Grandvalira to host the first snow rugby tournament in the Pyrenees
Grandvalira will play host to the first snow rugby tournament to be held in the Pyrenees. This unique event is set to take place on 1–2 February in the Pas de la Casa sector, and is one of the activities which have been organised to promote the Andorran resort to the French market.
Eight teams of five players will play in games lasting 16 minutes (two 8-minute halves). Grandvalira Snow Rugby will he held in a field 30 metres long by 20 wide located at the foot of the slopes. The competition will take place between 10:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. on the two days.
Southern Europe's largest resort has come together with Andorra Turisme and the Stade Toulousain to organise this one-off event, which will welcome six international players from the Toulouse team: Clément Poitrenaud, Romain Millo-Chluski, Vincent Clerc, Yann David, Yves Donguy and the Argentinian Patricio Albacete. These rugby stars from the French league will be in Grandvalira from Saturday morning onwards to open the competition and support the teams. They will also present the winners with their prizes on Sunday.
The Andorran rugby team coach and manager of the slopes in the Pas de la Casa-Grau Roig-Encamp sectors, Jeannot Martinho, has been part of the project since the very beginning. Martinho has organised the technical part of the competition and is coach to the participating Andorran team. This firstr snow rugby competition will also welcome the likes of members of the ESC Toulouse business school, the Batônniers de Toulouse, AIRBUS and other former players and partners of the Stade Toulousain, not forgetting the womens' rugby team of Fonsorbes.
In addition, it will also host games for junior rugby players (between the ages of 11 and 13) on Sunday 2 February, in which young players from the Stade Toulousain will face off against their Andorran counterparts.
There will be all kinds of related events as well as the competition which will be open to all on the two days of the tournament. Both young and old will be able to ask for their idols' autographs and there will even be some rugby workshops.