Business Cool went to meet Thomas Seguin, student at KEDGE BS and president of the association, Challenge Ecricome. Heading over to all the specificities of this major sporting event which will liven up student life in Marseille for four days.
Created in 1990, the Ecricome challenge is a sporting competition between the business schools of the Ecricome group (KEDGE BS, NEOMA, EM Strasbourg, Montpellier BS, Rennes School of Business). It has today become the third largest sporting event in France. Due to the complicated health situation, the 2021 edition was canceled. This year, the challenge is making a comeback.
Much more than a simple sporting event, it is a golden opportunity for school student associations to surpass themselves and compete in diverse and varied sporting disciplines (football, handball, rugby, cheerleading, etc.) . It is therefore an unparalleled human and educational experience.
Everything you need to know about the Ecricome challenge
Can you introduce yourself in a few words and present your role within the Ecricome challenge?
Thomas Seguin, I am the president of the Ecricome challenge association but also a Master 2 International Sport and Event management student at KEDGE Business School on the Marseille campus. The Ecricome challenge takes place each year in one of six different cities, the 2022 edition takes place in Marseille, so I have only held this position since this year.
My role, accompanied by the association’s office made up of the vice-president, Raphaël Warnier, the treasurer, Arthur Margerit and the general secretary, Julien Duplessis, is to coordinate the different poles which are responsible for organizing the Ecricome challenge and play an executive role within the association. In short, it’s arbitrating to make the best decisions.
Concretely, what is the Ecricome challenge?
The Ecricome challenge was created in 1990. It is a sporting competition pitting the business and management schools of the Ecricome group against each other. Today, this challenge is the third largest student sporting event in France. It was founded around values such as commitment, integrity, effort and solidarity. This year, the challenge will take place over the Easter weekend, from April 15 to 18, 2022. This edition is quite special given that the event is celebrating its 30th anniversary. It is in Marseille that KEDGE BS, NEOMA, Rennes Business School and EM Strasbourg come together to compete in eight sports: athletics, football, handball, rugby, tennis, cheerleading, volleyball and basketball.
And if the competition takes place on the field, it is also present around it with the hundreds of students who come to support their teams. Students came from all over France to win the three trophies up for grabs each year: the Sports trophy, the Ambiance trophy and the Fair Play trophy.
This challenge is an event that is close to the hearts of students from Ecricome group schools. It is deeply ingrained in their DNA. Beyond the fact that it is a sporting event, it leads the associations to be strongly mobilized throughout the year. Indeed, certain associations of each school are in peaceful rivalry, for example in sporting disciplines and in activities. Being part of the organization is an unforgettable human and educational experience.
Progress of the Ecricome challenge
Can you give us an overview of these four days?
The Ecricome challenge begins on Friday April 15 with an opening ceremony which represents the moment when each school, which we call delegations, each present their participants and their theme. This year we have the pleasure of having as our official sponsor, Eric Di Meco, who does us the honor of accompanying us throughout this event.
On Saturday, sports competitions begin spread over 3 locations in Marseille depending on the sport. The delegations divide up to support this or that sport. On Saturday evening, participants meet at the challenge venue called School Village to attend an event planned by each delegation and then a DJ set evening which closes the day on Saturday.
On Sunday, the competitions resume until the evening when the delegations meet again at the Palais Des Sports to all attend the cheerleading competition which closes the day on Sunday.
Finally, the final phases of each sport take place on Monday until mid-afternoon. This Ecricome edition ends with a closing ceremony where the 3 trophies are awarded, a true Holy Grail for schools.
Budget, organization, atmosphere: behind the scenes of the Ecricome challenge
What does this event represent in terms of organization? (budget, number of people expected, infrastructure, etc.)
In terms of organization, it is daily work throughout the year where each member of the association gives their all to offer the best Ecricome challenge to the 2,500 participants. This represents a budget of more than 350,000 euros used in particular for the rental of the Palais Des Sports in Marseille, gymnasiums, and the infrastructure of the Luminy faculty in Marseille.
The challenge is one of the only student events where alcohol is completely prohibited: why this bias?
Historically, we decided to create an exclusively sporting event which unites around healthy values in particular the prohibition of alcohol, which breaks student codes, but also a real eco and socio-responsible desire for which we are very vigilant throughout the challenge.
How do you assess your delegation’s chances for the sports trophy? Namely that you are out of the running for the atmosphere trophy as an organizer…
To the extent that we are the Ecricome challenge association, we have a duty of neutrality towards all participants. As a result, we have no preferences and remain impartial from start to finish. Our goal is really to organize the most beautiful of the 30th editions for the 6 delegations.
