest and Rome's Stadio Olimpico has replaced Stadio Flaminio, as the venue for their home games since 2013. The current Six Nations champions are Ireland. The Rugby Championship is the Southern Hemisphere's annual international series for that region's top national teams. From its inception in 1996 through 2011, it was known as the Tri Nations, as it featured the"
"the first international athletics competition in Zurich during autumn of the same year. Today, this event is one of the most renowned international athletics events worldwide, the Weltklasse Zurich (organised by FC Zurich spin-off LC Zurich). In 1897, work took him temporarily to Lyon in France, where he played rugby for Athletique Union. The other names they called him, all came from the difficulty the Catalan people had, pronouncing the German ""H"" and ""G"": Hans became Kans, Gamper became Kamper. But he is most known as Johannes, becoming Joan Gamper. In 1899, he went to Barcelona to visit his uncle,"
"Sport, a Monaco-based international organization placed under the High Patronage of H.S.H Prince Albert II. This group of top level champions, wish to make sport a tool for dialogue and social cohesion. http://www.peace-sport.org/our-champions-of-peace/ Ronald Agénor Ronald Jean-Martin Agénor (born November 13, 1964) is a former professional tennis player who represented Haiti during his playing career. He is the only Haitian to have ever earned a Top 25 world ranking in singles, reaching as high as World No. 22 in May 1989. Agénor is the son of a former Haitian Diplomat at the United Nations and Minister of Agriculture of Haiti."
"a repechage competition that involved first-round losers in the original Challenge Cup. It was scrapped when the European Challenge Cup was revamped for the 2005–06 season. This trophy was claimed by a French club in each of its three seasons—Castres in 2003, Montpellier in 2004, and Auch in 2005. France, nicknamed ""Les Bleus"" (The Blues), is a top tier nation, as cited by World Rugby. The French style of play, nicknamed the ""French flair,"" is renowned for its paradoxical combination of rugged physicality and inspired grace. France compete in the Six Nations Championship annually. Although France have never won the"
"Charles Champaud Charles Champaud (), also spelled Sharl Shampov (), was a Swiss gymnast. He represented Bulgaria at the First 1896 Summer Olympics in Athens. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, vault, and pommel horse events. Although the rest of his placings in each competition are unknown, he occupies the prestigious fifth place on vault and earned the first two points for Bulgaria. Champaud was a Swiss national working as a gymnastics teacher at a Sofia high school when he represented Bulgaria at the first modern Olympics. Bulgaria is thus often included in the figure of participating nations. In Bulgaria,"
"events in 1994, and at the 2002 Manchester Commonwealth Games they were included as full members of their national teams, making these the first fully inclusive international multi-sport games. This policy has continued with the 2006 Melbourne Commonwealth Games, where Canadian Chantal Petitclerc became the first athlete with a disability to carry her country's flag in the Opening Ceremonies of an integrated games. Individual athletes such as swimmer Natalie du Toit and track athlete Oscar Pistorius have competed as equals against able bodied athletes at various events including the Olympic Games. 2013 the FIFA decided that Austrian footballer Martin Hofbauer"
"Didier Deschamps Didier Claude Deschamps (; born 15 October 1968) is a French retired footballer who has been manager of the France national team since 2012. He played as a defensive midfielder for several clubs, in France, Italy, England and Spain, such as Marseille, Juventus, Chelsea and Valencia, as well as Nantes and Bordeaux. Nicknamed ""the water-carrier"" by former France teammate Eric Cantona, Deschamps was an intelligent and hard-working defensive midfielder who excelled at winning back possession and subsequently starting attacking plays, and also stood out for his leadership throughout his career. As a French international, he was capped on"
"FIBA World Championship, where he also coached France. He led France to the silver medal, at the 2011 EuroBasket. He then coached France to the first gold medal of its history, at the 2013 EuroBasket, in Slovenia. He led France to the bronze medal at the 2014 FIBA World Cup. He then coached France to the bronze medal, at the 2015 EuroBasket. He was also the head coach of France at the 2017 EuroBasket. He also coached France at the 2012 Summer Olympic Games, and at the 2016 Summer Olympic Games. Vincent Collet Vincent Florent Antoine Collet (born June 6,"
"gold in the B-final at the 1987 European Cup Combined Events. His final international outing came at the 1994 European Athletics Championships, where he failed to finish. He received a two-year doping ban from mid-1990 to 1992. He was later expelled from the German-led ""Decathlon Team"" group in 1994 for refusing to take a drug test. William Motti William Motti (born 25 July 1964 in Bondy) is a retired French decathlete. He was a two-time French champion at a time when Christian Plaziat was the foremost French multi-eventer. His personal best of 8164 points were achieved at the Summer Olympics"
"had two golden generations: one in the 1980s and early 1990s, and one since the early 2010s. Belgium was the first mainland European country to play association football, after the Irish student Cyril B. Morrogh walked with a leather ball into the Josephites College of Melle on 26 October 1863. British teachers helped to popularise the sport in schools. Initially, association football was an elitist pastime, but over the following decades, it supplanted rugby as the most popular national football sport. In 1895, the national athletics sports union was founded, predecessor of the later national football association, under the name"
"Boutsen (Formula One), Stefan Everts and Gaston Rahier (motocross) and Jean-Michel Saive (table tennis), Kim Clijsters (tennis), Sven Nys (cyclo-cross) and Vincent Rousseau (running). In team sports, well-known footballers include Jean-Marie Pfaff, Eric Gerets, Enzo Scifo, Michel Preud'homme, Franky Van Der Elst, Luc Nilis and Jan Ceulemans and well-known basketball players include Ann Wauters, Éric Struelens, Axel Hervelle and D. J. Mbenga. Former International Olympic Committee president Count Jacques Rogge is a Belgian. As a sub-area of culture in Belgium, sport is now considered to fall under the responsibility of the 3 Belgian communities (the Dutch-speaking Community, the French-speaking Community"
"Millar, Paul Kimmage, Sean Yates, Allan Peiper, Seamus Elliott, Jacques Boyer, Graham Jones, Jaan Kirsipuu, John Herety, and Paul Sherwen . As of the 2018–19 season, the club plays in Championnat National 2, the fourth level of French football. As of 9 October 2018. Other primary sports Athletic Club de Boulogne-Billancourt are relatively strong at are notably judo, kayaking, figure skating, swimming, rugby, and association football. In judo, the club has produced gold medalists in Cécile Nowak and Catherine Fleury, who both won golds in their respective weight classes at the 1992 Summer Olympics. Nowak had previously been a World"
"the world petanque legend under the nickname ""Dream Team,"" winning multiple France nationals championships as well as International Competitions including 3 world Championship in a row with the support of 4th player Eric Sirot in 2001, 2002, 2003. He played in the clubs of Hanches, Star Master's, Duc de Nice and latelly Dreux. He is also Sport ambassador for the city of Dreux since 2009. Andorra 1991 / Chiang Mai 1993 ( Thailand) / Brussels 1995 (Belgique) / Essen 1996 (Germany ) / Maspalomas 1998 ( Spain ) / Monaco 2001 / Grenoble 2002 (France) / Geneva 2003 ( Switzerland"
"the media and supporters as ""Les Bleus"" (The Blues), which is the nickname associated with all of France's international sporting teams due to the blue shirts each team incorporates. The team is also referred to as ""Les Tricolores"" or ""L'Equipe Tricolore"" (The Tri-color Team) due to the team's utilization of the country's national colors: blue, white, and red. During the 1980s, France earned the nickname the """"Brazilians of Europe"""" mainly due to the accolades of the """"carré magique"""" (""Magic Square""), who were anchored by Michel Platini. Led by coach Michel Hidalgo, France exhibited an inspiring, elegant, skillful and technically advanced"
"and Martin Laciga), professional wrestling (Claudio Castagnoli), and triathlon (Brigitte McMahon, Reto Hug, Sven Riederer, Nicola Spirig, Daniela Ryf). In cycling, Fabian Cancellara nicknamed 'Spartacus' is one of the best road racer of modern times. He has achieved great success in the classics; he has won Paris–Roubaix three times, the Milan – San Remo once, and the Tour of Flanders three times. Cancellara has won the opening stage of the Tour de France five times and has led the race for 28 days total, which is the most of any rider who has not won the Tour. His success has"
"Grands Tours: Tour de France, Vuelta a España and Giro d'Italia, as well as the five Monuments: Milan–San Remo, Tour of Flanders, Paris–Roubaix, Liège–Bastogne–Liège and Giro di Lombardia. Notable road cyclists include Jacques Anquetil, Louison Bobet, Bernard Hinault, Alberto Contador, Miguel Indurain, Eddy Merckx, Gino Bartali, Alfredo Binda, Fausto Coppi, and Felice Gimondi. The most prestigious and lucrative athletics and aquatics meets are in Europe. The most prestigious sporting event related to athletics is the European Athletics Championships, wherein Mo Farah is the most successful individual athlete. For those areas with the proper climate, winter sports are also an important."
"other tournaments. One of the oldest is the annual Six Nations Championship, which started in 1883 as the Home Nations Championship, a tournament between England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales. It expanded to the Five Nations in 1910, when France joined the tournament. France did not participate from 1931 to 1939, during which period it reverted to a Home Nations championship. In 2000, Italy joined the competition, which became the Six Nations. Rugby union was also played at the Summer Olympic Games, first appearing at the 1900 Paris games and subsequently at London in 1908, Antwerp in 1920, and Paris again"
"2016, Colsaerts represented Belgium at the 2016 Summer Olympics in the Individual Stroke Play competition, finishing tied for the 30th place. In May 2017, he tied for third place in the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth. CUT = missed the half-way cut<br> ""T"" indicates a tie for a place Amateur Professional Nicolas Colsaerts Nicolas Colsaerts (14 November 1982) is a Belgian professional golfer currently playing on the European Tour and previously on the PGA Tour. Colsaerts, also known as ""The Belgian Bomber"", was born in Schaerbeek, Belgium. Coming from a sporting family (his great grandfather represented Belgium at basketball and"
"participated in the long jump competition but his exact result is unknown. In all three events he was the only European competitor. A member of the Hungarian Athletic Club (MAC) he set records in the 100 yard event winning national championships and was awarded the Hungarian Perpetual Champion trophy in 1903. He was selected to represent Hungary at the 1904 Olympics in St Louis. Unfortunately due to the rough transatlantic crossing and related stomach ailments he did not compete in full form, ran his Olympic heats quite unwell and was not able to match his championship performance levels. Following his"
"competitions against the United States. In 1897 he won the championship of the Montreal Rackets Club, and was the runner-up in 1898. As a young man he'd also played ice hockey, and he was elected the honorary president of the Montreal Victorias when they won the Stanley Cup in 1895, 1896 and 1897. He later sponsored an ice hockey team for the office boys in his firm, and amateur golf competitions. He raced with the old Montreal Jockey Club, took flying lessons in Winnipeg and fox hunted with relatives in England, Ireland, and with the Montreal Hunt. He played tennis"
"different presidents of France: Chevalier (1956), Officier (1972), Commandeur (1999) and Grand Officier(2008). He also received the Sporting Order of Merit (""Ordre du Mérite sportif""), ""Gloire du sport"", and the National Order of Merit. He is the first French person of North African origin to receive the Legion of Honour. Mimoun was chosen as the French L'Équipe Champion of Champions in 1949 and again in 1956. In 1999, readers of the bimonthly, French athletics magazine Athlétisme voted him as the “French Athlete of the 20th Century”. On 25 Sep 2002 in Argenteuil, Mimoun inaugurated the 50th stadium bearing his name."
"in Stockholm, Sweden, and was won by Chambly Horse-Ball (from France), the Portuguese team Sporting Clube de Portugal CEJC got Silver and Caramel from Belgium got Bronze. There have been 7 editions of this competition and In 2010 was held in Portugal the first Four Nations Cup won by the National French team, Portugal got silver and Spain got bronze. Horseball Horseball is a game played on horseback where a ball is handled and points are scored by shooting it through a hoop with a diameter of 1m. The sport is like a combination of polo, rugby, and basketball. It"
"1000 singles titles. Marc Márquez is the leading Spanish Grand Prix motorcycle road racer and is four-time the MotoGP world champion. Carolina Marín is the leading Spanish badminton player being one-time Olympic Champion, three-time World Champion and four-time European Champion. Miguel Induráin is the leading Spanish cyclist and has won several titles including five Tour de France titles and one-time Olympic Champion. Pau Gasol is the leading Basketball player and has won two NBA championships, he is a six-time NBA All-Star, and a four-time All-NBA selection. In their respective regions, the games of Basque pelota and Valencian pilota are populars."
"clay, grass, and hardcourt. In addition, Nadal is the men's singles Gold Medalist at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China and men's doubles gold medalist at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Summer Olympics. In 2010, 2013 and 2017, he won the U.S. Open. He currently has seventeen Grand Slam titles to his name: eleven French Open titles, two Wimbledon titles, three US Open titles, and one Australian Open title, making him second only to Roger Federer, who has won 20 major titles. Spain has produced several other world number one players; Arantxa Sánchez Vicario in 1995 (a three-time French"
"World Cup which was hosted by France including two quarter-final games. The Vélodrome hosted six games at UEFA Euro 2016, including a semi-final. In 2016, the stadium became the first in Europe to have hosted three European Championship semi-finals after France's previous hosting of the tournament in 1960 and 1984. The four stands in the stadium are named after athletes (runner Jean Bouin and 1920s cyclist Gustave Ganay), a historical figure of the 1720 plague epidemic (Chevalier Roze) and a popular Olympique de Marseille supporter (Patrice De Peretti, nicknamed ""Depe"", who died suddenly in July 2000). Other than the Rugby"