Bergerac pétanque champs and Gruissan beach rugby draw thousands in French summer

The French city of Bergerac hosted the national pétanque championships on July 25‑26, marking the fifth time the event was held on the Picquecailloux plain. Over a thousand spectators attended the finals, and the duo of Audrey Bandiera and Nelly Peyre from Vaucluse won the women's double‑tournament despite smoke drifting from nearby Gironde.

From July 23‑26, the beach of Gruissan transformed into the largest touch‑rugby tournament in France, featuring more than 180 teams, 2,000 players and about 15,000 spectators. International French XV players Émilie Boulard and Fabien Brau‑Boirie served as patron and godparent of the edition, highlighting the event’s inclusive, mixed‑gender appeal and its role in promoting community cohesion on the Mediterranean shore.