ITER Games
A sense of belonging
11 Sep 2017
Like the Olympics, the ITER Games are not about winning—although there is excitement when one does! They are about participating together, meeting new people, and having fun.
Yu Yang, a fuelling system engineer at ITER, and his wife Xin Liu were among the 350 participants in the 7th edition of the ITER Games in Vinon-sur-Verdon. (Photo Agence Iter France)
Seven years ago, the idea behind the Games was to create a popular event that would facilitate the integration of the ITER personnel into their new environment.
This has been largely accomplished: whether they work directly for the ITER Organization, the European agency for ITER (Fusion for Energy) or for subcontracting companies, the thousand and more "ITER families" have now acclimated into the local communities.
This sense of belonging was obvious as the 7th edition of the ITER Games unfolded on Saturday in Vinon-sur-Verdon, the village nearest to the ITER site.
Some 350 participants—a mix of "ITER people" and of residents from local communities—teamed up with colleagues or with friends to compete in a number of friendly matches.
The rain had been threatening since early morning. It began to pour as the participants were gathering to receive their trophies and rewards, causing everyone to move from the large plazza at the heart of the village to the nearby community centre.
Sports games are like weddings: the rainier they are, the happier.
More photos are available on the Agence Iter France website.