Jeux Sans Frontières 1973

European International Series

Entrants 1973: Belgium (B) • Switzerland (CH) • West Germany (D) •
France (F) • Great Britain (GB) • Italy (I) • Netherlands (NL) 

Presenters / Commentators of International Competitions:
Paule Herreman (RTB - B)
Jan Theys and Willy Delabastita (Heat 6, International Final) (BRT - B)
Georges Kleinmann and Claudette Heysie (International Final) (SSR - CH)
Jan Hiermeyer (SRG - CH)
Mascia Cantoni (Heat 2) and Ezio Guidi (Heats 2-7, International Final) (TSI - CH)
Hartmut Brühl (Heats 1, 3, 4 and 6), Renata Calani (Heats 1-5),
Camillo Felgen (Heats 2, 7, International Final) and Erhard Keller (Heats 5-7, International Final)
(ARD-WDR - D)
Simone Garnier, Guy Lux (Heats 1-3, 5-7, International Final) and Claude Savarit (Heat 4) (ORTF - F)
Stuart Hall and Eddie Waring (BBC - GB)
Rosanna Vaudetti and Giulio Marchetti (RAI - I)
Barend Barendse and Dick Passchier (Heat 4, International Final) (NCRV - NL)

International Referees:
Gennaro Olivieri
Guido Pancaldi

National Referees:
Marcel LeFavre (B)
Franco Crameri (CH)
Hans Ebersberger, Hubert Gunsin, Peter Hochrath, Gerd Siepe and Werner Treichel (D)
Philippe Meiringe and Bernard Stollere (F)
Arthur Ellis, Paul Ridyard and Mike Swann (GB)
Gian Paolo Carusi, Livio Orvani, Alessandro Trapassi (I)
Ben Bril (NL)

Production Credits:

National Producers: Pierre Chevreuille, André Lange and Diane Lange (RTB - B), Els Goethals, Jef Savenberg and Herman Verelst (BRT - B), Jean-Luc Balmer and Carlo Piccardi (SSR - CH), Sergio Cavaglieri (SRG - CH), Sandro Bertossa (TSI - CH), Marita Theile (AD), Roger Lago, Guy Lux and Claude Savarit (F), Barney Colehan (GB), Luciano Gigante (I), Piet Hooy, Dick van 't Sant and Wim van Schaik (NL); National Directors: Lode Hendrickx (BRT - B), Marco Blaser (TSI - CH), Günther Hassert (D), Claude Fayard and Georges Barrier (F), Bill Taylor (GB), Luigi Turolla (I), Wim van Schaik (NL)

Produced by the European Broadcasting Union and
RTB-BRT (B), SSR-SRG-TSI (CH), ARD-WDR (D), 
ORTF (F), BBC Manchester (GB), RAI (I), NCRV (NL)

Key: International Heats ● = Qualified for International Final / ● = Heat Winner (Silver Trophy) International Final ● = Gold Trophy / ● = Silver Trophy / ● = Bronze Trophy Trophy   ▲ = Promoted to Position / ▼ = Demoted to Position DST = Daylight Saving Time (ONLY Great Britain and Italy observed DST)

I

Jeux Sans Frontières 1973

Heat 1

Event Staged: Wednesday 6th June 1973
Venue: La Spiaggia di Velluto (The Velvet Beach),
Lungomare Alighieri (Alighieri Waterfront), Senigallia, Italy

European Transmissions (Local Timings):
BRT (B): Wednesday 6th June 1973, 9.20-10.25pm (Live)
RTB (B): Wednesday 6th June 1973, 9.05-10.15pm (Live)
SSR (CH): Wednesday 6th June 1973, 9.05-10.25pm (Live)
TSI (CH): Wednesday 6th June 1973, 9.05-10.20pm (Live)
SRG (CH): Wednesday 6th June 1973, 9.05-10.25pm (Live)
WDR 1 (D): Wednesday 6th June 1973, 9.05-10.50pm (Live)
Nederland 2 (NL): Wednesday 6th June 1973, 9.05-10.20pm (Live)

RAI Due (I): Thursday 7th June 1973

ORTF 2 (F): Saturday 30th June 1973 (1st)
BBC1 (GB): Friday 27th July 1973, 7.45-9.00pm

Weather Conditions: Very Warm and Dry

Winners' Trophy presented by: Mayor of Senigallia

Theme: Around the World in 80 Days

Teams: Seraing (B) v. Fontainemelon (CH) v. Alzey (D) v.
Moëlan-sur-Mer (F) v. Bicester (GB) v. Senigallia (I) v. Raalte (NL)

Team Members included:
Alzey (D) - Gerd Braun (Team Coach), Udo Ewald, Rolf Fecht, Christel Filbir, Michael Fister, Hans Günter Harth, Gabi Grundl, Reinhard Lawall, Fritz Nusselt, Josef Prömpler, Reinhard Rhaue, Peter Selinger, Heide Schäfer, Jürgen Schön, Helmut Scholl, Enrico Spemann, Rolf Stauf;
Bicester (GB) - Robert Tedder (Team Manager), Roy Hutton (Team Coach), Mike Swann (Team Adviser), Carol Baber, Michael Barlow, Peter Barrett, Nina Cartwright, Jennifer Clay, Chris Coleman, Carol Day, Kathy Goodwin, David Grove, Thomas Jones, Stephen Kinchin, Margaret Leitch, Bjorn Massey, Stephen Poulter, Geoff Redhead, Jean Seth, Michael Siggers, Hilary Vallender, Robert Wachowski, David Waller, Christine Ward;
Senigallia (I) - Brunello Raffone (Co-Team Coach), Carlo Travaglini (Co-Team Coach), Maurizio Alessandroni, Stefano Belucci, Gennaro Berardi, Loretta Carletti, Lorenzo Cerlini, Corseo Corsaletti, Franco Curzi, Roberto degli Emili, Anna Frumenzi, Fabio Frumenzi, Daniela Giombi, Annamaria Giulietti, Roberto Irbetti, Renzo Mandolini, Sisto Marcantognini, Loredana Paparelli, Lorenzo Piccinini, Giuliana Portavia, Alfonso Roncarati, Renzo Sartini, Gianluigi Siboni and Athos Zanzani;
Raalte (NL) - Klemens Creileman, Paul Disselhorst, Wim Disselhorst, Hary te Have, Wim Ogink.

Games: The Lumberjacks and the Bears (Canada), Taming the Bull (United States of America), The Sultan's Treasure (Saudi Arabia), The Giant Snowballs (Switzerland), Eskimos and Fish (Greenland), The Archaeologists (Egypt), The Plate Spinners (China), Samurai and the Dragon (Japan);
Fil Rouge: The Cosmonaut (Union of Soviet Socialist Republics - USSR);
Jokers: Seahorses.

Game Results and Standings

Result

 Team

Points

Final Scoreboard

1st
2nd
3rd
4th
5th
6th
7th

 NL • Raalte ●
 I • Senigallia ●
 CH • Fontainemelon
 GB • Bicester
 B • Seraing
 D • Alzey
 F • Moëlan-sur-Mer

43
37
36
31
29
26
23

Running International Final Qualifiers

Belgium (B) - Seraing (5th, 29pts)
Switzerland (CH) - Fontainemelon (3rd, 36pts)
West Germany (D) - Alzey (6th, 26pts)
France (F) - Moëlan-sur-Mer (7th, 23pts)

Great Britain (GB) - Bicester (4th, 31pts)
Italy (I) - Senigallia (2nd, 37pts)
Netherlands (NL) - Raalte (1st, 43pts)

The Host Town

Senigallia, Italy

Senigallia is a town and resort with a population of around 45,000 inhabitants in the region of Marche. It is the second-largest town after the region’s capital of Ancona and is located 204km (127 miles) south of Venezia, 269km (167 miles) north of Terracina, 227km (141 miles) east of Pisa and 153km (95 miles) west of the Croatian island of Dugi Otok on the opposite side of the Adriatic Sea.

The town was founded between 389 and 383 BC by the Gallic tribe of the Senones which had settled in the north of Marche up to the valley of the Esino river, their choice being dictated by the presence of a low hill facing the sea and dominating the existing ford. From this point - defined as the ‘capital’ of the Gauls in Italy - and at the helm of Brenno, they moved against Rome, defeating its armies along the way. In 284 BC, the settlement was taken over by the Romans, who established the colony Sena Gallica there. ‘Sena’ probably being a corrupted form of Senones and Gallica (meaning Gaulish), distinguishing it from Saena (Siena) in Etruria (part of present-day Tuscany, Lazio and Umbria).

In the prelude to the Battle of the Metaurus between Romans and Carthaginians in 207 BC, Sena Gallica was the southern-most point of the invasion of Italy by Carthaginian General Hasdrubal Barca (245-207 BC). Senigallia was ravaged by Alaric (AD 370-410) during the decline of the Roman Empire and fortified when it became part of the Byzantine Empire. It was again laid waste by the Lombards in the 8th century and by the Saracens in the 9th. It was one of the five cities of the medieval Adriatic duchy of Pentapolis.

The diocese and the bishopric had long been established, and the town saw economic development, including the establishment of the so-called Magdalena Fair around the 13th century. The fair's popularity grew when Sergius, count of Senigallia, became engaged to the daughter of the count of Marseilles. On his engagement, the count of Marseilles presented Sergius with relics, said to be of Mary Magdalene.

During the 15th century, Senigallia was captured and recaptured many times by opposing sides during the Guelph and Ghibelline war. Sigismondo Pandolfo Malatesta (1417-1468) of Rimini fortified the town between 1450 and 1455. In 1472, Cardinal Giacomo Piccolomini (1422-1479) tried, but failed, to seize the town. In 1503, Cesare Borgia (1475-1507) carried out a bloody coup at Senigallia, against some of his disloyal supporters. Since 1624, Senigallia has been part of the Papal State's legation (province) of Urbino.

During The Great War (1914-1918) significant damage was caused to the port installations and the town by intensive bombardment by units of the Austro-Hungarian navy led by the battleship SMS Zrínyi. On 30th October 1930, 14 residents lost their lives after the town was rocked by an earthquake with a magnitude of 5.9 on the Richter scale.

One of the town’s main tourist attractions (in addition to the golden sands) is La Rocca di Senigallia (The Fortress of Senigallia) which was designed in the 15th century by Fiorentino (Firenze-born) architect Baccio Pontelli (1450-1492) and completed months before his death in Urbino in 1492. The monument is actually divided into two fortresses, with one incorporated into the other: the central body, intended for a noble residence, is surrounded by the construction intended for military defence.

It is one of the most important monuments of the town and is now owned by the State, having being handed over to the Superintendence for Architectural Heritage and Landscape of Marche in December 2014. It is one of the most visited monuments in the region and hosts exhibitions, musical and artistic events.

The Visiting Towns

Seraing is a town with a population of around 65,000 inhabitants in the francophonic (French-speaking) Belgian province of Liège and is located 961km (579 miles) north-west of Senigallia.

Fontainemelon is a town with a population of around 2,000 inhabitants in the francophonic (French-speaking) Swiss canton of Neuchâtel and is located 618km (384 miles) north-west of Senigallia.

Alzey is a town with a population of around 18,000 inhabitants in the German state of Rheinland-Pfalz and is located 775km (481 miles) north-west of Senigallia.

Moëlan-sur-Mer is a town with a population of around 7,200 inhabitants in the French region of Bretagne and is located 1,381km (858 miles) north-west of Senigallia.

Bicester is a town with a population of around 33,000 inhabitants in the English county of Oxfordshire and is located 1,403km (872 miles) north-west of Senigallia.

Raalte is a town with a population of around 38,000 inhabitants in the Dutch province of Overijssel and is located 1,093km (679 miles) north-west of Senigallia.

The Venue

La Spiaggia di Velluto

The games were played on the sands of La Spiaggia di Velluto (The Velvet Beach), so called due to the sand’s incredible softness, which is situated along the Alighieri promenade next to the Rotonda pier.

The history of the Rotonda a Mare dates back to the second half of the nineteenth century, when architect Vincenzo Ghinelli designed the structure. In 1910, the Rotunda, which was sited a few hundred metres north from its current location, was enlarged and was entrusted to private entrepreneurs who transformed the Hotel Bagni, which was later renovated in 1923.

The decision to move the Rotonda a Mare to its current location, jutting out from Piazzale della Libertà (Liberty Square) into the sea, was taken on 30th January 1932 by the Administrative Committee of the Azienda Stazione Autonoma Stazione di Cura e Soggiorno who chose engineer Enrico Cardelli to complete the project. This new intervention was aimed at maintaining the basic shape of the Rotunda, but it entailed the replacement of the wood stilts on which it stood with more durable materials, particularly for the access pier, the platform, the bathroom sets and the area used for walking, which was to be widened to 4m (13ft 1½in) and extending outwards towards the sea. The works ended on the 18th July 1933 and soon the Rotonda became famous for its dancing nights.

During the Second World War (1939-1945), the Rotonda was used as a military warehouse. Once the war finished, the place became more and more popular, catching the attention of tourists and important artists. However, the ‘glory days’ declined with time, and the Rotonda was closed at the end of the 1980s after being declared unfit following safety checks.

What was once an important tourist place remained closed to the public until the summer of 2006, when renovation work was financed by the municipality and the European Union. Today, the Rotonda caters for hydrotherapy treatments and during the summer months it is home to exhibitions and conferences.

Comments: Despite there being no daily tides in the Adriatic Sea (part of the Mediterranean Sea), the producers used a very small area of the beach to erect the games and viewing platforms. This made the games appear to be somewhat sub-standard for an Italian International Heat, with most of the games being basic, without any of the normal flair and colour associated with the country’s output.

The Games in Detail

Game 1 - The Lumberjacks and the Bears

The first game - ‘The Lumberjacks and the Bears’ - was played in unison over 2 minutes 45 seconds duration and featured two male competitors from each team and a fir tree which was hinged with a metal plate at its rear. The first competitor, dressed as a lumberjack, was standing on a tree stump adjacent to the tree and was equipped with a wood axe whilst the second was dressed in a bear costume and chained by his foot to the ground. On the whistle, the lumberjack had to start to swing the axe towards an indicated area at the front of the tree (hinged sectioned at rear) and gradually chop through the trunk. Once the competitor believed he had done enough chopping to weaken the tree at the hinged point, he had to get down from the stump and move it to the front of the tree and then the competitor dressed as the bear had to run forward and climb on to the stump. He then had to push the top section of the trunk and hopefully fell the tree. However, if the tree had not been cut through enough, it would require him to use all his strength to do so. A female team-mate was available to change the axe if the competitor deemed that it had been blunted. The team completing the game in the faster time would be declared the winners.

This was a very straightforward game which ended with Italy felling their tree after 53 seconds of elapsed time, followed by Switzerland in 1 minute 34 seconds and Belgium in 1 minute 44 seconds. The competitors of West Germany, France and Great Britain had failed to ensure that the trunk had been weakened enough before ‘releasing’ their bears and this resulted in neither being able to fell their respective trees.

Running Scores and Positions: 1st Senigallia (I) (6pts awarded / 6pts total) 2nd Fontainemelon (CH) (5pts / 5pts) 3rd Seraing (B) (4pts / 4pts) =4th Alzey (D) (1pt / 1pt) =4th Moëlan-sur-Mer (F) (1pt / 1pt) =4th Bicester (GB) (1pt / 1pt) 7th Raalte (NL) (--- / 0pts)

Comments: Once the first competitor had made the decision to get down from the stump and handover to the second, he could take no further part in the game. So it was important to be sure that he had done enough to make the task easier, or possible, for the second competitor. The Italian competitor appeared to have no problem in cutting through the tree. However, a close-up shot of his tree showed that it had been pre-cut at the rear previously and as the tree fell, instead of the normal splinter-like appearance one would expect, the trunk had a clean break!

Fil Rouge, Round 1 - The Cosmonaut

The next game - ‘The Cosmonaut’ - was the Fil Rouge and was played over one minute duration. It featured a male competitor dressed as a Russian cosmonaut standing inside a large hamster wheel which contained 24 travel items consisting of eight suitcases, eight travel bags and eight sleeping bags (12 which were yellow and 12 which were blue). On the whistle, six male team members, one from each of the opposing countries, had to rotate the drum by hand. After five seconds of elapsed time and a second whistle, the competitor had to collect the twelve yellow items and throw them, one at a time, to a female team-mate standing on a podium outside of the drum. Any items not caught cleanly or any that fell from the wheel and onto the ground had to be thrown back inside by a team-mate. The team collecting all twelve items in the faster time or collecting the greater number would be declared the winners.

The first round saw the participation of Netherlands and although the competitor removed all twelve items in 57 seconds, the female only caught 10 of the items after 8, 13, 23, 28, 31, 38, 43, 46, 52 and 57 seconds respectively.

Running Fil Rouge Standings: 1st Raalte (NL) (10)

Comments: During rehearsals, several competitors suffered friction burns to their elbows and knees and had to be treated in hospital for their injuries.

Game 2 - Taming the Bull

The second game - ‘Taming the Bull’ - was played individually over two rounds and witnessed Great Britain presenting their Joker for play. The game featured two male competitors dressed as rodeo riders from each team and a large bull mounted on a railway bogie and set on a 30m (98ft 9¼in) long track. On the whistle, five opposing male team members (one from each of the other competing teams), had to push the bull along to a given point (approximately 5m (16ft 5in)) and then release it. The competitor then had to chase the bull from the given point and climb up onto its back and bring it to a stop by pulling upwards on its horns to engage a braking mechanism. Failure to do so would involve the bull hitting buffers at the end of the tracks and the resulting kinetic energy ultimately tossing the competitor into a large pool. The team stopping the bull at the shortest distance over the two runs would be declared the winners.

The first heat of the first round saw the participation of France and although their first competitor mounted the bull, he was unable to bring it to a halt before it hit the buffers at the end of the track. Fortunately for him, he was spared the embarrassment of being tossed into the pool and being soaked.

The second heat saw the participation of Italy and the outcome was a repeat of the first heat with their competitor being able to mount the bull but unable to stop it before hitting the buffers.

The third of the six teams to participate was Switzerland and again the competitor failed to stop the bull in time and became the first to be tossed into the pool.

This was followed by the fourth heat which saw the participation of West Germany and the end result was the same as that of the first two heats.

The fifth and penultimate team to participate was Netherlands and although their competitor brought the bull to a halt, it had touched the buffers before doing so.

The sixth and final team to participate was Great Britain and their competitor was rather slow in setting off and although he mounted the bull, he found himself with less time to stop it and ultimately became the second competitor to be tossed into the pool.

The second round heats all ended in an exact same manner as their first with none of the six competitors able to stop the bull before it reached the buffers at the end of the track. The only difference was that the second British competitor failed to mount the bull in the correct manner and ultimately found himself in the pool (as had the Swiss competitor in the third heat).

Running Scores and Positions: 1st Senigallia (I) (1pt awarded / 7pts total) 2nd Fontainemelon (CH) (1pt / 6pts) 3rd Seraing (B) (--- / 4pts) 4th Bicester (GB) (2pts / Joker / 3pts) =5th Alzey (D) (1pt / 2pts) ▼ =5th Moëlan-sur-Mer (F) (1pt / 2pts) ▼ 7th Raalte (NL) (1pt / 1pt)

Comments: This game did not perform as well as the designers had hoped, with none of the competitors able to stop the bull, despite having two attempts each. The game even suffered a mechanical defect halfway through and a spare bull had to be brought in to replace it. The consequence of none of the teams being able to score created a unique result for Jeux Sans Frontières. Referee Gennaro Olivieri delivered the results by stating that although all the teams had finished the game equal, none had been able to score and therefore all teams would be awarded 0:00. This resulted in the game having no winner and all teams were awarded 1pt each - the only time this ever happened in the history of the programme. The 'no score' was particularly bad news for the British team of Bicester, who had played their Joker on the game and consequently only scored 2pts out of a possible 12. Having scored just 1pt in the first game, this result had almost sealed their fate and a British win was now virtually impossible. This game would become a staple item in almost every retrospective compilation over the years due to its straightforwardness and quick execution.

Fil Rouge, Round 2 - The Cosmonaut

The second round of the Fil Rouge featured Belgium and, although a total of ten items were thrown by the competitor, only 6 were caught by the female after 7, 22, 25, 44, 50 and 55 seconds respectively.

Running Fil Rouge Standings: 1st Raalte (NL) (10) 2nd Seraing (B) (6)

Game 3 - The Sultan's Treasure

The third game - ‘The Sultan’s Treasure’ - was played individually over one minute duration and featured a male competitor from each team dressed as a sultan and three opposing male competitors pulling a large carpet on which was a large chest of treasure. At the start of the game the competitor was standing one side of the elliptical 20m (65ft 7½in) course, whilst the opposition were standing on the opposite side. On the whistle, the competitor had to run down the course and circumnavigate a tower in order to catch the opposition and reclaim his treasure, whilst the opposition did likewise to prevent him from doing so. The time would be taken once the competitor had opened the lid of the chest and held aloft a large wine bottle. The team completing the game in the faster time would be declared the winners.

The first team to participate in this ‘cat-and mouse’ game was Italy, with Netherlands in opposition, and they caught their quarry in 17 seconds.

The second team to participate was France, with Great Britain in opposition, and they were slower in their execution and completed the game in 20 seconds.

The third of the six heats saw the participation of Netherlands, with West Germany in opposition, and witnessed them catching their quarry in 18 seconds.

Belgium were the fourth team to participate, with Italy in opposition, and they were the slowest at this point after completing the game in 22 seconds.

The fifth and penultimate heat saw the participation of West Germany, with Belgium in opposition, and began with a false start. The restart proved more fruitful and saw West Germany completing the game in 20 seconds.

The sixth and final heat saw the participation of Great Britain, with France in opposition, and saw them completing the course in the second-fastest time of 18 seconds.

Running Scores and Positions: 1st Senigallia (I) (6pts awarded / 13pts total) 2nd Bicester (GB) (5pts / 8pts) ▲ =3rd Fontainemelon (CH) (--- / 6pts) ▼ =3rd Raalte (NL) (5pts / 6pts) ▲ =5th Seraing (B) (1pt / 5pts) ▼ =5th Alzey (D) (3pts / 5pts) =5th Moëlan-sur-Mer (F) (3pts / 5pts)

Fil Rouge, Round 3 - The Cosmonaut

The third round of the Fil Rouge featured Switzerland and, although a total of eight items were thrown by the competitor, only 4 were caught by the female after 29, 38, 46 and 51 seconds respectively.

Running Fil Rouge Standings: 1st Raalte (NL) (10) 2nd Seraing (B) (6) 3rd Fontainemelon (CH) (4)

Game 4 - The Giant Snowballs

The fourth game - ‘The Giant Snowballs’ - was played individually over two heats and witnessed Switzerland and Italy presenting their Jokers for play. The game featured a male competitor from each team dressed as a skier wearing weighted skis and standing beneath a large open-centred ski slope. At the top of the slope, there was a female opposition member equipped with a giant polystyrene snowball. On the whistle, the competitor had to ski down the 25m (82ft) course as fast as possible. After five seconds of elapsed time, a second whistle would be sounded and the opposition would release the snowball down the slope. The game would end once the competitor had been struck down by the snowball. No measurements were announced, instead country idents would be placed by touch-judges at the point of impact. The team travelling the greatest distance over the two heats would be declared the winners.

The teams participated in the same order over the two heats with France followed by Italy, Belgium, Great Britain, Netherlands and Switzerland, respectively. It was obvious before the start that the ‘non-skiing’ countries would be somewhat disadvantaged unless their drawn competitor happened to be a skier. This proved to be the case as the game unfolded and ended with Italy and Switzerland (following a re-run after equipment malfunction) taking the top two positions followed, surprisingly, by Belgium in 3rd place. Netherlands finished in 4th place, France finished in 5th place and Great Britain finished in 6th place (the third occasion in four games!).

Running Scores and Positions: 1st Senigallia (I) (12pts awarded / Joker / 25pts total) 2nd Fontainemelon (CH) (10pts / Joker / 16pts) ▲ =3rd Seraing (B) (4pts / 9pts) ▲ =3rd Bicester (GB) (1pt / 9pts) ▼ =3rd Raalte (NL) (3pts / 9pts) 6th Moëlan-sur-Mer (F) (2pts / 7pts) ▼ 7th Alzey (D) (--- / 5pts) ▼

Comments: Although all the teams bettered their distances on their second heats, only Belgium and Netherlands were able to improve on their positions from the first. Italy and Switzerland had retained their original positions from their first heats whilst France and Great Britain had been demoted from those attained on their first.

Fil Rouge, Round 4 - The Cosmonaut

The fourth round of the Fil Rouge featured West Germany and although a total of seven items were thrown by the competitor, only 4 were caught by the female after 4, 19, 26 and 55 seconds respectively.

Running Fil Rouge Standings: 1st Raalte (NL) (10) 2nd Seraing (B) (6) =3rd Fontainemelon (CH) (4) =3rd Alzey (D) (4)

Game 5 - Eskimos and Fish

The fifth game - ‘Eskimos and Fish’ - was played in unison over four minutes duration and featured three competitors (two males and one female) from each team, equipped with a fishing hook and dressed as Eskimos, and a long platform covered in foam, underneath which were boards made of thick and thin polystyrene blocks. On the whistle, the female competitor had to walk out along the platform testing the strength of the board by stamping with her foot. If she broke through one of the thin blocks, she could bend down and reach inside to hook out a fish and then carry it back to the start and hang it from a hook. She then continued to repeat the game throughout by moving further out along the platform. However, if she slipped into the hole (fully or partially), then she had to drop down inside the hole and play no further part in the game. The first male would then ascend the platform and make his way to her location and retrieve the fishing hook and continue with the game. If all three competitors found themselves in holes, then the team would be deemed as finished at that point. The team collecting the greater number of fish would be declared the winners.

This was somewhat of a straightforward, simple and uneventful game which ended with Switzerland, West Germany, Great Britain and Netherlands each collecting 6 fish, whilst Italy collected 4 fish and Belgium collected 3 fish.

Running Scores and Positions: 1st Senigallia (I) (2pts awarded / 27pts total) 2nd Fontainemelon (CH) (6pts / 22pts) =3rd Bicester (GB) (6pts / 15pts) =3rd Raalte (NL) (6pts / 15pts) 5th Alzey (D) (6pts / 11pts) ▲ 6th Seraing (B) (1pt / 10pts) ▼ 7th Moëlan-sur-Mer (F) (--- / 7pts) ▼

Fil Rouge, Round 5 - The Cosmonaut

The fifth round of the Fil Rouge featured France and their competitor had a torrid time trying to keep on his feet and, although he was still able to throw three items from the cage, none were caught by the female competitor. With the team being unable to score, this automatically put them in 7th place.

Running Fil Rouge Standings: 1st Raalte (NL) (10) 2nd Seraing (B) (6) =3rd Fontainemelon (CH) (4) =3rd Alzey (D) (4) 7th Moëlan-sur-Mer (F) (0)

Game 6 - The Archaeologists

The sixth game - ‘The Archaeologists’ - was played in unison over 2 minutes 30 seconds duration and witnessed Belgium, West Germany and France presenting their Jokers for play. The game featured two competitors (one male and one female) from each team attired as explorers, each equipped with a key, and a sand-filled well. Whilst the male competitor was manacled at both his wrist and ankles, the female was manacled around her neck by a yoke. On the whistle, the male competitor had to crawl across the sand on his stomach in order to reach the well and release the female sitting upon by unlocking the yoke. Once completed, she then had to unlock his manacles and then, working together, they had to use two small buckets to excavate the well and remove the sand from within. Once enough sand had been removed, the male competitor had to reach down inside and turn a faucet to send a jet of water high into the air. The team completing the game in the faster time would be declared the winners.

This was a very straightforward and simple game which ended with Italy finishing in 1st place in 59 seconds, followed by France in 2nd place in 1 minute 6 seconds and Netherlands in 3rd place in 1 minute 7 seconds. West Germany finished the game in 4th place in 1 minute 8 seconds, Belgium finished in 5th place in 1 minute 11 seconds and Switzerland finished in 6th place in 1 minute 22 seconds.

Running Scores and Positions: 1st Senigallia (I) (6pts awarded / 33pts total) 2nd Fontainemelon (CH) (1pt / 23pts) 3rd Raalte (NL) (4pts / 19pts) =4th Alzey (D) (6pts / Joker / 17pts) ▲ =4th Moëlan-sur-Mer (F) (10pts / Joker / 17pts) ▲ 6th Bicester (GB) (--- / 15pts) ▼ 7th Seraing (B) (4pts / Joker / 14pts) ▼

Comments: A photograph of this game was featured on page 87 of Giochiamo a Giochi Senza Frontiere published by Editrice Piccoli in 1979.

Fil Rouge, Round 6 - The Cosmonauts

The sixth and penultimate round of the Fil Rouge featured Great Britain and, although a total of eight items were thrown by the competitor, only 5 were caught by the female after 18, 30, 35, 56 and 59 seconds respectively.

Running Fil Rouge Standings: 1st Raalte (NL) (10) 2nd Seraing (B) (6) 3rd Bicester (GB) (5) =4th Fontainemelon (CH) (4) ▼ =4th Alzey (D) (4) ▼ 7th Moëlan-sur-Mer (F) (0)

Game 7 - The Plate Spinners

The seventh and penultimate game - ‘The Plate Spinners’ - was played individually over one minute duration and witnessed Netherlands presenting their Joker for play. The game featured six competitors (three males and three females) from each team, each equipped with a small cane and china plate, and a very narrow high-arched bridge across the pool. On the whistle, the competitors had to set the plate spinning on the tip of their cane and then cross the bridge to the other side. Once completed they had to run around the perimeter of the pool and repeat the game. Only plates spinning on canes when reaching the other side of the pool would be counted. The team collecting the greater number of plates would be declared the winners.

The first heat saw the participation of Belgium and they crossed the bridge with a total of 7 plates.

The second heat saw the participation of Netherlands and they successfully transported 10 plates across the bridge.

The third of the six teams to participate was Great Britain and they were deemed to have transported 9 plates correctly.

This was followed by the fourth heat which saw the participation of Switzerland and they crossed the bridge with 10 plates.

The fifth and penultimate team to participate was France and, despite some mishaps whilst ascending the bridge, they were still able to transport 6 plates successfully.

The sixth and final team to participate was West Germany and they crossed the bridge with a total of 9 plates.

Running Scores and Positions: 1st Senigallia (I) (--- awarded / 33pts total) 2nd Raalte (NL) (12pts / Joker / 31pts) ▲ 3rd Fontainemelon (CH) (6pts / 29pts) ▼ 4th Alzey (D) (4pts / 21pts) 5th Bicester (GB) (4pts / 19pts) ▲ 6th Moëlan-sur-Mer (F) (1pt / 18pts) ▼ 7th Seraing (B) (2pts / 16pts)

Fil Rouge, Round 7 - The Cosmonaut

The seventh and final round of the Fil Rouge featured Italy and after their competitor lost his footing in the cage, he was unable to stand up. Realising his dilemma and with little chance of getting to his feet, the team coach called a halt to his ordeal after 21 seconds of elapsed time. Having thrown no items from the cage, the referees deemed the team to have a score of 0 which placed them in joint 7th place overall.

Final Fil Rouge Standings: 1st Raalte (NL) (10) 2nd Seraing (B) (6) 3rd Bicester (GB) (5) =4th Fontainemelon (CH) (4) =4th Alzey (D) (4) =7th Moëlan-sur-Mer (F) (0) =7th Senigallia (I) (0)

Running Scores and Positions: 1st Raalte (NL) (7pts awarded / 38pts total) ▲ 2nd Senigallia (I) (1pt / 34pts) ▼ 3rd Fontainemelon (CH) (4pts / 33pts) 4th Alzey (D) (4pts / 25pts) 5th Bicester (GB) (5pts / 24pts) 6th Seraing (B) (6pts / 22pts) ▲ 7th Moëlan-sur-Mer (F) (1pt / 19pts) ▼

Comments: Having led the competition from the first game and having had their name flashing throughout the programme, the scoreboard operators appeared to have expected Italian team Senigallia to be leading until the very end. With Netherlands winning the Fil Rouge and Italy placed last, the former took command of the scoreboard but Senigallia continued to flash (along with Raalte) even when the positional ‘2’ was displayed next to the team’s name!

Game 8 - Samurai and the Dragon

The eighth and final game - ‘Samurai and the Dragon’ - was played in unison over three minutes duration and featured a male competitor from each team, dressed as a Samurai warrior, and a large rotating dragon on a high circular platform. Along the length of the dragon’s body there were seven marked areas with the ident of each of the competing teams. On the whistle, each of the competitors had to grab a sword and run up a slope and as the dragon passed by, they had to stick their sword into their individual marked areas. The team with the greater number of swords embedded into the dragon at the end of the game would be declared the winners.

This was a very straightforward game and ended with Belgium and Great Britain embedding 12 swords each, Netherlands embedding 10 swords, France embedding 9 swords, Switzerland and Italy embedding 8 swords each and West Germany embedding just 7 swords.

Final Scores and Positions: 1st Raalte (NL) (5pts awarded / 43pts total) 2nd Senigallia (I) (3pts / 37pts) 3rd Fontainemelon (CH) (3pts / 36pts) 4th Bicester (GB) (7pts / 31pts) ▲ 5th Seraing (B) (7pts / 29pts) ▲ 6th Alzey (D) (1pt / 26pts) ▼ 7th Moëlan-sur-Mer (F) (4pts / 23pts)

Comments: The final scoreboard as seen on screen failed to show the points awarded to Belgium or update the scores for West Germany and Great Britain after the final game. The corrected scoreboard is shown above.

Presenters, Officials and Production Team

The outfits for the referees were exactly the same as those of the previous year, comprising blue jackets, beige polo-neck shirts, beige trousers and brown footwear.

Reunions

Alzey (D)

In early 2017, members of the Alzey team got together to celebrate their 44th anniversary in the town centre.

Additional Information

This was the second of only four Jeux Sans Frontières programmes ever to be staged on an actual beach. The first and third occasions were at Riccione in 1971 and 1975 and the other was at Grömitz in West Germany in 1978. Fortunately for the Italian TV organisers, there is no significant tide on the Adriatic Sea (part of the Mediterranean Sea) and were therefore not doomed to the same fate as the British organisers in 1966, when the first ever It’s a Knockout was held on the beach at Morecambe. On that occasion, the tide came in unexpectedly and washed away the games with commentators and cameramen up to their knees in water!

The games in this heat were based on different countries visited by Phileas Fogg on his global journey in the adventure novel of Around the World in Eighty Days, penned in 1873 by Frenchman Jules Gabriel Verne (1828-1905).

Dutch team, Raalte made an incredible comeback to win this heat. Having scored just nine points from the first four games, the team scored their remaining 34 pts from the final five games to overhaul the Italians. However, the Italians did not do themselves any favours either. Setting off at an incredible pace by winning four out of the first six games, the team floundered on the other four games by being placed last in two games and fifth place in the other two!

As had been the case in International Heat 6 of 1972, the on-screen scoreboard in this heat was also displayed in black and white whilst the on-site scoreboard was seen in its normal blue colour.

Made in Colour • This programme does not exist in the BBC Archives
Exists in European archives

CH

Jeux Sans Frontières 1973

Heat 2

Event Staged: Wednesday 20th June 1973
Venue: Piazza Collegiata, Piazza Nosetta e Pallazo Civico
(Collegiate Square, Walnut Square and Town Hall), Bellinzona, Switzerland

European Transmissions (Local Timings):
BRT (B): Wednesday 20th June 1973, 9.05-10.30pm (Live)
RTB (B): Wednesday 20th June 1973, 9.05-10.30pm (Live)
SSR (CH): Wednesday 20th June 1973, 9.05-10.25pm (Live)
TSI (CH): Wednesday 20th June 1973, 9.05-10.20pm (Live)
SRG (CH): Wednesday 20th June 1973, 9.05-10.25pm (Live)
Nederland 1 (NL): Wednesday 20th June 1973, 8.55-10.25pm (Live)
WDR 1 (D): Wednesday 20th June 1973, 9.05-10.30pm (Live)
RAI Due (I): Thursday 21st June 1973
ORTF 2 (F): Saturday 14th July 1973 (3rd)
BBC1 (GB): Friday 3rd August 1973, 7.45-9.00pm

Weather Conditions: Torrential Rain

Winners' Trophy presented by: Ezio Guidi

Theme: Market Traders of the Middle Ages

Teams: Herentals (B) v. Bellinzona (CH) v. Ansbach (D) v.
Bagnères-de-Bigorre (F) v. Manchester (GB) v. Matera (I) v. Hoogeveen (NL)

Games Demonstration Team: Massagno (CH)

Team Members included:
Ansbach (D) - Hans Zeger (Team Coach), Horst Goppelt, Erik Grau, Klaus Muller;
Manchester (GB) - John Corbett, Mike Cogger, John Krizak, Alan Sparks;
Hoogeveen (NL) - Jannie van Wezel-Duhoux (Team Coach), Gerrit Nienhuis (Team Captain), Klaske Bakker, Jan Beumer, Rieks Bos, Raoel Coppens, Alie Breukers-Dijkstra, Johann Dornbos, Ever Everts, Look Haandrikman, Aly Kerssies, Henny Kleinman, Hilly Lip, Johan Prins, Bert Schotenboer, Anneke Seinen van der Kolk, Koosje Stoter, Reinder Strijker, Johnny Wildeboer.

Games: Unfurling the Silk (The Silk Merchants), The Golden Eggs (The Poultry Farmers), Hurling the Fish (The Fish Merchants), The Water Melons (The Costermongers), The Great Vegetable Football Match (The Greengrocers), Wrapping the Sweets (The Confectioners), The Mouse and the Cheese (The Cheesemongers), The Flower Growers (The Florists);
Fil Rouge: Plugging the Barrel (The Wine Merchants);
Jokers: House of Visconti Coats of Arms.

Game Results and Standings

Result

 Team

Points

Final Scoreboard

1st
2nd
3rd
4th
5th
6th
7th

 NL • Hoogeveen ●
 GB • Manchester
 B • Herentals
 D • Ansbach
 I • Matera
 CH • Bellinzona
 F • Bagnères-de-Bigorre

45
44
35
32
31
28
22

Running International Final Qualifiers

Belgium (B) - Herentals (3rd, 35pts)
Switzerland (CH) - Fontainemelon (3rd, 36pts)
West Germany (D) - Ansbach (4th, 32pts)
France (F) - Moëlan-sur-Mer (7th, 23pts)

Great Britain (GB) - Manchester (2nd, 44pts)
Italy (I) - Senigallia (2nd, 37pts)
Netherlands (NL) - Hoogeveen (1st, 45pts)

The Host Town

Bellinzona, Switzerland

Bellinzona is a town with a population of around 43,500 inhabitants in the italophonic (Italian-speaking) canton of Ticino of which it is the capital. It is located on the east bank of the River Ticino, 21km (13 miles) north of Lugano, 71km (44 miles) south-west of Sankt Moritz, 146km (91 miles) south of Winterthur and 222km (138 miles) east of Genève. The blazon of the municipal coat of arms is an erect serpent in silver on a red field. The fabulous animal is called ‘biscione’ in Italian and can also be found on the arms of the Alfa Romeo car company which is linked with the Visconti family, who were feudal lords of Bellinzona.

Whilst the region had been occupied since the early Neolithic age, it wasn't until the late 1st century AD that a fort was built in the area during the reign of the Roman Emperor Augustus (63 BC-AD 14). While the fort fell into disrepair in the following centuries, it was rebuilt and greatly expanded in the 4th century. During the reign of Diocletian (AD 244-311), a chain of castles and watchtowers were built to protect northern Italy from invasion. Bellinzona's location was recognised as a key point in the defences and a large castle was built to protect the walls.

Following the collapse of the Western Roman Empire, the successor states, which included the Ostrogoths around 500 AD, the eastern Byzantine Empire towards the middle of the 6th century, and the Longobards from AD 568-570, all took control of Bellinzona and used the castle to assert control of the surrounding passes. Under the Longobards, the town became the site of a permanent garrison to protect the region from raids by the neighbouring Frankish and Alemannic tribes. From here, the Longobards controlled the traffic on the important trade route from Varese over Ponte Tresa, the Monte Ceneri Pass, Biasca and finally over the Lukmanier Pass into Chur.

Around AD 774, the Frankish Kingdom (that would later become the Carolingian Empire) gained control of the Ticino valley including Bellinzona. About two centuries later, the Holy Roman Emperor Otto III (AD 980-1012), seeking to restore the power of glory of ancient Rome and expand into Italy, opened the Lukmanier and St. Bernard passes. Control of Bellinzona was a key part of this expansion. When an alternative route over the Alps, the Schöllenen Bridge opened, traffic in the St. Gotthard increased to the highest levels ever. During the second half of the 14th century, a long wall, the Murata, was built across the Tessin valley, allowing Milan to protect and tax the trade route over the St. Gotthard Pass.

In 1499, nearly one and a half centuries of Milanese rule ended with the invasion of Milan by Louis XII of France (1462-1515). He captured Bellinzona and fearing an attack by the Swiss, fortified the Castelgrande with 1000 troops. Throughout the winter of 1499/1500, unrest in Bellinzona grew, until January when an armed revolt of the citizens of Bellinzona drove the French troops from the city. Following the capture and execution of Ludovico Sforza (1452-1508) in April 1500, and seeking protection from France, Bellinzona joined the Swiss Confederation on 14th April of that year.

Following the Act of Mediation in 1803, Bellinzona became part of the independent canton of Ticino, and the capital of the new canton from 1803 to 1814. From that date until 1878, Bellinzona, Lugano, and Locarno, took turns being capital every six years.

The three castles, officially listed as the Three Castles, Defensive Wall and Ramparts of the Market Town of Bellinzona, have been an UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2000. The group is composed of Castelgrande, Montebello, Sasso Corbaro and fortified walls. The Castelgrande is located on a rocky peak overlooking the valley, with a series of fortified walls that protect the old city and connect to the Montebello. The third is located on an isolated rocky promontory south-east of the other two.

The Visiting Towns

Herentals is a town with a population of around 27,000 inhabitants in the néerlandophonic (Dutch-speaking) Belgian province of Antwerpen and is located 634km (394 miles) north-west of Bellinzona.

Ansbach is a town with a population of around 42,000 inhabitants in the German state of Bayern and is located 364km (226 miles) north-east of Bellinzona.

Bagnères-de-Bigorre is a town with a population of around 9,000 inhabitants in the French region of Occitanie and is located 784km (487 miles) south-west of Bellinzona.

Manchester is a city with a population of around 2,555,000 inhabitants in the English county of Greater Manchester and is located 1,142km (710 miles) north-west of Bellinzona.

Matera is a town with a population of around 62,000 inhabitants in the Italian region of Basilicata and is located 867km (539 miles) south-east of Bellinzona.

Hoogeveen is a town with a population of around 56,000 inhabitants in the Dutch province of Drenthe and is located 750km (466 miles) north-west of Bellinzona.

The Venue

Piazza Collegiata, Piazza Nosetto e Palazzo Civico

The games were played at three different locations in the Old Town which run consecutively from north-east to south-west.

The first, Piazza Collegiata (Collegiate Square), is the town’s main square, abundant with historic buildings reminiscent of Lombardy. Around its perimeter there is a plethora of boulevard cafés and restaurants which are favourite meeting places among the citizens of Bellinzona. A colourful Ticino market is held in the square every Saturday morning between 7am and noon offering culinary specialities of Ticinese cuisine.

The second, Piazza Nosetto (Walnut Square), is the oldest square in the town and dates back to the medieval period. It has always been the site of the public house and then of the municipal building (Town Hall). It was also the place of the communal well from which the inhabitants drew water for their domestic activities. It takes its name from a walnut (noce) tree that had grown there.

The third location was the Palazzo Civico (Town Hall), the town’s elegant Town Hall, which stands at the eastern end of Piazza Nosetto. Oozing with Italian flair, the spectacular inner courtyard has a loggia whose arches are adorned with murals that recount the eventful history of the ‘city of towers’. The scenes portrayed in the sgraffito (scratched) lunettes are the handiwork of painter Baldo Carugo (1903-1930) and date to 1925.

The half-moon shaped spaces (lunettes) depict a prosperous transit and border city, which amassed its riches from the services revolving around the transportation of goods. The assembly hall has an entire wall given over to a panoramic painting that shows an up-and-coming Bellinzona in the 18th century from a bird's eye perspective.

The Games in Detail

Game 1 - Unfurling the Silk (The Silk Merchants)

The first game - ‘Unfurling the Silk’ (The Silk Merchants) - was played over two heats of two minutes duration and witnessed Switzerland and Great Britain presenting their Jokers for play. The game featured three competitors (two males and one female) from each team and a large 25m (82ft) roll of silk fabric. On the whistle, the female competitor had to jump onto the silk and then jump up whilst the two males turned the roll once and then she had to land cleanly back onto the roll. The game then had to be repeated throughout. If the female did not land cleanly onto the silk, the silk had to be rolled back up to its previous position and then repeated. The team completing the game in the faster time would be declared the winners.

The first heat of this straightforward and uneventful game saw the participation of Belgium, Great Britain and Italy and it was apparent from the outset as to which team would be victorious. The heat ended with Great Britain finishing in 1 minute 16 seconds, followed by Belgium in 1 minute 42 seconds and Italy in 1 minute 51 seconds (despite the scoreboard operators displaying 1 minute 21 seconds).

The second heat featured Switzerland, France and Netherlands and as was the case in the previous heat, it was apparent as to the victor from the offset, despite an error on their opening jump. The heat ended with Netherlands finishing in 1 minute 10 seconds, followed by France in 1 minute 57 seconds and Switzerland failing to complete the course in the permitted time.

Running Scores and Positions: 1st Manchester (GB) (10pts awarded / Joker / 10pts total) 2nd Hoogeveen (NL) (6pts / 6pts) 3rd Herentals (B) (4pts / 4pts) 4th Matera (I) (3pts / 3pts) =5th Bellinzona (CH) (2pts / Joker / 2pts) =5th Bagnères-de-Bigorre (F) (2pts / 2pts) 7th Ansbach (D) (--- / 0pts)

Fil Rouge, Round 1 - Plugging the Barrel (The Wine Merchants)

The next game - ‘Plugging the Barrel’ (The Wine Merchants) - was the Fil Rouge and was played over one minute duration. It featured a male competitor equipped with a giant cork and standing on a corrugated platform with troughs and peaks. On a wall behind him was a large barrel containing 3,150 litres (693 gallons) of water with a measure displayed on the façade. On the whistle, the water would start to pour from the barrel and the competitor had to plug the hole with the cork to prevent as little as possible from escaping. To impede his efforts, the platform would be moved back and forth by six male members of the opposing teams. The team securing the greater amount of wine would be declared the winners.

The first round of this very simple and straightforward game saw the participation of West Germany and they secured a total of 1,900 litres (419 gallons) of water.

Running Fil Rouge Standings: 1st Ansbach (D) (1,900)

Comments: This game was played in a similar fashion in Heat 6 of JSF 1999, once again as the Fil Rouge and called 'I Barili' (The Barrels).

Game 2 - The Golden Eggs (The Poultry Farmers)

The second game - ‘The Golden Eggs’ (The Poultry Farmers) - was played in unison and featured a male competitor from each team and two large golden geese hanging from a zip wire 12m (39ft 4½in) above the arena. On the whistle, one of the geese would be released by a stagehand and would ‘fly’ over the arena. At a random point, the stagehand would pull on a rope attached to a flap on the underbelly of the bird and release five golden eggs. The competitors had to scramble to catch one of the eggs with the one failing to do so being eliminated. The game would then be repeated with four eggs, three eggs and two eggs, respectively, being dropped until there were just two competitors remaining and competing for one egg. The team collecting the final egg would be declared the winners.

This was a straightforward game which began with a false start after the stagehands inadvertently, and embarrassingly, failed to place any eggs inside the goose! On the re-run, the eggs were released almost immediately after the goose was set free and this took all of the competitors by surprise as they had all made their way down to the middle of the arena, expecting the eggs to be released in that area. The first team to be eliminated was Italy followed by Great Britain in the second round. The third team to suffer elimination was Netherlands followed by Belgium in the fourth round. The final round was between Switzerland and West Germany with the latter catching the egg and winning the game overall.

Running Scores and Positions: 1st Manchester (GB) (2pts awarded / 12pts total) 2nd Hoogeveen (NL) (3pts / 9pts) 3rd Herentals (B) (4pts / 8pts) 4th Bellinzona (CH) (5pts / 7pts) ▲ 5th Ansbach (D) (6pts / 6pts) ▲ 6th Matera (I) (1pt / 4pts) ▼ 7th Bagnères-de-Bigorre (F) (--- / 2pts) ▼

Fil Rouge, Round 2 - Plugging the Barrel (The Wine Merchants)

The second round of the Fil Rouge featured France and their competitor had a torrid time trying to maintain his footing on the corrugated platform. After 46 seconds of elapsed time disaster struck the team when he fell from the platform, getting squashed between the scenery and the moving platform in doing so. The six opposition members stopped moving the platform and all ran to his assistance and after ten heart-stopping seconds he could be seen standing up with just his pride in tatters. Nevertheless, the game was never stopped and the water was permitted to continue flowing from the barrel, only being stopped on the limit time whistle. Despite this occurrence, they secured a total of 1,760 litres (387 gallons) of water.

Running Fil Rouge Standings: 1st Ansbach (D) (1,900) 2nd Bagnères-de-Bigorre (F) (1,760)

Comments: This game was played in a similar fashion in Heat 6 of JSF 1999, once again as the Fil Rouge and called 'I Barili' (The Barrels).

Game 3 - Hurling the Fish (The Fish Merchants)

The third game - ‘Hurling the Fish’ (The Fish Merchants) - was played over two heats of 1 minute 30 seconds duration and witnessed West Germany presenting their Joker for play. The game featured two competitors (one male and one female) from each team, the male standing adjacent to a giant water-filled barrel containing fish and the female located on the balcony of the Rathaus (Town Hall) at the top of a greased 6m (19ft 8¼in) high incline. On the whistle, the male competitor had to collect a fish from the barrel and then hurl it up the incline for the female to catch. Fish could not be thrown and to ensure this occurred, all the fish had to pass under a small hurdle at the base of the incline. The team collecting the greater number of fish would be declared the winners.

The first heat of this straightforward game saw the participation of Switzerland, West Germany and Italy and ended with Italy collecting 12 fish, West Germany collecting 11 fish and Switzerland collecting 3 fish.

The second heat featured Belgium, France and Netherlands and ended with Netherlands collecting 18 fish and Belgium and France collecting 3 fish each.

Running Scores and Positions: 1st Hoogeveen (NL) (6pts awarded / 15pts total) ▲ 2nd Ansbach (D) (8pts / Joker / 14pts) ▲ 3rd Manchester (GB) (--- / 12pts) ▼ 4th Herentals (B) (3pts / 11pts) ▼ 5th Bellinzona (CH) (3pts / 10pts) ▼ 6th Matera (I) (5pts / 9pts) 7th Bagnères-de-Bigorre (F) (3pts / 5pts)

Fil Rouge, Round 3 - Plugging the Barrel (The Wine Merchants)

The third round of the Fil Rouge featured Great Britain and they secured a total of 2,000 litres (440 gallons) of water.

Running Fil Rouge Standings: 1st Manchester (GB) (2,000) 2nd Ansbach (D) (1,900) ▼ 3rd Bagnères-de-Bigorre (F) (1,760) ▼

Game 4 - The Water Melons (The Costermongers)

The fourth game - ‘The Water Melons’ (The Costermongers) - was played alternately and featured two male competitors from each team, one sitting on a tower of four polystyrene boxes and the other equipped with a basketball disguised as a melon and standing 2m (6ft 6¾in) in front of him. On the whistle, the competitor with the ball had to throw the ball to his team-mate who had to catch it and then keep his balance for three seconds. If successful, the team would remain in the game otherwise they would be eliminated. Once each round was completed, the throwers would then move back 1m (3ft 3¼in) to throw the ball. If the competitor failed to catch the ball it would also mean instant elimination but if the player kept his balance for the required time before tumbling to the ground then they would remain in play. The teams would play in the same order throughout with West Germany being followed by Switzerland, Netherlands, Belgium, Great Britain and France. The team remaining in-play for the greater time would be declared the winners.

The first round saw successes for West Germany, Switzerland, Netherlands, Belgium (although keeping their balance and tumbling outside the three second limit) and Great Britain. France were the first team to be eliminated after their competitor failed to catch the ball.

The competitors moved back to 3m (9ft 10¼in) in front of the game for the second round which only saw successes for Belgium (again keeping their balance and tumbling outside the three second limit) and Netherlands. West Germany, Switzerland and Great Britain were all eliminated after their competitors failed to catch the ball.

The remaining two competitors moved back to 4m (13ft 1½in) in front of the game for the third round and saw success for Netherlands. Belgium were eliminated after their competitor failed to throw the ball far enough and dropped it short of the tower.

Running Scores and Positions: 1st Hoogeveen (NL) (6pts awarded / 21pts total) 2nd Ansbach (D) (4pts / 18pts) =3rd Herentals (B) (5pts / 16pts) ▲ =3rd Manchester (GB) (4pts / 16pts) 5th Bellinzona (CH) (4pts / 14pts) 6th Matera (I) (--- / 9pts) 7th Bagnères-de-Bigorre (F) (1pt / 6pts)

Fil Rouge, Round 4 - Plugging the Barrel (The Wine Merchants)

The fourth round of the Fil Rouge featured Italy and they secured a total of 1,830 litres (402 gallons 4 pints) of water.

Running Fil Rouge Standings: 1st Manchester (GB) (2,000) 2nd Ansbach (D) (1,900) 3rd Matera (I) (1,830) 4th Bagnères-de-Bigorre (F) (1,760) ▼

Game 5 - The Great Vegetable Football Match (The Greengrocers)

The fifth game - ‘The Great Vegetable Football Match’ (The Greengrocers) - was played in unison and featured a male competitor from each team dressed in a large vegetable costume - Belgium (an artichoke), Switzerland (a stick of celery), West Germany (a pea pod), France (a courgette), Great Britain (a carrot) and Italy (an asparagus) - standing in a circle whose circumference was marked out as six goals. On the whistle, the competitors had to run to the middle of the circle and kick a large tomato into one of their opponents’ goals in order to eliminate them from the game. The game would then be repeated with five competitors and so on until a winner was realised. The team achieving a clean goal sheet would be declared the winners.

This was a very short and straightforward game with West Germany being eliminated in the first match, Belgium in the second match and Switzerland in the third match. After a stalemate fourth match, the game was restarted and saw Italy being eliminated. The final match was between France and Great Britain and ended in victory for the former.

Running Scores and Positions: =1st Manchester (GB) (5pts awarded / 21pts total) ▲ =1st Hoogeveen (NL) (--- / 21pts) 3rd Ansbach (D) (1pt / 19pts) ▼ 4th Herentals (B) (2pts / 18pts) ▼ 5th Bellinzona (CH) (3pts / 17pts) 6th Matera (I) (4pts / 13pts) 7th Bagnères-de-Bigorre (F) (6pts / 12pts)

Comments: Due to the nature of this game and the confined space in which it was played, the ‘actual’ playing time (including the match that ended in stalemate) equated to less than 30 seconds in total!

Fil Rouge, Round 5 - Plugging the Barrel (The Wine Merchants)

The fifth round of the Fil Rouge featured Netherlands and they secured a total of 1,960 litres (431 gallons) of water.

Running Fil Rouge Standings: 1st Manchester (GB) (2,000) 2nd Hoogeveen (NL) 1,960) 3rd Ansbach (D) (1,900) ▼ 4th Matera (I) (1,830) ▼ 5th Bagnères-de-Bigorre (F) (1,760) ▼

Game 6 - Wrapping the Sweets (The Confectioners)

The sixth game - ‘Wrapping the Sweets’ (The Confectioners) - was played over two heats of two minutes duration and witnessed France and Italy presenting their Jokers for play. The game featured four competitors (two males and two females) from each team and a very large sheet of gift wrapping paper. On the whistle, the team had to unfold the paper to its maximum dimensions and then the females had to assist the males, who were dressed as sweets, to stand on the paper whilst they then wrapped them inside it. Once the two males were fully covered with the paper, all the team held the paper tight and then had to race up the 25m (82ft) course by any means possible. After reaching the end of the course, the two males then had to get out of the wrapping and run back to the starting podium to finish the game. The team completing the game in the faster time would be declared the winners.

The first heat of this straightforward game saw the participation of Switzerland, Italy and Netherlands, with all the teams completing the course well within the permitted time. Italy finished in 1 minute 4 seconds, followed by Switzerland in 1 minute 10 seconds and Netherlands in 1 minute 22 seconds.

The second heat featured West Germany, France and Great Britain and was executed at a much faster pace than the first. Great Britain surprised the other two teams by completing the game in just 47 seconds, followed by West Germany in 49 seconds, with France finishing in 1 minute 13 seconds.

Running Scores and Positions: 1st Manchester (GB) (6pts awarded / 27pts total) 2nd Ansbach (D) (5pts / 24pts) ▲ 3rd Hoogeveen (NL) (1pt / 22pts) ▼ 4th Matera (I) (8pts / Joker / 21pts) ▲ 5th Bellinzona (CH) (3pts / 20pts) 6th Herentals (B) (--- / 18pts) ▼ 7th Bagnères-de-Bigorre (F) (4pts / Joker / 16pts)

Comments: As the scores were announced, the scoreboard operators got the allocation of points completely wrong. Great Britain, having won the game, were announced as scoring 6pts but inadvertently France were awarded 15pts giving them a total of 27pts on the scoreboard (which should have been the total of Great Britain) and Great Britain were given none. As the points continued to be awarded, France were then awarded their correct score of 4pts and their total was reduced to the correct figure of 16pts. Although the score for Great Britain had not been changed, as the placings on the left-hand side of the scoreboard were displayed, it showed them in 1st place with 21pts (and flashing to denote this) and West Germany in 2nd place with 24pts! (see note after next Fil Rouge).

Fil Rouge, Round 6 - Plugging the Barrel (The Wine Merchants)

The sixth and penultimate round of the Fil Rouge featured Belgium and they secured a total of 1,760 litres (387 gallons) of water.

Running Fil Rouge Standings: 1st Manchester (GB) (2,000) 2nd Hoogeveen (NL) 1,960) 3rd Ansbach (D) (1,900) 4th Matera (I) (1,830) =5th Herentals (B) (1,760) =5th Bagnères-de-Bigorre (F) (1,760)

Comments: After this round of the Fil Rouge, Swiss presenter Ezio Guidi announced that the score for Great Britain should in fact be 27pts and not 21pts as displayed and the scoreboard operators duly obliged and corrected their error.

Game 7 - The Mouse and the Cheese (The Cheesemongers)

The seventh and penultimate game - ‘The Mouse and the Cheese’ (The Cheesemongers) - was played individually over 40 seconds duration and witnessed Belgium and Netherlands presenting their Jokers for play. The game featured a male competitor from each team dressed in a mouse costume with a very long elasticated tail and an 8m (26ft 3in) long incline marked out with 32 x 25cm (10 inches) measured levels. On the whistle, the competitor had to descend the slope and throw the tail outwards which then had to be stretched out to its full length by an opposition male team member dressed as a cat. The competitor then had ten seconds to collect a large 30kg (66lb 2oz) wedge of cheese before four other opposition members (also dressed as cats) placed a 100kg (220lb 7oz) piece of concrete onto the tail halfway down its length. The competitor then had to climb back up the incline using the small wooden rungs on either side as footholds push the cheese as far up as possible. The team ascending the greatest height would be declared the winners.

The first heat of this very simple game saw the participation of Great Britain and they were able to ascend to level 24 on the incline within the permitted time.

The second heat saw the participation of West Germany and they reached level 20 of the incline.

The third of the six teams to participate was Netherlands and they were able to ascend to level 27 of the incline before the final whistle was sounded.

This was followed by the fourth heat which saw the participation of France and they were only able to reach level 16 of the incline.

The fifth and penultimate team to participate was Belgium and following a false start whereby the competitor omitted to throw the tail, their second essay saw them reach level 22 of the incline.

The sixth and final team to participate was Italy and their competitor reached level 21 before the permitted time expired.

Running Scores and Positions: 1st Hoogeveen (NL) (12pts awarded / Joker / 34pts total) ▲ 2nd Manchester (GB) (5pts / 32pts) ▼ =3rd Herentals (B) (8pts / Joker / 26pts) ▲ =3rd Ansbach (D) (2pts / 26pts) ▼ 5th Matera (I) (3pts / 24pts) ▼ 6th Bellinzona (CH) (--- / 20pts) ▼ 7th Bagnères-de-Bigorre (F) (1pt / 17pts)

Fil Rouge, Round 7 - Plugging the Barrel (The Wine Merchants)

The seventh and final round of the Fil Rouge featured Switzerland and they secured a total of 2,000 litres (440 gallons) of water and they finished in joint 1st place on the game.

Final Fil Rouge Standings: =1st Bellinzona (CH) (2,000) =1st Manchester (GB) (2,000) 3rd Hoogeveen (NL) 1,960) ▼ 4th Ansbach (D) (1,900) ▼ 5th Matera (I) (1,830) ▼ =6th Herentals (B) (1,760) ▼ =6th Bagnères-de-Bigorre (F) (1,760) ▼

Running Scores and Positions: =1st Manchester (GB) (7pts awarded / 39pts total) ▲ =1st Hoogeveen (NL) (5pts / 39pts) 3rd Ansbach (D) (4pts / 30pts) 4th Herentals (B) (2pts / 28pts) ▼ =5th Bellinzona (CH) (7pts / 27pts) ▲ =5th Matera (I) (3pts / 27pts) 7th Bagnères-de-Bigorre (F) (2pts / 19pts)

Game 8 - The Flower Growers (The Florists)

The eighth and final game - ‘The Flower Growers’ (The Florists) - was played in unison over 2 minutes 30 seconds duration and featured three competitors (one male and two females) from each team and a large flower whose stalk comprised of 30 x 30cm (11¾ inches) lengths of cane. Above the arena, standing on the castle battlements, was one female with a piece of twine attached to a large flower head which was located at the base of the wall with the other two competitors. On the whistle, she had to gently pull on the twine whilst the other female attached the first of the pieces of cane to it. She then had to keep adding additional pieces so that the flower would ‘grow’ to the top of the battlements whilst the male kept the cane straight and gently guided the stalk upwards. Once the flower head and five sections of the stalk had reached the female on the battlements, she had to remove them and hold them aloft to finish the game. If the twine was pulled too tight and the flower head became unattached, it had to be returned to the bottom of the wall and the game repeated from the start. The team completing the game in the faster time would be declared the winners.

This was a very straightforward game which was executed without mishap by the majority of the teams with the exception of Switzerland, West Germany and France who all lost their flower heads and had to restart the game. The final result revealed that Belgium had finished in 1st place in 47 seconds, followed by Netherlands in 2nd place in 53 seconds and Great Britain in 3rd place in 56 seconds. The fourth team to finish were Italy in 1 minute 8 seconds, with France finishing in 5th place in 1 minute 26 seconds, followed by West Germany in 6th place in 1 minute 30 seconds and Switzerland in 7th place in 1 minute 59 seconds.

Final Scores and Positions: 1st Hoogeveen (NL) (6pts awarded / 45pts total) 2nd Manchester (GB) (5pts / 44pts) ▼ 3rd Herentals (B) (7pts / 35pts) ▲ 4th Ansbach (D) (2pts / 32pts) ▼ 5th Matera (I) (4pts / 31pts) 6th Bellinzona (CH) (1pt / 28pts) ▼ 7th Bagnères-de-Bigorre (F) (3pts / 22pts)

Presenters, Officials and Production Team

When the teams were introduced at the beginning of the heat, West German commentator Camillo Felgen introduced the British team as the home of Manchester City and Manchester United. The latter football club was mentioned throughout the night whenever he and Renata Calani spoke of the British Jeux Sans Frontières team.

Returning Teams and Competitors

After Swiss team, Bellinzona’s second disastrous appearance in the programme (the team had participated in 1968 and had also finished in the bottom two places), Swiss TV executives changed their rules so as to prevent teams from participating more than once. This decision was reversed in 1977.

Additional Information

This was a unique heat as the games were held in three different locations in the town. Although all close to each other, the majority of the games took place in Piazza Collegiata, with Games 3 and 7 taking place in Piazza Nosetto, and the Fil Rouge being staged inside the Town Hall courtyard.

The heat was beleaguered by the torrential rain from start to finish and it hampered the contestants on most of the games as rehearsals had all been held in the dry.

As was the case at the first heat of this year, the scoreboard in Piazza Collegiata was the normal blue, but the on-screen one in this heat was a lurid orange-red!

Despite winning this heat, Dutch team Hoogeveen had to wait to see if they were to qualify for the International Final until the very last game of International Heat 7. National rivals Heusden-Altena were leading with 41 pts before the last game of Heat 7 and had already secured victory. They needed to score 5 pts or more to pip Hoogeveen and qualify for the International Final. The team secured 2nd place on the game and the Hoogeveen team lost out at the last minute on that coveted place in the Final!

Made in Colour • This programme does not exist in the BBC Archives
Exists in European archives

F

Jeux Sans Frontières 1973

Heat 3

Event Staged: Wednesday 4th July 1973
Venue: Cloître Notre Dame (Cloister of Our Lady),
Cathédrale de Chartres (Chartres Cathedral), Chartres, France

European Transmissions (Local Timings):
BRT (B): Wednesday 4th July 1973, 9.05-10.30pm (Live)
RTB (B): Wednesday 4th July 1973, 9.05-10.30pm (Live)
SSR (CH): Wednesday 4th July 1973, 9.05-10.30pm (Live)
TSI (CH): Wednesday 4th July 1973, 9.05-10.20pm (Live)
SRG (CH): Wednesday 4th July 1973, 9.05-10.25pm (Live)
WDR 1 (D): Wednesday 4th July 1973, 9.05-10.30pm (Live)
Nederland 2 (NL): Wednesday 4th July 1973, 9.05-10.20pm (Live)

RAI Due (I): Thursday 5th July 1973

ORTF 2 (F): Saturday 7th July 1973 (2nd)
BBC1 (GB): Friday 10th August 1973, 7.45-9.00pm

Weather Conditions: Warm and Dry

Winners' Trophy presented by: Simone Garnier

Theme: The History of Chartres Cathedral

Teams: Ieper (B) v. Engelberg (CH) v. Hof (D) v. Chartres (F) v.
Peebles (GB) v. Cantù (I) v. Zandvoort (NL)

Team Members included:
Ieper (B) - Dirk Beligne and Georges De Beke;
Hof (D) - Wolfgang Meyer (Men’s Team Coach), Monika Hossfeld (Women’s Team Coach), Sabrina Moretti;
Chartres (F) - Dominic Lesfours;
Peebles (GB) - Ian Weir (Team Captain), Jim Bauchop, Sheila Cook, Andrew Doughty, Ian Melrose, Daniel Ward, Gordon Williamson;
Zandvoort (NL) - Wim Buchel Sr. (Team Coach), Fekke Boukes, Dick van der Nulft and Dries Zonneveld.

Games: The Monks’ Vacation, The Lovers, The Turret Builders, The Woodcutters and the Monkey, The Cyclist and the Rickshaw, The Campanologists, The Archers and the Elephants, Race of the Gargoyles;
Fil Rouge: The Stone Masons;
Jokers: Pictures of Chartres Cathedral.

Game Results and Standings

Result

 Team

Points

Final Scoreboard

1st
2nd
3rd
4th
5th
6th
7th

 B • Ieper ● ●
 F • Chartres ●
 CH • Engelberg
 I • Cantù
 NL • Zandvoort
 GB • Peebles
 D • Hof

42
40
36
35
33
30
29

Running International Final Qualifiers

Belgium (B) - Ieper (1st, 42pts)
Switzerland (CH) - Fontainemelon (3rd, 36pts)
West Germany (D) - Ansbach (4th, 32pts)
France (F) - Chartres (2nd, 40pts)

Great Britain (GB) - Manchester (2nd, 44pts)
Italy (I) - Senigallia (2nd, 37pts)
Netherlands (NL) - Hoogeveen (1st, 45pts)

The Host Town

Chartres, France

Chartres is a town with a population of around 40,000 inhabitants in the Centre-Val de Loire region. Renowned for its 13th-century Gothic cathedral, it is located on the east bank of the River Eure, 76km (47 miles) south-west of Paris, 431km (268 miles) north-east of Bordeaux, 441km (274 miles) east of Brest and 462km (282 miles) west of Strasbourg.

Chartres was originally in Gaul and was one of the principal towns of the Carnutes, a Celtic tribe. During the Gallo-Roman period, it was called Autricum, a name derived from the River Autura (Eure), and afterwards civitas Carnutum (city of the Carnutes), from which Chartres got its name.

In AD 858, the town was burned by the Normans and unsuccessfully besieged by them in AD 911. During the Middle Ages, it was the most important town of the Beauce (known as the ‘granary of France’), a natural region in northern France, located between the Seine and Loire rivers. In 1417, during the Hundred Years' War (1337-1453), Chartres fell into the hands of the English, from whom it was recovered in 1432. In 1528, it was raised to the rank of a duchy by Francis I (1494-1547).

In 1568, during the Wars of Religion, Chartres was unsuccessfully besieged by the Huguenot leader, the Prince of Condé (1530-1569). It was finally taken by the royal troops of Henry IV (1553-1610) on 19th April 1591. On Sunday 27th February 1594, the cathedral of Chartres was the site of the coronation of Henry IV after he converted to the Catholic faith, the only king of France whose coronation ceremony was not performed in Reims.

During the 1870-71 Franco-Prussian War, Chartres was seized by the Germans on 2nd October 1870, and continued during the rest of the war to be an important centre of operations. During World War II (1939-1945), the city suffered heavy damage by bombing but the cathedral was spared by the US Army, despite orders to destroy it.

Chartres has been a site of Catholic pilgrimages since the Middle Ages. The poet Charles Péguy (1873-1914) revived the pilgrimage route between Paris and Chartres before World War I (1914-1918). After the war, some students carried on the pilgrimage in his memory. Since 1982, the association Notre-Dame de Chrétienté, with offices in Versailles, organises the annual 100km (62 miles) pilgrimage on foot from Notre-Dame de Paris to Notre-Dame de Chartres. About 15,000 pilgrims, from France and elsewhere, participate every year.

The game pies and other delicacies of Chartres are well known, and the industries also include flour-milling, brewing, distilling, iron-founding, leather manufacture, perfumes, dyeing, and the manufacture of electronic equipment, car accessories, stained glass, billiard requisites and hosiery.

In addition to the cathedral, which is its main tourist attraction, the town stands on the picturesque Eure river, which divides into three branches at this point and is crossed by several bridges. It is fringed in places by remains of the old fortifications, of which the 14th-century Porte Guillaume (William’s Gate), a gateway flanked by towers, was the most complete specimen, until destroyed by the retreating German army during the night of 15th / 16th August 1944.

La Maison Picassiette, a house decorated inside and out with mosaics of shards of broken china and pottery, is also worth a visit as are the steep, narrow streets of the old town contrasting with the wide, shady boulevards which encircle it and separate it from the suburbs.

The Visiting Towns

Ieper is a town with a population of around 36,000 inhabitants in the néerlandophonic (Dutch-speaking) Belgian province of West-Vlaanderen and is located 285km (177 miles) north-east of Chartres.

Engelberg is a village and ski resort with a population of around 5,000 inhabitants in the teutophonic (German-speaking) Swiss canton of Obwalden and is located 549km (341 miles) south-east of Chartres.

Hof is a town with a population of around 45,500 inhabitants in the German state of Bayern and is located 782km (486 miles) north-east of Chartres.

Peebles is a town with a population of around 8,000 inhabitants in the council area of Scottish Borders and is located 863km (536 miles) north-west of Chartres.

Cantù is a town with a population of around 40,000 inhabitants in the Italian region of Lombardia and is located 654km (406 miles) south-east of Chartres.

Zandvoort is a town with a population of around 17,000 inhabitants in the Dutch province of Noord-Holland and is located 488km (303 miles) north-east of Chartres.

The Venue

Cloître Notre Dame, Cathédrale de Chartres

The games were played in the Cloître Notre Dame (Cloister of Our Lady), a very confined area outside Chartres Cathedral’s eastern side. The cathedral, known as the Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Chartres, is a Roman Catholic church designed in the Gothic and Romanesque styles, which was mostly constructed between 1194 and 1220. It stands at the site of the former cathedral which was destroyed by fire in 1194 (that having been built on the ruins of an ancient Celtic temple, later replaced by a Roman temple). Its historical and cultural importance has been recognised by its inclusion on the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites.

The cathedral has been well preserved with the majority of the original stained glass windows surviving intact, while the architecture has seen only minor changes since the early 13th century. The building's exterior is dominated by heavy flying buttresses which allowed the architects to increase the window size significantly, while the west end is dominated by two contrasting spires - a 105m (349ft) high plain pyramid completed around 1160 and a 113m (377ft) high, early 16th-century Flamboyant (a florid style of late Gothic architecture) spire on top of an older tower. Equally notable are the three great façades, each adorned with hundreds of sculpted figures illustrating key theological themes and narratives.

The stained glass windows of the cathedral were financed by guilds of merchants and craftsmen, and by wealthy noblemen, whose names appear at the bottom. It is not known how the famous and unique blue, bleu de Chartres, of the glass was created, because it has since been impossible to replicate it.

Since at least the 12th century the cathedral has been an important destination for travellers. It remains so to the present, attracting large numbers of Christian pilgrims, many of whom come to venerate its famous relic, the Sancta Camisa, said to be the tunic worn by the Virgin Mary at Christ's birth, as well as large numbers of secular tourists who come to admire the cathedral's architecture and historical merit.

While most of the sculpture of the cathedral portrayed saints, apostles and other Biblical figures, such as the angel holding a sundial on the south facade, other sculpture was designed to warn the faithful. These works include statues of assorted monsters and demons. Some of these figures, such as gargoyles, also had a practical function serving as rain spouts to project water far away from the walls. Others, like the chimera (a lion with a goat’s head emerging from its body) and the strix (a bird of ill-omen which fed on human flesh and blood), were designed to show the consequences of disregarding Biblical teachings.

In World War II (1939-1945), during the battle of Chartres in August 1944, although the city suffered heavy damage by bombing, its cathedral was spared by an American Army officer who challenged the order to destroy it. On 16th August 1944, Colonel Welborn Barton Griffith, Jr. (1901-1944) questioned the necessity of destroying the cathedral and volunteered to go behind enemy lines to find out whether the Germans were using it as an observation post. With his driver, Griffith proceeded to the cathedral and, after searching it all the way up its bell tower, confirmed to Headquarters that it was empty of Germans. The order to destroy the cathedral was withdrawn. Colonel Griffith was killed in action later on that day in the town of Lèves, 3.5km (2.2 miles) north of Chartres. For his heroic action both at Chartres and Lèves, Colonel Griffith received, posthumously, several decorations awarded by the President of the United States and the U.S. Military, and also from the French government.

The Games in Detail

Game 1 - The Monks' Vacation

The first game - ‘The Monks’ Vacation’ - was played individually over 2 minutes 15 seconds duration and witnessed France presenting their Joker for play. The game featured two male competitors from each team, equipped with an inflated dinghy, and an obstacle course comprising an incline, a set of troughs and peaks, a small pool and a 15m (49ft 2½in) conveyor belt. On the whistle, the two competitors, who were attached to the dinghy by ropes, had to traverse the first two listed obstacles and then get inside the dinghy to cross the pool. Once across, they then had to climb out and run up the conveyor belt and then hit a sack of wheat hanging above the end of the course with a sword. The team completing the game in the faster time would be declared the winners.

The first heat of this very straightforward and simple game saw the participation of Italy and they completed the course in 47 seconds.

The second heat saw the participation of Switzerland and they finished the game in 28 seconds.

The third of the six teams to participate was France and they were able to complete the course in 30 seconds.

This was followed by the fourth heat which saw the participation of Netherlands and they were not as adept as the previous two teams and finished the game in 49 seconds.

The fifth and penultimate team to participate was Belgium and, although they had a torrid time whilst executing the troughs and peaks and the conveyor belt sections, they were still able to complete the course in 58 seconds.

The sixth and final team to participate was West Germany and they completed the course, albeit with a little difficulty, in 55 seconds.

Running Scores and Positions: 1st Chartres (F) (10pts awarded / Joker / 10pts total) 2nd Engelberg (CH) (6pts / 6pts) 3rd Cantù (I) (4pts / 4pts) 4th Zandvoort (NL) (3pts / 3pts) 5th Hof (D) (2pts / 2pts) 6th Ieper (B) (1pt / 1pt) 7th Peebles (GB) (--- / 0pts)

Comments: With this venue being so small, there was not enough space for the usual number of fixed television cameras as normal. To overcome this, French broadcaster ORTF instigated a number of hand held cameras to be utilised and this provided very close-up action of the competitors, especially in this game.

Fil Rouge, Round 1 - The Stone Masons

The next game - ‘The Stone Masons’ - was the Fil Rouge and was played over one minute duration. It featured two male competitors and a 4m (13ft 1½in) long wide conveyor belt being operated by six opposing male team members on static bicycles. On the whistle, the first competitor had to pick up three polystyrene cubes (two white and one yellow) and run along the conveyor belt and hand them to a female team-mate dressed as a knight. This would then be repeated by the second competitor and then throughout until a total of three yellow cubes had been transported cleanly across the belt. The team transporting the three cubes in the faster time would be declared the winners.

The first round saw the participation of Great Britain and they had to make four runs across the belt to achieve their goal and completed the game in 33 seconds which did not appear at first glance to be a very respectable time. However, future rounds would prove the opposite to be true and it would prove to be one of the three fastest times overall.

Running Fil Rouge Standings: 1st Peebles (GB) (33 seconds)

Game 2 - The Lovers

The second game - ‘The Lovers’ - was played over two heats of two minutes duration and witnessed Belgium and West Germany presenting their Jokers for play. The game featured two competitors (one male and one female) from each team and a large set of scales. At the start of the game, the female was located adjacent to a large drum filled with water at the base of a castle tower whilst the male was located at the top adjacent to an empty drum of similar size and another filled with water. On the whistle, the female had to climb inside the drum and bail out the water inside by using a bucket whilst the male had to fill up his drum with water by the same method. The drums were connected by a pulley system on either side of the tower so that, as the weight of the water in the lower drum decreased and the weight in the upper drum increased, the female would gradually rise to her team-mate at the top of the wall. The team completing the game in the faster time would be declared the winners.

The first heat of this game saw the participation of West Germany, France and Netherlands and proved to be a very close run race with Netherlands having the edge and finishing in 54 seconds, followed by West Germany in 55 seconds and France in 1 minute 2 seconds.

The second heat featured Belgium, Switzerland and Great Britain and was executed much faster than the first with Belgium completing the game in 44 seconds, followed by Switzerland in 46 seconds and Great Britain in 51 seconds.

Running Scores and Positions: 1st Ieper (B) (12pts awarded / Joker / 13pts total) ▲ =2nd Engelberg (CH) (5pts / 11pts) =2nd Chartres (F) (1pt / 11pts) ▼ =4th Hof (D) (4pts / Joker / 6pts) ▲ =4th Zandvoort (NL) (3pts / 6pts) =6th Peebles (GB) (4pts / 4pts) ▲ =6th Cantù (I) (--- / 4pts) ▼

Fil Rouge, Round 2 - The Stone Masons

The second round of the Fil Rouge featured Italy and they had to make five runs across the belt to achieve their goal and completed the game in 34 seconds.

Running Fil Rouge Standings: 1st Peebles (GB) (33 seconds) 2nd Cantù (I) (34 seconds)

Game 3 - The Turret Builders

The third game - ‘The Turret Builders’ - was played over three heats of 2 minutes 30 seconds duration and featured the conveyor belt and pool utilised earlier in the first game and two competitors (one male and one female) from each team equipped with a chair. At the start of the game, the competitors were standing adjacent to a row of four turrets at the base of an incline leading up to a small castle. On the whistle, whilst the male competitor ran up the incline with the chair to ring a bell, the female had to run along adjacent to the game and climb a flight of seven stairs. The male then had to place the chair forward-facing on the conveyor belt and the female had to sit on it. Whilst she was transported backwards down the conveyor belt towards the pool of water, the male had to descend the incline to collect one of the turrets and then return and place it onto one of the four corners of the castle. Once completed, he then had to descend the incline again and run to the end of the conveyor belt to rescue his team-mate before she plunged into the pool. In or out of the pool, the two then had to return to the start of the conveyor belt (using the incline and stairs respectively) and repeat the game. Once all four turrets were in position and both competitors were back at the start of the conveyor belt, they had to take the chair inside the castle and the female had to sit on it. The team completing the game in the faster time would be declared the winners.

The first heat of this simple game saw the participation of Belgium and Switzerland with the latter having the edge over their rivals throughout the game. Switzerland completed the game in 1 minute 38 seconds, whilst Belgium did likewise in 1 minute 51 seconds.

The second and penultimate heat featured West Germany and Great Britain and was a completely different story to that of the first, with Great Britain struggling to keep their foothold on the incline and keep up with the fast pace of their rivals. West Germany completed the game in 1 minute 29 seconds, whilst Great Britain completed the game in 1 minute 50 seconds.

The third and final heat saw the participation of France and Italy and, although both teams had a torrid time executing the game, they were able to complete their task within the permitted time. Italy finished the game in 1 minute 51 seconds, whilst France finished in 1 minute 55 seconds.

Running Scores and Positions: =1st Ieper (B) (3pts awarded / 16pts total) =1st Engelberg (CH) (5pts / 16pts) ▲ =3rd Hof (D) (6pts / 12pts) ▲ =3rd Chartres (F) (1pt / 12pts) ▼ 5th Peebles (GB) (4pts / 8pts) ▲ 6th Cantù (I) (3pts / 7pts) 7th Zandvoort (NL) (--- / 6pts) ▼

Fil Rouge, Round 3 - The Stone Masons

The third round of the Fil Rouge featured Netherlands and, although they made nine runs across the conveyor belt, they were only able to transport one of the yellow cubes cleanly within the permitted time.

Running Fil Rouge Standings: 1st Peebles (GB) (33 seconds) 2nd Cantù (I) (34 seconds) 3rd Zandvoort (NL) (1 cube)

Game 4 - The Woodcutters and the Monkey

The fourth game - ‘The Woodcutters and the Monkey’ - was played individually over 45 seconds duration and witnessed Switzerland and Italy presenting their Jokers for play. The game featured two male competitors from each team, each equipped with a tree saw, and standing in barrels in front of a miniature wooden replica of Chartres cathedral. On the whistle, the two competitors had to work together to saw through a plank of wood which was attached to a taut rope connected to a closed water supply. Contemporaneously, an opposing male team member dressed in a monkey suit had to climb over the building from one side to the other and then back through the building to his original starting point. The monkey then had to climb a rope in order to reach a ring which when pulled would send water cascading down onto the two competitors from showerheads above. However, if the competitors were able to cut through the plank before the end of permitted time, it would release the taut rope and open the water supply and send water cascading down the side of the building and over the opposition. The game would be deemed finished when the wood had been cut through and the rope released by the competitors. The team completing the game in the faster time would be declared the winners.

The first heat of this very simple game saw the participation of Great Britain, with France in opposition, and they failed to cut through the wood within the permitted time.

The second heat saw the participation of Netherlands, with Italy in opposition, and they completed the game in 27 seconds.

The third of the six teams to participate was Switzerland, with West Germany in opposition, and they completed the game in 20 seconds.

This was followed by the fourth heat which saw the participation of West Germany, with Switzerland in opposition, and they completed the game in 42 seconds.

The fifth and penultimate team to participate was Italy, with Netherlands in opposition, and they completed the game in 31 seconds.

The sixth and final team to participate was France, with Great Britain in opposition, and they completed the game in 33 seconds.

Running Scores and Positions: 1st Engelberg (CH) (12pts awarded / Joker / 28pts total) ▲ 2nd Ieper (B) (3pts / 16pts) ▼ =3rd Chartres (F) (3pts / 15pts) =3rd Cantù (I) (8pts / Joker / 15pts) ▲ 5th Hof (D) (2pts / 14pts) ▼ 6th Zandvoort (NL) (5pts / 11pts) ▲ 7th Peebles (GB) (1pt / 9pts) ▼

Fil Rouge, Round 4 - The Stone Masons

The fourth round of the Fil Rouge featured Belgium and they made five runs across the conveyor belt and completed the game in 29 seconds.

Running Fil Rouge Standings: 1st Ieper (B) (29 seconds) 2nd Peebles (GB) (33 seconds) ▼ 3rd Cantù (I) (34 seconds) ▼ 4th Zandvoort (NL) (1 cube) ▼

Game 5 - The Cyclist and the Rickshaw

The fifth game - ‘The Cyclist and the Rickshaw’ - was played individually over 45 seconds duration and witnessed Netherlands presenting their Joker for play. The game featured a female competitor from each team on a bicycle which had off-centre hubs and three opposition male competitors with a rickshaw. At the start of the game, the rickshaw was located on a 50m (164ft) oval-shaped course with the cyclist located 10m (32ft 9¾in) behind them. On the whistle, the two opposition males had to pull the rickshaw, with their male team-mate inside, around the oval-shaped course whilst the competitor chased them in order to grab a large wooden rolling-pin hanging from the rear of the vehicle. The team that grabbed the rolling-pin in the faster time would be declared the winners.

The first team to participate in this very straightforward game was Belgium, with Netherlands in opposition, and they caught their quarry after just 15 seconds of elapsed time.

The second team to participate was West Germany, with France in opposition, and they completed the game in 21 seconds.

The third of the six heats saw the participation of Great Britain, with Italy in opposition, and following an unfortunate tumble by one of their rivals on the first bend, they were able to catch their quarry in 10 seconds.

Italy were the fourth team to participate, with Great Britain in opposition, but despite all their efforts were unable to complete the game within the permitted time.

The fifth and penultimate heat saw the participation of France, with West Germany in opposition, and they were able to complete the game, following an error by their rivals on the second bend, in just 9 seconds.

The sixth and final heat saw the participation of Netherlands, with Belgium in opposition, and despite the team playing their Joker on this game, were only able to complete the game in 20 seconds.

Running Scores and Positions: 1st Engelberg (CH) (--- awarded / 28pts total) 2nd Chartres (F) (6pts / 21pts) 3rd Ieper (B) (4pts / 20pts) ▼ 4th Zandvoort (NL) (6pts / Joker / 17pts) ▲ =5th Hof (D) (2pts / 16pts) =5th Cantù (I) (1pt / 16pts) ▼ 5th Peebles (GB) (5pts / 14pts)

Comments: With Great Britain in opposition, Italy were the only team that had to circumnavigate the course completely, doing so on three occasions. All the other teams had caught their quarries within the first circumnavigation, the furthest being on the final bend!

Fil Rouge, Round 5 - The Stone Masons

The fifth round of the Fil Rouge featured Switzerland and they made seven runs across the conveyor belt and completed the game in 46 seconds.

Running Fil Rouge Standings: 1st Ieper (B) (29 seconds) 2nd Peebles (GB) (33 seconds) 3rd Cantù (I) (34 seconds) 4th Engelberg (CH) (46 seconds) 5th Zandvoort (NL) (1 cube) ▼

Game 6 - The Campanologists

The sixth game - ‘The Campanologists’ - was played individually over 45 seconds duration and featured two male competitors from each team and a large open-sided bell tower with a pool underneath. On the whistle, the two competitors, each equipped with a hammer, had to make their way out over the pool from either side and then jump up and ring the bell with the hammer. They then had to make their way back to either of the sides and repeat the game throughout. The team ringing the greater number of bells would be declared the winners.

The first heat of this very simple and straightforward game saw the participation of Great Britain and they rang a total of 13 bells within the permitted time.

The second heat saw the participation of Italy and they were able to ring a total of 17 bells.

The third of the six teams to participate was France and they were able to ring a total of 16 bells within the permitted time.

This was followed by the fourth heat which saw the participation of Netherlands and they rang a total of 13 bells.

The fifth and penultimate team to participate was Switzerland and, within the permitted time, they were only able to ring a total of 11 bells.

The sixth and final team to participate was Belgium and they rang a total of 12 bells.

Running Scores and Positions: 1st Engelberg (CH) (1pt awarded / 29pts total) 2nd Chartres (F) (5pts / 26pts) =3rd Ieper (B) (2pts / 22pts) ▼ =3rd Cantù (I) (6pts / 22pts) ▲ 5th Zandvoort (NL) (4pts / 21pts) ▼ 6th Peebles (GB) (4pts / 18pts) ▲ 7th Hof (D) (2pts / 16pts) ▼

Fil Rouge, Round 6 - The Stone Masons

The sixth and penultimate round of the Fil Rouge featured West Germany and they made seven runs across the conveyor belt and completed the game in 51 seconds.

Running Fil Rouge Standings: 1st Ieper (B) (29 seconds) 2nd Peebles (GB) (33 seconds) 3rd Cantù (I) (34 seconds) 4th Engelberg (CH) (46 seconds) 5th Hof (D) (51 seconds) 6th Zandvoort (NL) (1 cube) ▼

Game 7 - The Archers and the Elephants

The seventh and penultimate game - ‘The Plate Spinners’ - was played individually over one minute duration and witnessed Netherlands presenting their Joker for play. The game featured six competitors (three males and three females) from each team, each equipped with a small cane and china plate, and a very narrow high-arched bridge across the pool. On the whistle, the competitors had to set the plate spinning on the tip of their cane and then cross the bridge to the other side. Once completed they had to run around the perimeter of the pool and repeat the game. Only plates spinning on canes when reaching the other side of the pool would be counted. The team collecting the greater number of plates would be declared the winners.

The first heat saw the participation of Belgium and they crossed the bridge with a total of 7 plates.

The second heat saw the participation of Netherlands and they successfully transported 10 plates across the bridge.

The third of the six teams to participate was Great Britain and they were deemed to have transported 9 plates correctly.

This was followed by the fourth heat which saw the participation of Switzerland and they crossed the bridge with 10 plates.

The fifth and penultimate team to participate was France and, despite some mishaps whilst ascending the bridge, they were still able to transport 6 plates successfully.

The sixth and final team to participate was West Germany and they crossed the bridge with a total of 9 plates.

Running Scores and Positions: 1st Engelberg (CH) (1pt awarded / 30pts total) =2nd Ieper (B) (6pts / 28pts) ▲ =2nd Cantù (I) (6pts / 28pts) ▲ 4th Chartres (F) (--- / 26pts) ▼ 5th Zandvoort (NL) (4pts / 25pts) 6th Peebles (GB) (4pts / Joker / 22pts) 7th Hof (D) (4pts / 20pts)

Fil Rouge, Round 7 - The Stone Masons

The seventh and final round of the Fil Rouge featured France and they made four runs across the conveyor belt and completed the game in 29 seconds and finished in joint 1st place on the game.

Final Fil Rouge Standings: =1st Ieper (B) (29 seconds) =1st Chartres (F) (29 seconds) 3rd Peebles (GB) (33 seconds) ▼ 4th Cantù (I) (34 seconds) ▼ 5th Engelberg (CH) (46 seconds) ▼ 6th Hof (D) (51 seconds) ▼ 7th Zandvoort (NL) (1 cube) ▼

Running Scores and Positions: 1st Ieper (B) (7pts awarded / 35pts total) ▲ =2nd Engelberg (CH) (3pts / 33pts) ▼ =2nd Chartres (F) (7pts / 33pts) ▲ 4th Cantù (I) (4pts / 32pts) ▼ 5th Peebles (GB) (5pts / 27pts) ▲ 6th Zandvoort (NL) (1pt / 26pts) ▼ 7th Hof (D) (2pts / 22pts)

Game 8 - Race of the Gargoyles

The eighth and final game - ‘Race of the Gargoyles’ - was played individually and featured three male competitors from each team dressed as devils and a large grotesque gargoyle built on a 4m (13ft 1½in) high four-legged metal frame. On the whistle, the competitors had to raise the frame off the ground and transport it down a straight 10m (32ft 9¾in) course. The team completing the course in the faster time would be declared the winners.

The first heat of this very straightforward and simple game saw the participation of Switzerland and they completed the course in 8 seconds.

The second heat saw the participation of Netherlands and they finished the game in 7 seconds.

The third of the seven teams to participate was France and they also completed the course in 7 seconds.

This was followed by the fourth heat which saw the participation of Belgium and they also finished the game in 7 seconds.

The fifth team to participate was Great Britain and, despite the team failing to lift the frame from the ground instead opting to push it along, they still completed the course in 8 seconds.

The sixth and penultimate team to participate was Italy and they also completed the course in 8 seconds.

The seventh and final team to participate was West Germany and they finished the game in 7 seconds.

Final Scores and Positions: 1st Ieper (B) (7pts awarded / 42pts total) 2nd Chartres (F) (7pts / 40pts) =2nd Engelberg (CH) (3pts / 36pts) ▼ 4th Cantù (I) (3pts / 35pts) 5th Zandvoort (NL) (7pts / 33pts) ▲ 6th Peebles (GB) (3pts / 30pts) ▼ 7th Hof (D) (7pts / 29pts)

Comments: This game saw four teams finishing in equal 1st place and scoring 7pts each whilst other three teams scored 3pts each, an occurrence which had never happened previously and one that would not occur again!

Presenters, Officials and Production Team

The staging of this heat proved to be a real challenge for French television service, ORTF. Producer and presenter Guy Lux had decided that the programme be staged in Chartres this year for two reasons. The first was that as the International Final was being staged in Paris (just 76km (47 miles) to the east of Chartres) later in the year, he wanted the production team to travel the least distance between the two events. Secondly, he wanted to play host to co-presenters Simone Garnier and Claude Savarit at his large manor house in Neuilly-sur-Seine (a suburb of Paris) instead of having them stay in hotels for the duration.

In addition to this, and as a staunch supporter of Chartres cathedral, he insisted that the games be staged as close to the building as possible. Well, the production team could not have got any closer if they had tried. The picture below clearly shows how close to the cathedral they got and how small the playing arena at this event really was. All nine games were played in the same confined space and they had very little room for manoeuvre as they erected the games and scaffolding.

The assembled audience were packed into the stairs of the cathedral (right of picture) and in the small square in Rue de Bethléem (top of picture) located to the south of Cloître Notre Dame. The small shops with their apartments above (left of picture) were also utilised for viewing the action and the blue scoreboard was located in exactly the same location as the photographer of the picture.

Records and Statistics

This was the second occasion in 47 Jeux Sans Frontières programmes (excluding 1965 and 1966 when only two teams competed in each heat) that West Germany found themselves finishing in the bottom position. Hof would be one of only three West German teams that would ever find themselves in this position, the others being Rheinbach in 1971 (31st programme) and Bad Sobernheim at the International Final of 1978 (92nd programme). An amazing record of finishing in last place on just three occasions in 110 programmes over 14 years between 1967 and 1980!

Made in Colour • This programme exists in the BBC Archives
Exists in European archives

NL

Jeux Sans Frontières 1973

Heat 4

Event Staged: Wednesday 18th July 1973
Venue: Markt, Arnhem, Netherlands

European Transmissions (Local Timings):
BRT (B): Wednesday 18th July 1973, 9.05-10.30pm (Live)
RTB (B): Wednesday 18th July 1973, 9.05-10.30pm (Live)
SSR (CH): Wednesday 18th July 1973, 9.05-10.30pm (Live)
TSI (CH): Wednesday 18th July 1973, 9.05-10.25pm (Live)
SRG (CH): Wednesday 18th July 1973, 9.05-10.25pm (Live)
WDR 1 (D): Wednesday 18th July 1973, 9.05-10.30pm (Live)
Nederland 1 (NL): Wednesday 18th July 1973, 9.05-10.20pm (Live)

RAI Due (I): Friday 20th July 1973
ORTF 2 (F): Saturday 21st July 1973 (4th)
BBC1 (GB): Friday 17th August 1973, 7.45-9.00pm

Weather Conditions: Warm and Dry

Winners' Trophy presented by: Piet Hooy, NCRV producer

Theme: On Vacation

Teams: Arlon (B) v. Châtillon (CH) v. Meinerzhagen (D) v. Guingamp (F) v.
Ely (GB) v. San Vito al Tagliamento (I) v. Ten Boer (NL)

Team Members included:
Arlon (B) - Jean-Paul Goudert;
Châtillon (CH) - Jean-Luc Cerey and Roland Eschmann;
Meinerzhagen (D) - Klaus Guthof (Co-Team Coach), Walter Haverkamp (Co-Team Coach), Martina Bockholt, Helga Braun, Peter Bundle, Reinhard Busch, Karin Erbe, Gundel Fastenrath, Joachim Gabriel, Eva Hake, Angelika Hegemann, Hans-Dieter Hoffmann, Christa Hohage, Harald Kessler, Rolf Kintea, Ingo-Werner Knothe, Rüdiger Kolb, Volker Noetzelmann, Helmut Rüßmann, Wolfgang Wilhelm, Herbert Wolff;
Ely (GB) - David Cornwell (Team Manager), Bill Oughton (Team Coach), Mike Hoare (Team Coach), Jean Milne (Team Secretary), David Allen, Colin Bent, Jackie Bradford, Kevin Brown, Colin Carter, Janis Carter, Pat Cuthbert, Barry Elsden, Martin Evans, Tony Fell, Sharon Gillies, Mike Goddard, Linda Goodwin, John Grafik, Mike Hardy, Robert Harwood, Pauline Jaggard, Jenny Linney, David Muncey, Elaine Munro, Ian Rodger, Kevin Russell, Lydia Scott, Bruce Smith, Maureen Sulman, Lynne Tanner, Mike Wilkin, Pete Wilson;
Ten Boer (NL) - Harm Jan Havinga (Team Coach), Jannes Nijboer (Team Captain), Gerard van der Deen, Elly van Dijken, Greet van Dijken-Klok, Luppo Dubben, Froukje Havinga, Enne Huinenga, Beanie van Huis, Janny van Kampen, Jaap Koenes, Anneke Moesker-Vos, Gerda Olthof, Marga Pit, Henk Reinders, Klaas Sminia, Jan de Vries, Tinus Werkman.

Games: From Airport to Hotel, The Beach Showers, Mini-Bikes and Carpets, Gathering the Edelweiss, Up in Arms…and Hands!, The Bucking Bronco, The Shower Cubicles, All Packed-Up and Homeward Bound;
Fil Rouge: Pool Hoop-la;
Jokers: Giant Ice-Cream Cornets.

Game Results and Standings

Result

 Team

Points

Final Scoreboard

1st
2nd
2nd
4th
5th
6th
7th

 GB • Ely ● ●
 CH • Châtillon ●
 D • Meinerzhagen
 NL • Ten Boer
 I • San Vito al Tagliamento
 B • Arlon
 F • Guingamp

41
38
38
37
36
30
28

Running International Final Qualifiers

Belgium (B) - Ieper (1st, 42pts)
Switzerland (CH) - Châtillon (=2nd, 38pts)
West Germany (D) - Meinerzhagen (=2nd, 38pts)
France (F) - Chartres (2nd, 40pts)

Great Britain (GB) - Ely (1st, 41pts)
Italy (I) - Senigallia (2nd, 37pts)
Netherlands (NL) - Hoogeveen (1st, 45pts)

The Host Town

Arnhem, Netherlands

Arnhem is a city with a population of around 150,000 inhabitants in the province of Gelderland. It straddles the Nederrijn river and is located 56km (35 miles) west of Winterswijk, 61km (38 miles) south of Zwolle, 88km (55 miles) north of Roermond and 98km (61 miles) east of Rotterdam.

The earliest settlement in Arnhem dates from around 1500 BC, with some traces of settlement in the inner city dating from around 700 BC. Though the early tracks of settlements did show that the early residents of Arnhem descended from the forests on the hills, Arnhem was not built on the banks of the river Rhine, but a little higher along the Sint-Jansbeek stream which today flows down from the hills of Zijpendaal through the Sonsbeek park and then into the river. Arnhem arose on the location where the road between Nijmegen and Utrecht / Zutphen split. Seven streams provided the city with water, and only when the flow of the Rhine was changed in 1530, was the city located on the river.

Arnhem was first mentioned as such in 893 AD as Arneym or Arentheym. In 1233, Count Otto II of Guelders from Zutphen, conferred city rights on the town, which until then had belonged to Prüm abbey. The city entered the Hanseatic League in 1443 and joined the Union of Utrecht during the Eighty Years’ War (1568-1648) in 1579. After its capture from the Spanish forces by Dutch and English troops in 1585, the city became part of the Republic of the Seven United Provinces of the Netherlands.

In the 19th century, Arnhem was a genteel resort town famous for its picturesque beauty. It was known as ‘het Haagje van het oosten’ (The little Hague of the East), mainly because a number of rich former sugar barons or planters from the Indies settled there, as they did in Den Haag.

The city’s main claim to fame occurred in Second World War (1939-1945), during Operation Market Garden (September 1944). The British 1st Airborne Division, under the command of Major-General Roy Urquhart (1901-1988), and the Polish 1st Independent Parachute Brigade were given the task of securing the bridge over the Nederrijn. Glider infantry and paratrooper units were landed into the area from 17th September. The bulk of the force was dropped rather far from the bridge and never met their objective. A small element of the British 1st Airborne, the 2nd Parachute Battalion under Lieutenant Colonel John D. Frost (1912-1993), managed to make its way as far as the bridge but was unable to secure both sides. The British troops encountered stiff resistance from the German 9th and 10th SS Panzer Divisions, which had been stationed in and around the city. The British force at the bridge eventually ran out of ammunition and was captured on 21st September, and a full withdrawal of the remaining forces was made on 26th September. A second battle of Arnhem took place in April 1945 when the city was finally liberated on the 16th April by the British 49th (West Riding) Infantry Division fighting as part of the First Canadian Army.

The events of the above conflict were graphically dramatized in the 1977 film A Bridge Too Far, directed by Richard Attenborough (1923-2014) and featured a plethora of famous actors including Dirk Bogarde (1921-1999), James Caan (1940-2022), Michael Caine, Sean Connery (1930-2020), Edward Fox, Elliott Gould, Gene Hackman, Anthony Hopkins, Laurence Olivier (1907-1989), Ryan O'Neal, Robert Redford and Maximilian Schell (1930-2014). However, as the area around Arnhem bridge had changed too much to represent WWII-era Arnhem, the scenes were filmed in Deventer, located 36km (23 miles) to the north-east, where a similar bridge over the IJssel river was available. As a tribute for his efforts, the rebuilt Arnhem bridge was renamed 'John Frost Bridge', in honour of the commander of the paratroopers.

The Visiting Towns

Arlon is a town with a population of around 30,000 inhabitants in the francophonic (French-speaking) Belgian province of Luxembourg and is located 256km (159 miles) south of Arnhem.

Châtillon is a village with a population of around 500 inhabitants in the francophonic (French-speaking) Swiss canton of Jura and is located 528km (328 miles) south-east of Arnhem.

Meinerzhagen is a town with a population of around 21,000 inhabitants in the German state of Nordrhein-Westfalen and is located 156km (97 miles) south-east of Arnhem.

Guingamp is a town with a population of around 7,500 inhabitants in the French region of Bretagne and is located 747km (464 miles) south-west of Arnhem.

Ely is a cathedral city with around 21,000 inhabitants in the English county of Cambridgeshire and is located 388km (241 miles) west of Arnhem.

San Vito al Tagliamento is a town with a population of around 16,000 inhabitants in the Italian region of Friuli-Venezia Giulia and is located 845km (525 miles) south-east of Arnhem.

Ten Boer is a town with a population of around 8,000 inhabitants in the Dutch province of Groningen and is located 153km (95 miles) north of Arnhem.

The Venue

Markt

The games were played on the small market place in the centre of the city. At the northern end of the Markt is Grote Kerk (or St. Eusebius Church), one of the city’s main tourist attractions. Standing at 93m (305ft 1½in) high, it was built between 1452 and 1560 and is the largest church and structure in Arnhem.

The church was extensively damaged and completely burnt out during the Second World War (1939-1945) British-German battle resulting from Operation Market Garden in 1944. Later the tower, weakened by the fire, collapsed entirely. However, following a renovation programme overseen by the Dutch architect Berend Tobia Boeyinga (1886-1969), the church was restored and part of it was reconstructed to a modern design and opened in 1964.

Officially the tower is not part of the church and is owned by the municipality. Notably the building contains an elevator that was added to the church in 1994, which allows visitors to travel to the top of the spire and view the city of Arnhem from its highest point. More intriguing perhaps, visitors can also enter the crypt at the rear of the church which contains a number of full skeletons lying in state, in the darkness of the church's crypt.

Comments: At the time of recording, the Markt was absent of any trees and the roadway comprised of random-shaped cobblestones. A massive planting programme in the late 1980s has resulted in the Markt being lined with 33 trees on its eastern and western sides today and recent developments have seen the cobbled roadway being replaced with modern rectangular mosaic stones.

The Rehearsals

The British team of Ely finished in 6th place in the dress rehearsal on Tuesday 17th July 1973, but this was not this news that grabbed the headlines in the Ely local press. Under the banner headline IT'S A REAL KNOCK-OUT IN HOLLAND, it was revealed that violence flared during the run-through when Mike Goddard, a 26-year-old chef at R.A.F. Wattisham, was punched in the mouth and trampled on by a Belgian competitor and then carried off on a stretcher. Councillor Stanley Cornwell, Chairman of the Ely Urban District Council and one of the Ely team's travelling supporters, administered first aid and said, "It's a good job I was there. I think he hurt his back quite badly." Mr Goddard later gave a statement to the press, saying, "It was definitely the Belgian bloke who did it. I suppose he got a bit tense. I was in quite a bit of pain for a while, but I think I'm alright now." After the incident, the Belgian was subsequently involved in a fight with a Swiss competitor and was disqualified from taking any further part in the competition.

In terms of their poor performance, the Ely team reported that a mock-up front door had refused to open on the 'From the Airport to the Hotel' game, and their water container had split and relegated them to 4th place on another game. They scored 28pts, well shy of the German team of Meinerzhagen who won the dress rehearsal with a total of 44pts. However, team manager David Cornwell remained confident that Ely would be victorious on the night of the recording: "If we had not had bad luck we would have won this rehearsal match as well," he said.

The Games in Detail

Game 1 - From the Airport to the Hotel

The first game - ‘From Airport to Hotel’ - was played over two heats of 2 minutes 30 seconds duration and witnessed Great Britain and Netherlands presenting their Jokers for play. The game featured three competitors (two males and one female) from each team and a life-sized foam-rubber taxi. On the whistle, the two males had to load six suitcases and a large hat box onto the roof rack of the taxi and then get inside. They then had to lift the vehicle off the ground and transport it ‘Flintstones-style’ up a 25m (82ft) course which included walking the length of a narrow podium en route. At the end of the course, they were met by the female and, working together, had to transport the cases and hat box up a greased incline and place them inside their respective hotel. Once completed, the two males then had to return to the base of the incline, get back inside the vehicle and then transport it up the incline so that its front was directly across the doorway of the hotel. The male located at the rear of the vehicle then had to climb out and descend the incline in order to collect his country ident from a touch-judge. He then had to run up the incline for a final time and place it above the hotel doorway to finish the course. The team completing the game in the faster time would be declared the winners.

The first heat of this simple, straightforward but enjoyable game saw the participation of Switzerland, West Germany and France and was played out without incident. West Germany completed the game in 1 minute 40 seconds, followed by France in 1 minute 45 seconds and Switzerland in 1 minute 52 seconds.

The second heat, featuring Great Britain, Italy and Netherlands, was not as straightforward as the first and began with a false start from Great Britain. Following the restart, whilst the other two teams loaded their taxis and set off up the course, Great Britain had not realised that one of their cases was still sitting on the ground in front of the vehicle and they set off without it. As they traversed the course, the case went underneath the front of the vehicle and inside. The team, realising their error, stopped immediately and placed the case on top of the roof rack and then restarted. However, although this error had cost them valuable seconds, the referees did not penalise the team. Italy and Netherlands had, by this time, already reached the base of the incline and had started unloading the luggage. By the time Great Britain had reached the incline, the other two were almost in the process of transporting their vehicles up the incline. Fortunately for Great Britain, both were experiencing difficulties in doing so, with Italy inadvertently placing one of Netherlands cases into their hotel, which resulted in them having to make an additional journey up the incline, and causing Netherlands to believe that all their cases had been stored in the hotel only to find it being thrown back down the incline by their rivals! These errors permitted Great Britain to close the deficit and finish the game ahead of both of them in 1 minute 46 seconds, with Netherlands completing the game in 1 minute 52 seconds and Italy in 1 minute 58 seconds.

Running Scores and Positions: 1st Ely (GB) (8pts awarded / Joker / 8pts total) =2nd Meinerzhagen (D) (6pts / 6pts) =2nd Ten Boer (NL) (6pts / Joker / 6pts) 4th Guingamp (F) (5pts / 5pts) 5th Châtillon (CH) (3pts / 3pts) 6th San Vito al Tagliamento (I) (1pt / 1pt) 7th Arlon (B) (--- / 0pts)

Fil Rouge, Round 1 - Pool Hoop-la

The next game - ‘Pool Hoop-la’ - was the Fil Rouge and was played over 1 minute 30 seconds duration. It featured a male competitor standing on a greased platform overhanging a large pool and six opposing male team members standing on a set of rollers. On the opposite side of the pool were a set of five poles valued 1pt to 5pts. On the whistle, the competitor was thrown large hoop-la rings (in reality painted bicycle tyres) from a female team-mate, which he had to toss across the pool at the targets. After 15 seconds of elapsed time, a second whistle was sounded and the opposition had to run on the rollers in order to raise the back of the incline and lower the front into the pool. The competitor had to score as many points as possible before tumbling into the pool and stopping the game. The team scoring the greater number of points on the hoop-la would be declared the winners.

The first round saw the participation of Belgium and they remained on the platform for 36 seconds before tumbling into the pool but failed to score with any of the rings thrown. Although shown as 'leading' on the scoreboard with a 0:00 score, the team would be doomed to finish in 7th place on the game.

Running Fil Rouge Standings: 7th Arlon (B) (0:00)

Game 2 - The Beach Showers

The second game - ‘The Beach Showers’ - was played over two heats of 1 minute 30 seconds duration and witnessed West Germany presenting their Joker for play. The game featured three male competitors from each team and a large shower head above and slightly to the left of a small inclined carousel. On the whistle, the first competitor had to climb on to the carousel and collect water in a bucket from the shower above. With the carousel being inclined, the weight of the competitor would naturally result in it revolving downwards and causing the competitor to drop to the ground. Any water collected then had to be poured into a barrel. The second competitor would then repeat the process followed by the third competitor and this would continue throughout until the end of permitted time. The team collecting the greater volume of water would be declared the winners.

The first heat of this straightforward and uneventful game saw the participation of West Germany, France and Netherlands and ended with West Germany and Netherlands each collecting 16cm (6¼in) of water and France collecting 8.5cm (3¼in) of water.

The second heat featured Belgium, Great Britain and Italy and ended with Great Britain collecting 17.5cm (7in) of water, Belgium collecting 15.5cm (6in) of water and Italy collecting 15cm (5¾in) of water.

Running Scores and Positions: 1st Meinerzhagen (D) (10pts awarded / Joker / 16pts total) ▲ 2nd Ely (GB) (6pts / 14pts) ▼ 3rd Ten Boer (NL) (5pts / 11pts) ▼ 4th Guingamp (F) (1pt / 6pts) =5th Arlon (B) (3pts / 3pts) ▲ =5th Châtillon (CH) (--- / 3pts) =5th San Vito al Tagliamento (I) (2pts / 3pts) ▲

Fil Rouge, Round 2 - Pool Hoop-la

The second round of the Fil Rouge featured Switzerland and they remained on the platform for 44 seconds before tumbling into the pool. As was the case with the preceding team, they had also failed to score.

Running Fil Rouge Standings: =7th Arlon (B) (0:00) =7th Châtillon (CH) (0:00)

Game 3 - Mini-Bikes and Carpets

The third game - ‘Mini-Bikes and Carpets’ - was played over two heats of 1 minute 30 seconds duration and featured two competitors (one male and one female) from each team wearing flippers on their feet and sitting on mini-bicycles. On the whistle, the competitors had to cycle down to the end of the 30m (98ft 5¼in) course and climb inside a caterpillar-track carpet. They then had to walk back up the course bringing the carpet from back to front over their heads whilst remaining inside. The team completing the game in the faster time would be declared the winners.

The first heat of this simple and uneventful game saw the participation of France, Great Britain and Netherlands and ended with Great Britain finishing in 59 seconds, France finishing in 1 minute 3 seconds and Netherlands finishing in 1 minute 9 seconds.

The second heat featured Belgium, Switzerland and Italy and saw Belgium complete the game in 46 seconds, followed by Switzerland in 1 minute 1 second and Italy in 1 minute 3 seconds.

Running Scores and Positions: 1st Ely (GB) (5pts awarded / 19pts total) ▲ 2nd Meinerzhagen (D) (--- / 16pts) ▼ 3rd Ten Boer (NL) (1pt / 12pts) =4th Guingamp (F) (3pts / 9pts) =4th Arlon (B) (6pts / 9pts) ▲ 6th Châtillon (CH) (4pts / 7pts) ▼ 7th San Vito al Tagliamento (I) (3pts / 6pts) ▼

Comments: The mini-bikes utilised in this game were originally used during the 1971-1972 series of Zeskamp when the programme was staged at the city’s Rijnhal.

Fil Rouge, Round 3 - Pool Hoop-la

The third round of the Fil Rouge featured West Germany and they remained on the platform for 37 seconds before tumbling into the pool and scored 2pts from one of the rings thrown.

Running Fil Rouge Standings: 1st Meinerzhagen (D) (2) =7th Arlon (B) (0:00) =7th Châtillon (CH) (0:00)

Game 4 - Gathering the Edelweiss

The fourth game - ‘Gathering the Edelweiss’ - was played in unison and featured a male competitor from each team dressed as a hiker, wearing lederhosen, and a very large pillow-shaped dirigible, above which five edelweiss stalks were hanging from the seat of a chair-lift. On the whistle, the six competitors had to mount the dirigible and climb to the centre and grab one of the flowers and return to the ground and stand on a finishing podium. The team failing to secure one of the edelweiss would be eliminated. The game would then be repeated with the remaining five competitors vying for four edelweiss and so on. The team remaining in play would be declared the winners.

Although this was a very straightforward game, it began with a rather strange outcome. In the first heat, there were only five flowers to grab at but each of the six competitors appeared on the finishing podium with a flower. On closer inspection by the judges, although Italy had finished in 1st place and West Germany had finished in 4th place, both of them were only in possession of part of a flower. Whilst Italy had the flower head, West Germany had the stalk. Referee Gennaro Olivieri explained that both the teams would have to play again for a single flower. It was a matter of déjà vu on the re-run with Italy again winning out and seeing West Germany eliminated.

The second heat saw the elimination of Great Britain after their competitor arrived on the podium with just two petals from the flower that was eventually grabbed by Netherlands.

This was followed by the third heat which saw the elimination of Switzerland after their competitor failed to reach the top of the dirigible before all the flowers had already been grabbed.

The fourth heat saw the elimination of Belgium after failing to overcome Netherlands for the remaining flower of the two (Italy having already grabbed the first).

The final heat saw Italy overcome Netherlands for the one flower in play.

Running Scores and Positions: 1st Ely (GB) (2pts awarded / 21pts total) =2nd Meinerzhagen (D) (1pt / 17pts) =2nd Ten Boer (NL) (5pts / 17pts) ▲ 4th Arlon (B) (4pts / 13pts) 5th San Vito al Tagliamento (I) (6pts / 12pts) ▲ 6th Châtillon (CH) (3pts / 10pts) 7th Guingamp (F) (--- / 9pts) ▼

Comments: Nobody could argue that Italy were the deserved winners of this game as their competitor was the winner (the first to grab the first flower) in four out of the five heats and the re-run too!

Fil Rouge, Round 4 - Pool Hoop-la

The fourth round of the Fil Rouge featured France and they remained on the platform for 36 seconds before tumbling into the pool and scored 4pts from one of the rings thrown.

Running Fil Rouge Standings: 1st Guingamp (F) (4) 2nd Meinerzhagen (D) (2) ▼ =7th Arlon (B) (0:00) =7th Châtillon (CH) (0:00)

Game 5 - Up in Arms... and Hands!

The fifth game - ‘Up in Arms…and Hands!’ - was played individually over one minute duration and witnessed Belgium presenting their Joker for play. The game featured six competitors (three males and three females) from each team equipped with pairs of elongated foam-rubber arms and standing on adjacent podia equidistant to each other. On the whistle, the first competitor had to use the hands on the elongated arms to pick up one of 20 beach balls from a large basket in front of him. He then had to turn 180° and pass the ball to the second competitor who then had to repeat the process with the third competitor who would then pass it to the fourth, then likewise to the fifth and then to the sixth competitor. The final competitor then had to turn 180° and place the ball into an empty basket at the end of the course. After the ball had been passed from the first to the second competitors, the first competitor then had to repeat the game so that there would be a constant flow of beach balls being passed. Any balls that were dropped during its passage would be deemed null and void. The teams could choose on which podium each competitor stood but the rules stipulated that the first had to be male and the final one had to be a female. The team collecting three balls in the basket in the faster time would be declared the winners.

The first heat of this simple but enjoyable game saw the participation of France and they opted for a male, female, male, female, male, female line-up but as they began to play it appeared that the first competitor was experiencing difficulty in picking up the balls from the basket. Although the team continued to play on, the game was stopped after 38 seconds of elapsed time when the referees realised that the number of balls contained in the basket had only totalled twelve instead of twenty and that the basket was actually further away from the competitor than it should have been. A new ‘full’ basket was requested and placed in the correct position and the game was restarted from the beginning. On the re-run, the team transported the first ball after 18 seconds, the second ball after 26 seconds and they completed the game in 41 seconds.

The second heat saw the participation of Switzerland and they opted for a male, female, female, male, male, female line-up and they transported balls after 18 and 25 seconds respectively and finished the game in 31 seconds.

The third of the six teams to participate was Italy and they opted for the same line-up as France in the first heat and they transported their first ball after 18 seconds, their second ball after 26 seconds and they completed the game in 31 seconds also.

This was followed by the fourth heat which saw the participation of West Germany and they also opted for same starting line-up as France and transported their first ball after 16 seconds of elapsed time, their second after 21 seconds and finished the game in just 27 seconds.

The fifth and penultimate team to participate was Netherlands and they opted for a three males and three females line-up and transported the first ball after 16 seconds, the second ball after 21 seconds and they completed the game (after two mishaps by the final female competitor) in 45 seconds.

The sixth and final team to participate was Belgium and their line-up was the same as that of France, Italy and West Germany and they deposited their first ball into the basket after 19 seconds, their second after 25 seconds and finished the game in 32 seconds.

Running Scores and Positions: 1st Meinerzhagen (D) (6pts awarded / 23pts total) ▲ 2nd Ely (GB) (--- / 21pts) ▼ 3rd Arlon (B) (6pts / Joker / 19pts) ▲ 4th Ten Boer (NL) (1pt / 18pts) ▼ 5th San Vito al Tagliamento (I) (5pts / 17pts) 6th Châtillon (CH) (5pts / 15pts) 7th Guingamp (F) (2pts / 11pts)

Fil Rouge, Round 5 - Pool Hoop-la

The fifth round of the Fil Rouge featured Great Britain and they remained on the platform for 38 seconds before tumbling into the pool and scored a total of 6pts (4pts + 2pts) from two of the rings thrown.

Running Fil Rouge Standings: 1st Ely (GB) (6) 2nd Guingamp (F) (4) ▼ 3rd Meinerzhagen (D) (2) ▼ =7th Arlon (B) (0:00) =7th Châtillon (CH) (0:00)

Game 6 - The Bucking Bronco

The sixth game - ‘The Bucking Bronco’ - was played individually and witnessed France presenting their Joker for play. The game featured a male competitor from each team dressed as a cowboy sitting on a rodeo horse mounted on a scaffold pole which protruded out over a pool. On the whistle, two opposing male competitors had to release the pole from its latched position and send the horse downwards into the pool. The competitor had to hold his ‘bucking’ position on the horse, without falling off and into the water. If the competitor remained intact on the horse, the opposition would have to raise the horse up and repeat the game. The team holding their position for the greater time would be declared the winners.

The first team to participate in this very straightforward game was Great Britain, with Belgium in opposition, and they remained on the horse for just one drop and were deemed to have lasted for 2 seconds.

The second team to participate was Belgium, with Netherlands in opposition, and they remained on the horse for two drops and lasted for 7 seconds.

The remaining four teams Netherlands (with Switzerland in opposition), Switzerland (with West Germany in opposition), West Germany (with France in opposition) and France (with Great Britain in opposition), all failed to remain on the horse for more than one drop and were all deemed to have lasted for 2 seconds.

Running Scores and Positions: 1st Meinerzhagen (D) (5pts awarded / 28pts total) 2nd Ely (GB) (5pts / 26pts) 3rd Arlon (B) (6pts / 25pts) 4th Ten Boer (NL) (5pts / 23pts) 5th Guingamp (F) (10pts / Joker / 21pts) ▲ 6th Châtillon (CH) (5pts / 20pts) 7th San Vito al Tagliamento (I) (--- / 17pts) ▼

Comments: The title of this game should perhaps have been ‘The Bronco Dip’ as it was one of the quickest (if not the quickest of all) games to have been played in Jeux Sans Frontières history. The actual total time taken for all six teams to participate was just 17 seconds! All times taken by the teams (except one) are stated above as ‘deemed as’. This is due to the fact that the five teams that were given a time of 2 seconds only remained on the horse, in reality, between 0.8 and 1.3 seconds! France were very fortunate when opting to select this as their Joker game. With their competitor lasting for just 2 seconds (0.9 seconds in reality), they would have been guaranteed a miserable 2pts with this performance under normal circumstances. However, with four other teams all remaining intact for the same short time, the team were given a joint 2nd placing on the game and awarded a very lucky 10pts!

Fil Rouge, Round 6 - Pool Hoop-la

The sixth and penultimate round of the Fil Rouge featured Italy and they remained on the platform for 41 seconds before tumbling into the pool and scored 4pts from one of the rings thrown.

Running Fil Rouge Standings: 1st Ely (GB) (6) =2nd Guingamp (F) (4) =2nd San Vito al Tagliamento (I) (4) 4th Meinerzhagen (D) (2) ▼ =7th Arlon (B) (0:00) =7th Châtillon (CH) (0:00)

Comments: Italy were the only team not to hold 1st place (jointly or otherwise) according to the scoreboard in this game following their participation.

Game 7 - The Shower Cubicles

The seventh and penultimate game - ‘The Shower Cubicles’ - was played over two heats of two minutes duration and witnessed Switzerland and Italy presenting their Jokers for play. The game featured four competitors (two males and two females) from each team wearing cycling helmets with buckets attached. At the start of the game, two of the competitors (one male and one female) wearing flip-flops on their feet were standing underneath a very large faucet at one end of the 30m (98ft 5¼in) course whilst their two team-mates were located halfway down its length. On the whistle, either of the two competitors at the start had to use a pump handle in order to create a flow of water and fill the bucket. They then had to run down the course to meet their team-mates and then pour the water into the bucket on the head of either of them. This competitor (male or female, dependant on choice) then had to run to the end of the course and climb a ladder in order to pour the contents of the bucket into a barrel located on the roof of a shower cubicle. Contemporaneously, the second competitor at the start had to repeat the game, pouring the contents into the bucket of the other team-mate who would then repeat their part of the game. This process would continue until the weight of the water in the barrel triggered the door of the cubicle to swing open and cause the shower to start spraying water inside. Once executed, all four competitors then had to run to the end of the course and get inside the cubicle and close the door to finish the game. The team completing the game in the faster time would be declared the winners.

The first heat saw the participation of Belgium, Switzerland and Italy and was a close-run race with Italy completing the game in 1 minute 19 seconds, followed by Belgium in 1 minute 31 seconds and Switzerland in 1 minute 38 seconds. However, the Swiss team appeared to be somewhat peeved with the result and began a protest but, for the time being, it fell on deaf ears.

The second heat featured West Germany, France and Great Britain and whilst the latter had collected a great deal more water than the other teams, the door of their cubicle refused to open and looks of despair could clearly be seen on the faces of the Great Britain competitors. The final whistle was sounded and it appeared that they would finish in third place on this heat. However, with Great Britain and Switzerland having both used the same cubicle in the middle lane, the protest raised by Switzerland earlier was finally upheld. Referee Gennaro Olivieri explained that there had been a problem with the door mechanism and both teams would be given a re-run using the outside lanes. Before this occurred, the result of the other two teams were announced and West Germany had completed the game in 1 minute 19 seconds, followed by France in 1 minute 41 seconds.

The rerun proved that the decision to uphold the protests was vindicated with both teams having faster times than the other four. Switzerland completed the game in 1 minute 11 seconds and Great Britain in 1 minute 12 seconds.

Running Scores and Positions: =1st Châtillon (CH) (12pts awarded / Joker / 32pts total) ▲ =1st Meinerzhagen (D) (4pts / 32pts) 3rd Ely (GB) (5pts / 31pts) ▼ 4th Arlon (B) (2pts / 27pts) ▼ 5th San Vito al Tagliamento (I) (8pts / Joker / 25pts) ▲ 6th Ten Boer (NL) (--- / 23pts) ▼ 7th Guingamp (F) (1pt / 22pts) ▼

Fil Rouge, Round 7 - Pool Hoop-la

The seventh and final round of the Fil Rouge featured Netherlands and they remained on the platform for 41 seconds before tumbling into the pool and scored a total of 11pts (2pts + 5pts + 4pts) from three of the rings thrown and finished in 1st place on the game.

Final Fil Rouge Standings: 1st Ten Boer (NL) (11) 2nd Ely (GB) (6) ▼ =3rd Guingamp (F) (4) ▼ =3rd San Vito al Tagliamento (I) (4) ▼ 5th Meinerzhagen (D) (2) ▼ =7th Arlon (B) (0:00) =7th Châtillon (CH) (0:00)

Running Scores and Positions: 1st Ely (GB) (6pts awarded / 37pts total) ▲ 2nd Meinerzhagen (D) (3pts / 35pts) ▼ 3rd Châtillon (CH) (1pt / 33pts) ▼ =4th San Vito al Tagliamento (I) (5pts / 30pts) ▲ =4th Ten Boer (NL) (7pts / 30pts) ▲ 6th Arlon (B) (1pt / 28pts) ▼ 7th Guingamp (F) (5pts / 27pts)

Comments: The scoreboard suffered a glitch after awarding Italy’s points following the Fil Rouge result. Instead of adding 5pts to their score, it deducted all their score to show zero points (in reality it was 30pts), but as the current positions were displayed the team’s correct position was shown!

Game 8 - All Packed-Up and Homeward Bound

The eighth and final game - ‘All Packed-Up and Homeward Bound’ - was played in unison over four rounds and featured six competitors (four males and two females) from each team dressed in foam rubber hiker costumes, hitched together by ropes and each manacled at the ankles. On the whistle, the competitors had to negotiate a simple 30m (98ft 5¼in) long obstacle course comprising three rose climbing arches, a podium of four peaks and three troughs and a foam rubber carpet and then cross the finish line. Each subsequent round would be played in the opposite direction to its predecessor. At the end of each of the first two rounds, the trailing two teams would be eliminated with the final two rounds seeing the trailing team eliminated and thus leaving a victor. The team remaining in play at the end of the fourth round would be declared the winners.

The first round of this very straightforward game saw the elimination of France in 7th place and Belgium in 6th place.

The second of the four rounds saw the elimination of West Germany in 5th place and Great Britain in 4th place.

The third and penultimate round saw the elimination of Switzerland in 3rd place.

The fourth and final round saw Netherlands triumph over Italy to secure their second consecutive victory.

Final Scores and Positions: 1st Ely (GB) (4pts awarded / 41pts total) =2nd Châtillon (CH) (5pts / 38pts) ▲ =2nd Meinerzhagen (D) (3pts / 38pts) 4th Ten Boer (NL) (7pts / 37pts) 5th San Vito al Tagliamento (I) (6pts / 36pts) ▼ 6th Arlon (B) (2pts / 30pts) 7th Guingamp (F) (1pt / 28pts)

Comments: Before this game, Great Britain were leading West Germany by 2pts and Switzerland by 4pts and just needed to finish in the top three places on the game to guarantee outright victory, should either of the other two teams win the game. This remained the case after the first round with the elimination of France and Belgium, but as events unfolded in the second round with both West Germany and Great Britain being eliminated in fifth and fourth places respectively, outright victory had already been secured with 41pts, as Switzerland could now mathematically only score a maximum of 40pts.

Music Played During this Event

Introductory Film -
Du Spielst 'ne Tolle Rolle (Hans Carste),
played live by Crescent City Jazz Band of Helmond

Team Introductions -
When the Saints Go Marching In (Trad.),
played live by Crescent City Jazz Band of Helmond

Additional Information

As had also been the case in 1972, the city of Gouda was seriously considered as the venue for the 1973 Dutch International Heat. However, as then, the producers were forced to choose another location - in this case, Arnhem - as the playing surface in Gouda's market square was found to be too uneven. Faced with the choice of either losing Jeux Sans Frontières or hosting it and being faced with the significant additional expense of repaving the Markt, the Gouda city council decided against the games coming to their city.

After the opening credits of this heat, the introductory film of Arnhem was shown to the strains of Du Spielst 'ne Tolle Rolle (You Play a Great Role) written by German composer Hans Carste (1909-1971). The song was later given English lyrics by American Charles Tobias (1898-1970) with the title Those Lazy, Hazy, Crazy Days of Summer.

As the credits rolled at the end of the contest, three Dutch street artists, using the Crescent City Jazz Band’s music, mimed a barrel organ complete with wind-up mechanism, robotic movements, clogs and hammers. Quite impressive!

The Swiss team of Châtillon became the smallest town or village ever to participate in the programme, with a population of a mere 350 people.

This heat cost an estimated 120,000 Dutch guilders to stage. All the props and banners for this International Heat were made in Hilversum.

Made in Colour • This programme does not exist in the BBC Archives
Exists in European archives

GB

Jeux Sans Frontières 1973

Heat 5

Event Staged: Wednesday 1st August 1973
Venue: Durdham Down, Clifton, Bristol, Great Britain

European Transmissions (Local Timings):
BRT (B): Wednesday 1st August 1973, 9.05-10.30pm (Live)
RTB (B): Wednesday 1st August 1973, 9.05-10.30pm (Live)
SSR (CH): Wednesday 1st August 1973, 9.05-10.30pm (Live)
TSI (CH): Wednesday 1st August 1973, 9.05-10.20pm (Live)
SRG (CH): Wednesday 1st August 1973, 9.05-10.25pm (Live)
WDR 1 (D): Wednesday 1st August 1973, 9.05-10.50pm (Live)
Nederland 2 (NL): Wednesday 1st August 1973, 9.05-10.25pm (Live)

RAI Due (I): Thursday 2nd August 1973
BBC1 (GB): Friday 24th August 1973, 7.45-9.00pm
ORTF 2 (F): Saturday 25th August 1973 (5th)

Weather Conditions: Warm and Dry

Winners' Trophy presented by: Eddie Waring

Theme: Medieval Life

Teams: Koekelberg (B) v. Sargans (CH) v. Marburg an der Lahn (D) v. Cognac (F) v.
Blyth (GB) v. Chieri (I) v. Kapelle (Zuid Beveland) (NL)

Team Members included:
Koekelberg (B) - Yves Cabiere, Anne Pouissens;
Sargans (CH) - Patrice Capell;
Marburg an der Lahn (D) - Karl Blokk (Team Coach), Ulrich Becker, Yutte Braun-Elvett, Karl Finger, Reiner Flanten, Otto Geitz, Ludwig Gleichmann, Walter Jung, Werner Kermann, Karl-Heinz Kuhn, Rolf Michel, Otto Muller, Barbel Peters, Klaus Reitsel, Otto Schrittner, Eva Spalmann;
Blyth (GB) - Brian Attwood (Team Manager), Albert Grant (Men’s Team Coach), Pamela Brown (Women's Team Coach), Walter Appleby, George Armstrong, Henry Armstrong, Sheila Bates, Maureen Bland, Tom Brooks, David Brown, David Campbell, Adrian Cartie, David Cordes, Anne Finlay, Peter Ferry, Maria Johnson, Christine Lambert, John Logan, Anne McCabe, Ann Marley, Jimmy Norris, Jennifer Orton, Philip Pearson, Alan Peel, Janet Roberts, Alan Robson, Alison Roper, Michael Simpson, Jimmy Smith, Ian Thompson, Arthur Thurban, Tim Viard, Julie Wilson;
Chieri (I) - Antonio Cavalero, Ezio Montessino, Marco Pennatti;
Kapelle (Zuid Beveland) (NL) - Piet Koster (Team Coach / Team Captain), Hans Ganseman, Jan van Houden, Gerard de Jong, André Jousse, Jaap Moelker, Ade de Schieper.

Games: Firing the Cannons, The Faggot Carts, The Chefs' Eggs, Escape from the Dungeon, Feeding the Prisoners, The Trainer and the Bear, The Coopers’ Barrels and The Chariot Race;
Fil Rouge: The Court Jesters;
Jokers: Human Jokers.

Game Results and Standings

Result

 Team

Points

Final Scoreboard

1st
2nd
3rd
4th
5th
6th
7th

 D • Marburg an der Lahn ● ●
 F • Cognac
 GB • Blyth
 B • Koekelberg
 CH • Sargans
 NL • Kapelle (Zuid Beveland)
 I • Chieri

47
38
37
33
29
26
18

Running International Final Qualifiers

Belgium (B) - Ieper (1st, 42pts)
Switzerland (CH) - Châtillon (=2nd, 38pts)
West Germany (D) - Marburg an der Lahn (1st, 47pts)
France (F) - Chartres (2nd, 40pts)

Great Britain (GB) - Ely (1st, 41pts)
Italy (I) - Senigallia (2nd, 37pts)
Netherlands (NL) - Hoogeveen (1st, 45pts)

The Host Town

Bristol, Great Britain

Bristol is a city, with a population of around 460,000 inhabitants, in the English county of the same name. It is located on the River Avon, 93km (58 miles) north of Weymouth, 140km (87 miles) south of Shrewsbury, 171km (106 miles) west of London and 42km (26 miles) east of Cardiff / Caerdydd, across the Severn estuary, in south Wales.

The most ancient recorded name for Bristol is the archaic Welsh Caer Odor (the fort on the chasm), which is consistent with modern understanding that early Bristol developed between the River Frome and Avon Gorge. The Old English form Brycgstow is commonly used to derive the meaning ‘place at the bridge’.

Bristol was founded around 1000 and by about 1020, it was already a trading centre with its own mint producing silver pennies bearing its name. By 1067, it was a well-fortified settlement, and in that year the townsmen beat off a raiding party from Ireland led by three sons of Harold Godwinson (1022-1066). Under Norman rule, the town had one of the strongest castles in southern England.

Bristol received a royal charter in 1155 and was historically divided between Gloucestershire and Somerset until 1373 when the town incorporated neighbouring suburbs and became a county in the same year, the first town in England to be given this status. During this period, Bristol became a shipbuilding and manufacturing centre. By the 14th century, Bristol, York and Norwich were England's largest medieval towns after London. One-third to one-half of the population died during the Black Death (1348-1349) which checked population growth, and its population remained between 10,000 and 12,000 for most of the 15th and 16th centuries.

During the 15th century, Bristol was the second-most important port in the country, trading with Ireland, Iceland and Gascony (most of modern-day regions Nouvelle-Aquitaine and Occitanie). It was the starting point for many voyages, including Robert Sturmy's unsuccessful attempt to break the Italian monopoly of Eastern Mediterranean trade (1457-58). New exploration voyages were launched by Venetian John Cabot (1450-1500) who in 1497 made landfall in North America. A voyage in 1499, led by merchant William Weston (1445-1505) of Bristol, was the first expedition commanded by an Englishman to North America.

Growth of the city and trade came with the rise of England's American colonies in the 17th century. Bristol's location on the west side of Great Britain gave its ships an advantage in sailing to and from the New World, and the city's merchants made the most of it. The 18th century saw an expansion of England's role in the Atlantic trade in Africans taken for slavery to the Americas. Bristol and Liverpool became centres of the Triangular Trade. In the first side of the slavery triangle, manufactured goods were shipped to West Africa and exchanged for Africans; the enslaved captives were transported across the Atlantic to the Americas in the Middle Passage under brutal conditions. In the third side of the triangle, plantation goods such as sugar, tobacco, rum, rice, cotton and a few slaves (sold to the aristocracy as house servants) returned across the Atlantic.

Image © Alys Hayes, 2021

The city is heavily associated with Victorian engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel (1806-1859) who designed the Great Western Railway between Bristol and London Paddington, two pioneering Bristol-built ocean-going steamships (SS Great Britain and SS Great Western) and the Clifton Suspension Bridge.

From a population of about 330,000 in 1901, Bristol grew steadily during the 20th century, peaking at 428,089 in 1971. Its Avonmouth docklands were enlarged during the early 1900s by the Royal Edward Dock. Another new dock, the Royal Portbury Dock, opened across the river from Avonmouth during the 1970s. As air travel grew in the first half of the century, aircraft manufacturers built factories here.

Bristol was heavily damaged by Luftwaffe raids during World War II. Around 1,300 people living or working in the city were killed and nearly 100,000 buildings were damaged, at least 3,000 beyond repair. The rebuilding of Bristol city centre was characterised by 1960s and 1970s skyscrapers, mid-century modern architecture and road improvements. Bristol's road infrastructure changed dramatically during the 1960s and 1970s with the development of the M4 and M5 motorways, which meet at the Almondsbury Interchange just north of the city and link Bristol with London (M4 eastbound), Swansea (M4 westbound across the Severn Estuary), Exeter (M5 southbound) and Birmingham (M5 northbound).

The Visiting Towns

Koekelberg is a francophonic / néerlandophonic (French / Dutch-speaking) municipality of Bruxelles / Brussels with a population of around 22,000 inhabitants and is located 303 miles (488km) east of Bristol.

Sargans is a city with a population of around 39,000 inhabitants in the teutophonic (German-speaking) Swiss canton of Sankt-Gallen and is located 622 miles (1,001km) south-east of Bristol.

Marburg an der Lahn is a university city with a population of around 74,000 inhabitants in the German state of Hessen and is located 494 miles (795 km) east of Bristol.

Cognac is a town with a population of around 20,000 inhabitants in the French region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine and is located 412 miles (663km) south of Bristol.

Blyth is a town with a population of around 38,000 inhabitants in the English county of Northumberland and is located 258 miles (416km) north-east of Bristol.

Chieri is a town with a population of around 37,000 inhabitants in the Italian region of Piemonte and is located 654 miles (1,053km) south-east of Bristol.

Kapelle (Zuid Beveland) is a town with a population of around 13,000 inhabitants in the Dutch province of Zeeland and is located 282 miles (454km) east of Bristol.

The Venue

Durdham Down

The games were played on Durdham Down, an area of public open space, lying north of Stoke Road. With its neighbour Clifton Down to the south-west, it constitutes a 1.6 km² (400-acre) area known as The Downs, much used for leisure including walking, jogging and team sports. Its exposed position makes it particularly suitable for kite flying.

An Anglo-Saxon charter of AD 883 granted grazing rights over part of Durdham Down. The down was the commons of pasture for the manor of Henbury during the Middle Ages. In 1643 and 1645, during the English Civil War (1642-1651), Royalist and Parliamentarian armies assembled on the down.

In 1857, concerned by Victorian-built houses encroaching on the open space as the city expanded, the Bristol Corporation acquired commoners' rights on the downs, and exercised them the following year by grazing sheep. In 1861, Durdham Down itself was bought by the City from the Lords of the Manor of Henbury for £15,000 via an Act of Parliament. Grazing on the down declined during the 19th century, and finally ceased in 1925. The Down features clumps of scrubby hawthorns, avenues of massive horse-chestnuts, flat swathes of grass and the elegant bordering of Victorian houses.

The ‘Seven Sisters’ were a group of pine trees on Durdham Down. A number of the trees have been lost over the years - notably in the 1990 Burns' Day storm - leaving just three survivors. Replacement trees in the group have been vandalised, so an entirely new group of seven has been planted nearby.

The White Tree roundabout is a road junction on Durdham Down. The roundabout was constructed in the 1950s, but the name appears to date back to the 19th century. For a short period in 1908, the White Tree was the terminus of the tram, before it was extended to Westbury. There have been several white trees at the junction, either a silver birch or a tree with a trunk painted white. One white tree was demolished to make way for the roundabout. Another white tree was cut down during the 1970s outbreak of Dutch elm disease.

The Games in Detail

Introduction

In his opening introductions, British commentator Stuart Hall stated to the assembled audience and viewers at home that, although Jokers were played in the International competition, this would be the first time in Jeux Sans Frontières history that there would be real-life Jokers. He was referring to the human Jokers and not the standard of competitors!

Game 1 - Firing the Cannons

The first game - ‘Firing the Cannons’ - was played in unison over 2 minutes 30 seconds duration and witnessed Belgium and West Germany presenting their Jokers for play. The game featured four male competitors from each team and a large cannon. On the whistle, the competitors had to run halfway up the 30.8m (100ft) course to a capstan which was connected to a castle drawbridge by rope. They then had to work together and turn the capstan in order to reel in the rope and lower the drawbridge. Once executed, they then had to run the remainder of the course and enter the castle to collect the base of the cannon and push it down the course to the capstan. They then had to run back up the course and through the drawbridge for a second time to collect the barrel of the cannon. Finally, they had to carry it back and place it on the cart which would ultimately set of an explosion. The team completing the game in the faster time would be declared the winners.

This was a straightforward and uneventful game which was dominated by West Germany throughout and they completed the course in 54 seconds followed by Great Britain in exactly one minute and Netherlands in 1 minute 1 second. The fourth team to finish was Belgium in 1 minute 7 seconds followed by France in 1 minute 13 seconds and Switzerland in 1 minute 17 seconds.

Running Scores and Positions: 1st Marburg an der Lahn (D) (12pts awarded / Joker / 12pts total) 2nd Koekelberg (B) (6pts / Joker / 6pts) 3rd Blyth (GB) (5pts / 5pts) 4th Kapelle (Zuid Beveland) (NL) (4pts / 4pts) 5th Cognac (F) (2pts / 2pts) 6th Sargans (CH) (1pt / 1pt) 7th Chieri (I) (--- / 0pts)

Fil Rouge, Round 1 - The Court Jesters

The next game - ‘The Court Jesters’ - was the Fil Rouge and was played over one minute duration. It featured three competitors (two males and one female) from each team equipped with marottes and a swivelling barrel spanning a pool. On the whistle, the first competitor had to cross the pool passing through a hoop located on top of the barrel. Once across the pool, they then had to place the marotte into a holding block. The game was then repeated by the second and third competitors and then alternately throughout the permitted time. The team transporting the greater number of marottes would be declared the winners.

The first round saw the participation of Italy and, although they attempted nine crossings, they were only successful in transporting a total of 3 marottes after 12, 42 and 57 seconds respectively.

Running Fil Rouge Standings: 1st Chieri (I) (3)

Game 2 - The Faggot Carts

The second game - ‘The Faggot Carts’ - was played over three heats of two minutes duration and witnessed France presenting their Joker for play. The game featured four male competitors and a cart with off-centred wheels loaded with three faggots (in reality foam-rubber mattresses). On the whistle, one of the competitors had to climb onto the cart and lay flat on top of the faggots whilst it was transported down the 15.24m (50ft) course. At the end of the course, a female team-mate then had to hand over another faggot which then had to be placed on top of the original three. The competitor then had to lay on top of that faggot and the cart had to be transported back down the course and circumnavigate a podium. The game then had to be repeated on two occasions. The team completing the game in the faster time would be declared the winners.

The first heat of this straightforward and entertaining game saw the participation of Switzerland and West Germany, pacing each other throughout. Switzerland completed the game in 1 minute 19 seconds and West Germany, although suffering a small mishap on the final return journey when their competitor was thrown from the cart, finished in 1 minute 26 seconds.

The second and penultimate heat featured Great Britain and Italy with the former being stopped on the second return journey after their competitor had failed to position himself correctly on top of the faggots. He then suffered a second mishap after the team, in an effort to close the deficit, pulled the cart too fast and threw him and the faggots in to the air and onto the ground. By the time the team had recomposed itself, Italy had already crossed the finish line in 1 minute 16 seconds with Great Britain eventually completing the game, following a further fall, in 1 minute 43 seconds.

The third and final heat saw the participation of Belgium and France and, with both teams having had the fortune to observe events in the previous heat, executed the game at a much gentler pace and without mishap. France completed the game in 1 minute 11 seconds followed by Belgium in 1 minute 15 seconds.

Running Scores and Positions: =1st Marburg an der Lahn (D) (2pts awarded / 14pts total) =1st Cognac (F) (12pts / Joker / 14pts) ▲ 3rd Koekelberg (B) (5pts / 11pts) ▼ 4th Blyth (GB) (1pt / 6pts) ▼ =5th Sargans (CH) (3pts / 4pts) ▲ =5th Chieri (I) (--- / 0pts) ▲ =5th Kapelle (Zuid Beveland) (NL) (--- / 4pts) ▼

Fil Rouge, Round 2 - The Court Jesters

The second round of the Fil Rouge featured Netherlands and, although they attempted five crossings, they were only successful in transporting a total of 2 marottes after 43 and 51 seconds respectively.

Running Fil Rouge Standings: 1st Chieri (I) (3) 2nd Kapelle (Zuid Beveland) (NL) (2)

Game 3 - The Chefs' Eggs

The third game - ‘The Chefs’ Eggs’ - was played over three heats of 1 minute 30 seconds duration and witnessed Great Britain presenting their Joker for play. The game featured two competitors (one male and one female) from each team and a greased course. On the whistle, the male who had an elasticated rope tied around his waist, had to run up the greased course in order to catch an egg being thrown through a basketball hoop by the female. The male then had to return to the start and place the egg in a large rack and then the game had to be repeated throughout. The two competitors had to time the run with the ball being thrown to be successful and only cleanly caught eggs would be deemed as valid, The team collecting the greater number of eggs would be declared the winners.

The first heat of this straightforward and amusing game saw the participation of France and Great Britain and ended with France catching 1 egg and Great Britain catching 4 eggs.

The second of the three heats featured West Germany and Netherlands and finished with West Germany catching 5 eggs and Netherlands catching 3 eggs.

The third and final heat saw the participation of Switzerland and Italy and ended with Switzerland catching 2 eggs and Italy failing to score.

Running Scores and Positions: 1st Marburg an der Lahn (D) (6pts awarded / 20pts total) =2nd Cognac (F) (2pts / 16pts) ▼ =2nd Blyth (GB) (10pts / Joker / 16pts) ▲ 4th Koekelberg (B) (--- / 11pts) ▼ 5th Kapelle (Zuid Beveland) (NL) (4pts / 8pts) 6th Sargans (CH) (3pts / 7pts) ▼ 7th Chieri (I) (1pt / 5pts) ▼

Comments: At first glance it appeared that France actually caught two eggs in the first heat, only to have one of them mysteriously removed from the rack However, closer inspection on re-runs clearly shows that the egg actually hit the ground before being caught by the competitor. Although there were six teams competing in this game, none of them could match another with the number of eggs caught, with each of them having a different total – West Germany (5), Great Britain (4), Netherlands (3), Switzerland (2), France (1) and Italy (0)! This was the second of only two occasions in the history of Jeux Sans Frontières that a game finished in this manner, with each of the teams separated from the next by a score of just one. The other occasion was in 1967, ironically again at the British International Heat, when the programme was staged at Blackpool. Photographs from this game were featured on Pages 20 and 42 of the It’s A Knockout Annual 1977 published by World Distributors (Manchester) Limited in the autumn of 1976.

Fil Rouge, Round 3 - The Court Jesters

The third round of the Fil Rouge featured Belgium and, although they attempted five crossings, they were only successful in transporting a total of 3 marottes after 13, 42 and 53 seconds respectively.

Running Fil Rouge Standings: =1st Koekelberg (B) (3) =1st Chieri (I) (3) 3rd Kapelle (Zuid Beveland) (NL) (2) ▼

Game 4 - Escape from the Dungeon

The fourth game - ‘Escape from the Dungeon’ - was played over two heats of two minutes duration and featured eight competitors (five males and three females) from each team and a large three-sectioned pool filled with crazy foam. At one end of the pool, the three females were standing behind a castle gate with lowered portcullis, whilst the males were at the other end outside its perimeter. On the whistle, the five males had to climb into the pool and make their way to their designated sections. Two of them had to remain in the first section (furthest from the portcullis), one had to remain in the centre section and the other two had to remain in the third section (closest to the portcullis). Once the two competitors had reached the third section, one of them had to pull a large ring on the wall of the castle which was attached to a rope and the portcullis. In order to raise the portcullis fully, he had to pass the ring to his team-mate in the centre section, who then had to pass it to one of those in the first section, who would then secure it to a hook at the far end of the pool. Once executed, a shield then had to be carried from first to third section onto which the first female had to climb. The two males had to carry her to the centre section and then the lone male had to carry her across the centre section and hand the shield over to the other pair to carry her to the pool’s edge. She then had to climb off the shield and the game had to repeated on two more occasions. The team completing the game in the faster time would be declared the winners.

The first heat of this simple game saw the participation of Belgium, France and Great Britain and was a very closely run race with Belgium finishing in 56 seconds, Great Britain finishing in 58 seconds and France finishing in one minute exactly.

The second heat featured West Germany, Italy and Netherlands and was much faster than the first and ended with West Germany finishing in 41 seconds, Netherlands finishing in 44 seconds and Italy finishing in 1 minute 2 seconds.

Running Scores and Positions: 1st Marburg an der Lahn (D) (6pts awarded / 26pts total) 2nd Blyth (GB) (3pts / 19pts) 3rd Cognac (F) (2pts / 18pts) ▼ 4th Koekelberg (B) (4pts / 15pts) 5th Kapelle (Zuid Beveland) (NL) (5pts / 13pts) 6th Sargans (CH) (--- / 7pts) 7th Chieri (I) (1pt / 6pts)

Fil Rouge, Round 4 - The Court Jesters

The fourth round of the Fil Rouge featured Switzerland and, after failing on just one of their crossings, they were successful in transporting a total of 10 marottes after 4, 6, 16, 19, 25, 32, 38, 48, 56 and 59 seconds respectively.

Running Fil Rouge Standings: 1st Sargans (CH) (10) =2nd Koekelberg (B) (3) ▼ =2nd Chieri (I) (3) ▼ 4th Kapelle (Zuid Beveland) (NL) (2) ▼

Game 5 - Feeding the Prisoners

The fifth game - ‘Feeding the Prisoners’ - was played in unison over 1 minute 45 seconds duration and witnessed Italy presenting their Joker for play. The game featured two competitors (one male and one female) from each team and a greased incline leading up to a barred prison cell window. On the whistle, the male had to collect a circular cake and run up the incline and hand (or throw) it to the female behind the window. He then had to return to the base of the incline and repeat the game throughout. The team collecting the greater number of cakes would be declared the winners.

This was a very straightforward game which saw Great Britain collecting 9 cakes, Belgium and Netherlands collecting 8 cakes each, France and Italy collecting 4 cakes each and Switzerland collecting 3 cakes.

Running Scores and Positions: 1st Marburg an der Lahn (D) (--- awarded / 26pts total) 2nd Blyth (GB) (6pts / 25pts) 3rd Cognac (F) (3pts / 21pts) 4th Koekelberg (B) (5pts / 20pts) 5th Kapelle (Zuid Beveland) (NL) (5pts / 18pts) 6th Chieri (I) (6pts / Joker / 12pts) ▲ 7th Sargans (CH) (1pt / 8pts) ▼

Fil Rouge, Round 5 - The Court Jesters

The fifth round of the Fil Rouge featured West Germany and, as was the case with the previous team, after failing on just one of their crossings, they were successful in transporting a total of 10 marottes after 3, 7, 13, 23, 30, 32, 36, 38, 44 and 55 seconds respectively.

Running Fil Rouge Standings: =1st Sargans (CH) (10) =1st Marburg an der Lahn (D) (10) =3rd Koekelberg (B) (3) ▼ =3rd Chieri (I) (3) ▼ 5th Kapelle (Zuid Beveland) (NL) (2) ▼

Game 6 - The Trainer and the Bear

The sixth game - ‘The Trainer and the Bear’ - was played individually over 1 minute 30 seconds duration and witnessed Switzerland presenting their Joker for play. The game featured two competitors (one male, dressed as a bear, and one female) from each team standing at one end of a course comprised of seven spring-loaded podia and a circus ringmaster with a whip shaped liked a giant ring at the other. On the whistle, two male team-mates had to push the ringmaster down the course towards the two competitors who were standing on the first and second podia and, as it passed by, they had to jump through the ring and onto the one in front of them. The ringmaster then had to be pushed back to the start by two other team-mates (one male and one female) and in order for this to occur, the competitors stood on small numbered blocks to the left of the podia. The game then had to be repeated until both competitors had made the required number of jumps (six for the female and seven for the male) to reach the seventh podium to finish the game. Any competitor stepping onto the ground or overrunning their own podium whilst jumping would result in that run having to be repeated. The team completing the game in the faster time would be declared the winners.

The first heat of this game saw the participation of Great Britain and they completed it without any mishap in 57 seconds.

The second heat featured Belgium and, following an error by the male on the first jump and having to repeat the run, they completed the game in 59 seconds.

The third of the six teams to participate was Switzerland and it appeared that they had completed the game in 55 seconds. However, referee Gennaro Olivieri stepped in to explain that Switzerland had been eliminated due to the fact that the team had breached the rules (see Comments, below).

This was followed by the fourth heat which saw the participation of Netherlands and, as was the case with their predecessors, they appeared to have completed the game in 45 seconds, but the same fate was to befall them.

The fifth and penultimate team to participate was Italy, but they befell the same fate as the previous two teams, despite appearing to have completed the game in 58 seconds.

The sixth and final heat featured West Germany and having, observed the previous three disqualifications, took their time and finished the game without mishap in 52 seconds.

Running Scores and Positions: 1st Marburg an der Lahn (D) (6pts awarded / 32pts total) 2nd Blyth (GB) (5pts / 30pts) 3rd Koekelberg (B) (4pts / 24pts) ▲ 4th Cognac (F) (--- / 21pts) ▼ 5th Kapelle (Zuid Beveland) (NL) (1pt / 19pts) 6th Chieri (I) (1pt / 13pts) 7th Sargans (CH) (2pts / Joker / 10pts)

Comments: The rules of the game stated that the two team-mates could not overstep a white marker line board when pushing the ringmaster down the course. Switzerland, the favourites to win the overall competition on the night, had opted to play their Joker on this game, but despite two rehearsals, one of their pushers stepped over the white marker on the first run. Although they had appeared to complete the game, in the fastest time of 55 seconds at that point, referee Gennaro Olivieri disqualified them for breaching the rules. Incredibly, Netherlands participated next and completed the course in the fastest time of the night of 45 seconds, but as was the case with their predecessors, were disqualified for breaching the exact same rule. And if that second disqualification did not send out warning messages to the remaining two teams, it was completely ignored by Italy who did the self same thing on the very next heat! A photograph of this game was featured on Pages 38 and 39 of the It’s A Knockout Annual 1977 published by World Distributors (Manchester) Limited in the autumn of 1976.

Fil Rouge, Round 6 - The Court Jesters

The sixth round of the Fil Rouge featured France and, although they attempted twelve crossings, they were only successful in transporting a total of 7 marottes after 3, 7, 17, 23, 26, 38 and 49 seconds respectively.

Running Fil Rouge Standings: =1st Sargans (CH) (10) =1st Marburg an der Lahn (D) (10) 3rd Cognac (F) (7) =4th Koekelberg (B) (3) ▼ =4th Chieri (I) (3) ▼ 6th Kapelle (Zuid Beveland) (NL) (2) ▼

Game 7 - The Coopers' Barrels

The seventh and penultimate game - ‘The Coopers’ Barrels’ - was played over three heats of 1 minute 45 seconds duration and witnessed Netherlands presenting their Joker for play. The game featured two male competitors from each team and a large seesaw on wheels. On the whistle, the competitors had to load a large barrel weighing 25.4kg (56lb) onto the seesaw and then each of them had to sit at either end and, by the using their feet and an up-and-down movement, had to make their way down the 24.38m (80ft) course. They then had to unload the barrel onto a podium and then run back to the start with the seesaw and then repeat the game. The team completing the game in the faster time would be declared the winners.

The first heat of this straightforward game saw the participation of Belgium and Netherlands and whilst Belgium completed the game without mishap in 1 minute 24 seconds, Netherlands had failed to allow enough room on the podium for the second barrel but, despite all their efforts to rectify the error, were unable to complete the game in the permitted time.

The second of the three heats featured Switzerland and Italy and ended with Switzerland completing the course in 1 minute 16 seconds and Italy, like one of their predecessors in the previous heat, failed to complete the game in the permitted time.

The third and final heat saw the participation of West Germany and France and ended with France finishing the game in 1 minute 6 seconds followed by West Germany in 1 minute 26 seconds.

Running Scores and Positions: 1st Marburg an der Lahn (D) (3pts awarded / 35pts total) 2nd Blyth (GB) (--- / 30pts) 3rd Koekelberg (B) (4pts / 28pts) 4th Cognac (F) (6pts / 27pts) 5th Kapelle (Zuid Beveland) (NL) (2pts / Joker / 21pts) 6th Sargans (CH) (5pts / 15pts) ▲ 7th Chieri (I) (1pt / 14pts) ▼

Comments: A photograph of this game was featured on Pages 8 and 9 of the It’s A Knockout Annual 1977 published by World Distributors (Manchester) Limited in the autumn of 1976.

Fil Rouge, Round 7 - The Court Jesters

The seventh and final round of the Fil Rouge featured Great Britain and, although they attempted eight crossings, they were only successful in transporting a total of 6 marottes after 5, 17, 24, 36, 44 and 53 seconds, respectively and finished in 4th place on the game.

Final Fil Rouge Standings: =1st Sargans (CH) (10) =1st Marburg an der Lahn (D) (10) 3rd Cognac (F) (7) 4th Blyth (GB) (6) =5th Koekelberg (B) (3) ▼ =5th Chieri (I) (3) ▼ 7th Kapelle (Zuid Beveland) (NL) (2) ▼

Running Scores and Positions: 1st Marburg an der Lahn (D) (7pts awarded / 42pts total) 2nd Blyth (GB) (4pts / 34pts) 3rd Cognac (F) (5pts / 32pts) ▲ 4th Koekelberg (B) (3pts / 31pts) ▼ =5th Sargans (CH) (7pts / 22pts) ▲ =5th Kapelle (Zuid Beveland) (NL) (1pt / 22pts) 7th Chieri (I) (3pts / 17pts)

Comments: With five game wins during the competition, West German team Marburg an der Lahn had already amassed enough points (8pts ahead of nearest rivals) to guarantee overall victory, whatever the outcome of the final game.

Game 8 - The Chariot Race

The eighth and final game - ‘The Chariot Race’ - was played in unison over three minutes duration and featured three competitors (two males and one female) from each team equipped with a horse and chariot. On the whistle, the two males had to move the chariot down the 30.48m (100ft) course by means of pedals. At the end of the course, there was a castle wall which had to be climbed by means of tied sheets in order to release the female from a window above. Once executed, all three competitors had to return to the start with the chariot and the female had to pull a cord to set off an explosion and to reveal their national flag. The team completing the course in the faster time would be declared the winners.

This was a very straightforward and uneventful game which ended with Switzerland completing the course in 46 seconds followed by France in 48 seconds and West Germany in 57 seconds (despite their flag failing to appear). Netherlands finished the game in 1 minute 1 second followed by Great Britain in 1 minute 2 seconds, Belgium in 1 minute 5 seconds and Italy in 1 minute 27 seconds.

Final Scores and Positions: 1st Marburg an der Lahn (D) (5pts awarded / 47pts total) 2nd Cognac (F) (6pts / 38pts) ▲ 3rd Blyth (GB) (3pts / 37pts) ▼ 4th Koekelberg (B) (2pts / 33pts) 5th Sargans (CH) (7pts / 29pts) 6th Kapelle (Zuid Beveland) (NL) (4pts / 26pts) ▼ 7th Chieri (I) (1pt / 18pts)

Comments: Marburg an der Lahn from West Germany became one of those very rare teams that had led the competition from the first game right through to the final result!

Presenters, Officials and Production Team

Following his stint as team manager for Banbury in 1972 and again with Bicester earlier this year, Mike Swann commenced officiating duties as a touch-judge at this event. This would continue at each of the British International Heats until he eventually joined Arthur Ellis in 1977 as full-time It’s A Knockout referee. Swann's association with the programme in this role would continue until 1982 and he would become one of the two referees (alongside veteran Guido Pancaldi) in Jeux Sans Frontières when the programme was revived in 1988.

Records and Statistics

Excluding the first two series of Jeux Sans Frontières (1965 and 1966) when only two teams competed in each heat, West German team Marburg an der Lahn became the third of only seven teams during the first incarnation of the programme (1967-1982) to lead the scoreboard from start to finish. The other members of this exclusive club were Aix-les-Bains, France (1970), Offenburg, West Germany (1971), Farnham, Great Britain (1974), Nieuwegein, Netherlands (1977), Willebroek, Belgium (1978) and Lignano Sabbiadoro, Italy (1981).

If the second incarnation of the programme (1988-1999) is included, the list of teams increases by twelve: Madeira, Portugal (1988 on two occasions), Trogir, Yugoslavia (1990), Chaves, Portugal (1991), Llanberis, Wales (1991), Vigevano, Italy (1991), Lisboa, Portugal (1992), La Côte, Switzerland (1992), Firenze, Italy (1993), Keskemét, Hungary (1993), Százhalombatta, Hungary (1994) and Brno, Czech Republic (1995).

However, only one team achieved this feat at an International Final - Vigevano, Italy in 1991.

Additional Information

Throughout the programme, Stuart Hall stated that Switzerland were celebrating their National Day, which in fact falls on 1st August, the day of staging. This would not have appeared unusual for viewers in Belgium, Switzerland, West Germany and Netherlands who saw the programme ‘live’. However, to those in Great Britain and anglophones (English speakers) watching in France and Italy, it would have been a misleading statement as their broadcasters transmitted the programme on 24th, 25th and 2nd August respectively.

Bristol was chosen as the 1973 British International venue as the city was celebrating its 600th anniversary during that year.

There was a four week gap in French TV transmissions between Heat 4 and this heat due to the fact that ORTF transmitted the four first round heats of the 1973 series of Intervilles in the regular Saturday timeslot used for Jeux Sans Frontières.

Made in Colour • This programme exists in the BBC Archives
Exists in European archives

B

Jeux Sans Frontières 1973

Heat 6

Event Staged: Wednesday 15th August 1973
Venue: Havenplein (Harbour Square), Blankenberge, Belgium

European Transmissions (Local Timings):
BRT (B): Wednesday 15th August 1973, 9.05-10.30pm (Live)
RTB (B): Wednesday 15th August 1973, 9.05-10.30pm (Live)
SSR (CH): Wednesday 15th August 1973, 9.05-10.30pm (Live)
TSI (CH): Wednesday 15th August 1973, 9.05-10.25pm (Live)
SRG (CH): Wednesday 15th August 1973, 9.05-10.25pm (Live)
WDR 1 (D): Wednesday 15th August 1973, 9.05-10.30pm (Live)
Nederland 1 (NL): Wednesday 15th August 1973, 9.05-10.20pm (Live)

RAI Due (I): Wednesday 15th August 1973, 10.05-11.30pm (Live - DST)
BBC1 (GB): Friday 31st August 1973, 7.45-9.00pm
ORTF 2 (F): Saturday 1st September 1973 (6th)

Weather Conditions: Warm and Dry

Winners' Trophy presented by: Mayor of Blankenberge

Theme: A 1900s Beach Holiday

Teams: Blankenberge (B) v. Balerna (CH) v. Werl (D) v.
Bourg-en-Bresse (F) v. Ashington (GB) v. Battipaglia (I) v. Geleen (NL)

Team Members included:
Balerna (CH) - Roberto Rizza (Team Captain), Cristiano Bernasconi, Walter Bernasconi, Annamaria Cerruti, Giorgio Frigerio, Antonello Galfetti, Antonio Galfetti, Giorgio Grassi, Maurizio Manfredini, Antonello Maspoli, Luisa Neri, Elena Riva, Manuela Riva, Giovanni Rogonesi, Eros Ruffoni, Giuseppina Russo, Giuseppe Sulmoni and Fausto Vanini;

Werl (D) - Werner Rinsche (Team Manager), Klaus Ittermann (Team Coach), Marianne Bethge, Theodor Blume, Hubert Fuchs, Ursula Jensen, Jürgen Klauwunn, Silvia Klinger, Gerd Klötter, Günter Korf, Ursula Kümpel, Eberhard Mühr, Michael Peters, Günter Pieperhoff, Norbert Reher, Ulrich Reiter, Wolfgang Schröer, Regina Schüler, Willi Stehmann, Annette Steinau, Rainer Weber;
Ashington (GB) - Jim Alder (Team Coach), Alan Mole (Men’s Team Coach), Gwen Woodman (Women's Team Coach), Gerry White (Team Manager), Jackie Armstrong, David Boone, Ron Brotherton, Alan Brown, Oliver Cole, Gordon Conway, Susan Crewe, Alan Cutter, Margaret Davies, Mary Forster, Barbara Hudson, Kenneth Johnson, Gill Matterface, Eric Moore, Ron Morris, Don Murray, Ken Patton, Melvin Robson, Ernie Slaughter, Austin Straker, Kathy Thomas, Jim Watson, John Watts;
Geleen (NL) - Suus Baggen, Hans Blok, Toos Breekveld, F.J.M. Derhaag, Paula Driessen, M. Englen, Johan Fenell, Jan Geenen, Har Goessens, K.J. Hofstede, Huub Jans, Wilma Janssen, L.J. Keulen, Jan Köhlen, Ger Konings, Daan Leuhena, Greetje Leurs van Teeffelen, M.E. Leurs van Teeffelen, J.A. Lommen, Theo de Loo, Martin Losnick, Wim Martens, Willem Massen, Coby van Mulken, Joke Nelissen-van Velzen, Marian Nolten, Luc van Nuil, Jo van Nunen, Anja Savelkoul, Jan Schra, Margreet Schumacher-Lutgens, Giuseppe Siega, Annelies Sopacua-Dammer, A.M.G. Sprok, George Stevens, C.H. Storcken, Els Tholen-Dreissen, Cor Tuhalauruw, Rob Vader, Theo Vrancken.

Games: The Cycle Cars, The Ice-Cream Vendors, A Balloon Hurdle Race, Please Don’t Quoit Me, The Sand Balance, The Clown's Costume, Swing and Catch, The Circus Bicycles;
Fil Rouge: The Hindered Cyclists;
Jokers: Mermaids / Lorelei.

Game Results and Standings

Result

 Team

Points

Final Scoreboard

1st
2nd
3rd
4th
5th
5th
7th

 D • Werl ●
 NL • Geleen
 B • Blankenberge
 I • Battipaglia
 GB • Ashington
 CH • Balerna
 F • Bourg-en-Bresse

43
39
38
32
31
31
26

Running International Final Qualifiers

Belgium (B) - Ieper (1st, 42pts)
Switzerland (CH) - Châtillon (=2nd, 38pts)
West Germany (D) - Marburg an der Lahn (1st, 47pts)
France (F) - Chartres (2nd, 40pts)

Great Britain (GB) - Ely (1st, 41pts)
Italy (I) - Senigallia (2nd, 37pts)
Netherlands (NL) - Hoogeveen (1st, 45pts)

The Host Town

Blankenberge, Belgium

Blankenberge is a town and resort with a population of around 21,000 inhabitants in the néerlandophonic (Dutch-speaking) province of West-Vlaanderen, the only Belgian province with a coastline. It is located on the North Sea coast, 56km (35 miles) north of Kortrijk, 90km (56 miles) west of Antwerpen and 100km (62 miles) north-west of Bruxelles / Brussels.

In earlier times, people had less free time or simply could not take holidays. Tourism at the coast was very limited. It was the inhabitants of Bruges who discovered the first joys of the water and the beach and around 1750, they began to travel sporadically to Blankenberge which then gradually become a seaside town.

Before the First World War (1914-1918), Blankenberge was an exclusive holiday resort frequently attended by Royalty. His Imperial Royal Highness, Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria (1863-1914) and his wife Her Highness, Sophie, Duchess of Hohenberg (1868-1914) as well as his sister HIRH Archduchess Elisabeth Amalie of Austria (1878-1960) and her husband His Serene Highness, Prince Aloys of Liechtenstein (1869-1955) were regular holiday makers. The Archduke enjoyed his walks to Wenduine and daily attended service at the St. Rochus church. The Archduke and his wife were planning to travel again to Blankenberge after their last official engagement before the summer holiday at Sarajevo in 1914, where they were assassinated.

One of the town’s features is the Art Deco styled Jetée de Blankenberge (Blankenberge Pier) inspired from a design by artist Jules Soete (1881-1955). Built in 1933, the concrete structure stretches 350m (1,148ft 3½in) out into the North Sea and is the only pier along the Belgian coast. This structure replaced an earlier one dating from the Belle Époque (1871-1914) and which had been destroyed during the First World War.

The pier entered into the hands of the owners of Meli Park (an amusement theme park located at Adinkerke) in 1955 until 1999 when the company relinquished ownership. Following extensive renovations by the local council, the jetty reopened in the summer of 2003.

One of the town’s other tourist (and even local) attractions is the Kusttram (Coast Tram), a public transport service connecting all the towns along the entire Belgian coast from De Panne near the French border to Knokke-Heist near the Dutch border. At 68km (42 miles) in length, it is the longest tram line in the world. as well as one of the few interurban tramways to remain in operation. The service makes an incredible 69 stops (including Zeebrugge, Blankenberge, De Haan-Wenduine, Oostende and Middelkerke-Bad), along its journey, with a tram running every 10 minutes during the peak summer months (every 20 minutes during the winter months), and it is used by over 3 million passengers per year. The service has recently been made more accessible by new low-floor centre sections to existing vehicles. While most of the older trams are uni-directional and so have to be turned on a loop in order to reverse direction, the newer ones are bidirectional, with driving positions and doors on both ends and sides.

An interesting feature of its journey is the two alternative routes that exist around both ends of the Leopoldkanaal locks, just east of Zeebrugge, and the similar single track diversion around the inland end of the Boudewijnkanaal lock. This avoids delays when the road bridge that the tram line normally follows is raised for boats passing under it. There is a similar feature at the southern end of Oostende station around the lock entrance to the Vlotdok.

A local tradition in Blankenberge (as with many Belgian and Dutch towns) is the annual Bloemencorso or Flower Pageant which is held on the last Sunday of August every year. In the parade, there are a large number of vehicular floats (praalwagens), cars and (in some cases) boats that are magnificently decorated or covered in flowers. Each parade has its own character, charm and theme.

The Visiting Towns

Balerna is a town with a population of around 3,500 inhabitants in the italophonic (Italian-speaking) Swiss canton of Ticino and is located 745km (463 miles) south-east of Blankenberge.

Werl is a town with a population of around 31,000 inhabitants in the German state of Nordrhein-Westfalen and is located 332km (206 miles) east of Blankenberge.

Bourg-en-Bresse is a town with a population of around 42,000 inhabitants in the French region of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes and is located 589km (366 miles) south-east of Blankenberge.

Ashington is a town with a population of around 29,000 inhabitants in the English county of Northumberland and is located 553km (331 miles) north-west of Blankenberge.

Battipaglia is a town with a population of around 51,000 inhabitants in the Italian region of Campania and is located 1,500km (932 miles) south-east of Blankenberge.

Geleen is a town with a population of around 35,000 inhabitants in the Dutch province of Limburg and is located 193km (120 miles) east of Blankenberge.

The Venue

Havenplein
(Harbour Square)

The games were played on a small promontory in the old harbour at Blankenberge, which is normally used as a car park.

The old fisherman's harbour of Blankenberge has been developed into a beautiful and modern marina which is a particularly pleasant place to be during all seasons. The exclusive location near the city centre, the beach and the dunes make this marina one of a kind on the Belgian coast. Visitors will find lots of evidence from the maritime history of Blankenberge in and around the modern marina.

The Games in Detail

Game 1 - The Cycle Cars

The first game - ‘The Cycle Cars’ - was played over two heats of two minutes duration and witnessed Netherlands presenting their Joker for play. The game featured three competitors (two males and one female) from each team sitting in a four-wheeled pedal-powered go-kart at the start of a 200m semi-ovoid obstacle course. On the whistle, the two males in the front seats of the go-kart had to pedal around the course negotiating a pair of narrow beams en route. After passing around the bend of the ovoid, the kart then had to be stopped at five individual traffic cones and the female had to place a flag pole into the top of each one. The kart then had to be cycled forward to cross a line and the female then had to jump out and run forward to burst a balloon floating above a hay bale. The team completing the game in the faster time would be declared the winners.

The first heat of this straightforward game saw the participation of Belgium, France and Great Britain and ended with Belgium completing the course in 47 seconds followed by Great Britain in 55 seconds and France in 58 seconds.

The second heat featured West Germany, Italy and Netherlands and was completed at roughly the same pace as the first and ended with West Germany completing the course in 46 seconds, followed by Netherlands in 47 seconds and Italy in 59 seconds.

Running Scores and Positions: 1st Geleen (NL) (10pts awarded / Joker / 10pts total) 2nd Werl (D) (6pts / 6pts) 3rd Blankenberge (B) (5pts / 5pts) 4th Ashington (GB) (3pts / 3pts) 5th Bourg-en-Bresse (F) (2pts / 2pts) 6th Battipaglia (I) (1pt / 1pt) 7th Balerna (CH) (--- / 0pts)

Fil Rouge, Round 1 - The Hindered Cyclists

The next game - ‘The Hindered Cyclists’ - was the Fil Rouge played over two minutes duration and featured three competitors (two males and one female) sitting in a go-kart utilised in the first game. The two males, one blindfolded and equipped with a large hooked pole and the other gagged, were sitting in the front seat whilst the female sat unhindered in the rear. On the whistle, the males had to pedal the kart around a small circular course with only the sighted male steering and stopping the vehicle. The go-kart then had to be driven onto a small bridge which was balanced on a fulcrum. The female then had to give instructions to the blindfolded male in order for him to locate and pull a ring above his head. Once executed, a helium-filled balloon would be released from the roof. The game then had to be repeated until three balloons had been released. The team completing the game in the faster time would be declared the winners.

The first round saw the participation of Switzerland and they released balloons after 12 and 38 seconds of elapsed time and completed the game in 1 minute 1 second.

Running Fil Rouge Standings: 1st Balerna (CH) (1 minute 1 second)

Game 2 - The Ice-Cream Vendors

The second game - ‘The Ice-Cream Vendors’ - was played over two heats of 2 minutes 30 seconds duration and witnessed Italy presenting their Joker for play. The game featured three male competitors from each team and a large rope lattice climbing frame, angled at approximately 45°, which led up to the top of a wide scaffold tower. On the whistle, the three competitors had to run down a small incline to an ice-cream cart containing three large cones. The first male had to take one of the cones and run back up the incline and climb the rope frame in order to place it into a three-holed holding rack at the top. He then had to return down the frame to the cart so that the game could be repeated by the second and then ultimately by the third competitor. However, once the third competitor had placed his cone in the rack, it would set off a firecracker to end the game. The team completing the game in the faster time would be declared the winners.

The first heat of this very simple and straightforward game saw the participation of Switzerland, Italy and Netherlands and ended with Italy completing the course in 1 minute 48 seconds, followed by Switzerland in 1 minute 50 seconds and Netherlands in 2 minutes 6 seconds.

The second heat featured Belgium, France and Great Britain and was much slower than the first with all three teams achieving slower times. Belgium finished the course in 2 minutes 7 seconds, followed by Great Britain in 2 minutes 9 seconds and France in 2 minutes 19 seconds.

Running Scores and Positions: 1st Geleen (NL) (4pts awarded / 14pts total) 2nd Battipaglia (I) (12pts / Joker / 13pts) ▲ 3rd Blankenberge (B) (3pts / 8pts) 4th Werl (D) (--- / 6pts) ▼ =5th Balerna (CH) (5pts / 5pts) ▲ =5th Ashington (GB) (2pts / 5pts) ▼ 7th Bourg-en-Bresse (F) (1pt / 3pts) ▼

Fil Rouge, Round 2 - The Hindered Cyclists

The second round of the Fil Rouge featured West Germany and they released balloons after 8 and 42 seconds of elapsed time and completed the game in 1 minute 9 seconds.

Running Fil Rouge Standings: 1st Balerna (CH) (1 minute 1 second) 2nd Werl (D) (1 minute 9 seconds)

Game 3 - A Balloon Hurdle Race

The third game - ‘A Balloon Hurdle Race’ - was played over two heats of 1 minute 30 seconds duration and witnessed Belgium presenting their Joker for play. The game featured three female competitors from each team equipped with a total of twelve helium-filled balloons (four per competitor). On the whistle, all the competitors had to race down a short 20m (65ft 7½in) course, negotiating three low hurdles which they had to pass under. At the end of the course, the three competitors had to form a human pyramid and the one at the top had to then release the balloons one at a time so that they collected in a large cylindrical net above her head. If a competitor knocked the hurdle pole off its supports, they would have to wait for a touch-judge to reposition it before continuing. The team collecting five balloons in the faster time would be declared the winners.

The first heat of this very simple and straightforward game saw the participation of Belgium, Great Britain and Netherlands and ended with Belgium completing the game in 32 seconds, followed by Netherlands in 40 seconds and Great Britain in 56 seconds.

The second heat featured Switzerland, West Germany and Italy and as with the first heat it proved to be uneventful, and ended with West Germany completing the game in 36 seconds, followed by Switzerland in exactly one minute and Italy in 1 minute 2 seconds.

Running Scores and Positions: 1st Blankenberge (B) (12pts awarded / Joker / 20pts total) ▲ 2nd Geleen (NL) (4pts / 18pts) ▼ 3rd Battipaglia (I) (1pt / 14pts) ▼ 4th Werl (D) (5pts / 11pts) 5th Ashington (GB) (3pts / 8pts) 6th Balerna (CH) (2pts / 7pts) ▼ 7th Bourg-en-Bresse (F) (--- / 3pts)

Fil Rouge, Round 3 - The Hindered Cyclists

The third round of the Fil Rouge featured France and they released balloons after 24 seconds and 1 minute 4 seconds of elapsed time and completed the game in 1 minute 31 seconds.

Running Fil Rouge Standings: 1st Balerna (CH) (1 minute 1 second) 2nd Werl (D) (1 minute 9 seconds) 3rd Bourg-en-Bresse (F) (1 minute 31 seconds)

Game 4 - Please Don't Quoit Me

The fourth game - ‘Please Don’t Quoit Me’ - was played over two heats of two minutes duration and featured two male competitors from each team and a large ladder pivoted on a fulcrum. On the whistle, whilst the first competitor collected a hooked pole and a quoit, the second male had to position himself at one end of the ladder. The first male then had to climb onto the other end (which had been covered over with a board) whilst the second male used his weight to counterbalance his team-mate in order for him to reach a large board, in the shape of a marine creature, on which there were eight elongated pins (or ringers) numbered 1-8 located from bottom to top. He then had to hang the quoit onto the number eight pin and then jump to the ground to collect another quoit whilst the ladder was lowered. The game then had to be repeated throughout, with the competitor hanging additional quoits on the pins numbered seven downwards. The team completing the game in the faster time would be declared the winners.

The first heat of this straightforward game saw the participation of Belgium, West Germany and Netherlands and finished with West Germany completing the game in 1 minute 18 seconds, followed by Belgium in 1 minute 26 seconds. With only quoits hooked onto pins 8-4, Netherlands were given a score of 5 quoits.

The second heat featured Switzerland, France and Italy and was almost a carbon-copy of the first heat. Italy completed the game in 1 minute 9 seconds, followed by Switzerland in 1 minute 20 seconds, whilst France were only able to hook quoits on pins 8-3 and were given a score of 6 quoits.

Running Scores and Positions: 1st Blankenberge (B) (3pts awarded / 23pts total) 2nd Battipaglia (I) (6pts / 20pts) ▲ 3rd Geleen (NL) (1pt / 19pts) ▼ 4th Werl (D) (5pts / 16pts) 5th Balerna (CH) (4pts / 11pts) ▲ 6th Ashington (GB) (--- / 8pts) ▼ 7th Bourg-en-Bresse (F) (2pts / 5pts)

Comments: Interestingly, both of the heat winners played on the left-hand side of the course, both of the second-placed teams in each heat played on the right-hand lane of the course and neither of the teams playing in the middle lane was able to complete the game in its entirety!

Fil Rouge, Round 4 - The Hindered Cyclists

The fourth round of the Fil Rouge featured Great Britain and they released balloons after 26 and 54 seconds of elapsed time and completed the game in 1 minute 20 seconds.

Running Fil Rouge Standings: 1st Balerna (CH) (1 minute 1 second) 2nd Werl (D) (1 minute 9 seconds) 3rd Ashington (1 minute 20 seconds) 4th Bourg-en-Bresse (F) (1 minute 31 seconds) ▼

Game 5 - The Sand Balance

The fifth game - ‘The Sand Balance’ - was played over three heats of two minutes duration and witnessed West Germany and France presenting their Jokers for play. The game featured four male competitors from each team and a large set of balancing scales at the end of the course. Each of the competitors was numbered 1, 2, 3 or 4 and each had a random-weighted bag of sand (5kg (11lb), 10kg (22lb), 15kg (33lb) or 20kg (44lb)) fettered around one of their ankles. Before the game started, a wheel with four sections numbered 1-4 was spun to determine which competitor would sit in the scales. On the whistle, the elected competitor had to run down the 20m (65ft 7½in) course and sit in the box on one side of the balance. The other two with the ‘lighter’ weight around their ankles would also run down the course whilst the one with the greater remaining weight would stay at the start and oppose their rivals. Once the three competitors were at the end of the course, the other two males had to use buckets to fill the box on the other side of the scales with sand from a large wheeled cart attached to a rope. Contemporaneously, the fourth competitor at the other end of the course would begin to pull his opponents’ cart away from the scales by turning a handle and reeling in the rope. Once enough sand had been placed in the box to counterweight the elected competitor and bag of sand, a fire cracker would be set off to signify the end of the game. The team completing the game in the faster time would be declared the winners.

The first heat of this unusual game saw the participation of West Germany and France and the wheel spin revealed competitor numbered one. For West Germany, their competitor was fettered to a 10kg bag of sand whilst France were fortunate to have only 5kg fettered to theirs. With both competitors with 20kg attached to their ankles remaining at the start of the course, all the others ran to the end and took up their positions. It was then a straight race with West Germany completing the game in 37 seconds followed by France in 1 minute 1 second.

The second and penultimate heat featured Belgium and Netherlands and the spin of the wheel again revealed that competitor numbered one would have to sit on the scales. However, whilst Netherlands had an additional 10kg to counterbalance, the chosen competitor from Belgium was unfortunate to have an extra 20kg of weight. Netherlands completed the game in 44 seconds, whilst Belgium, following a couple of mishaps whereby the chains of the bags became entangled with the wheels of their cart, completed the game in 1 minute 42 seconds.

The third and final heat saw the participation of Switzerland and Great Britain with competitor number one being chosen by the wheel spin for the third occasion. Whilst Great Britain were very fortunate in only having an additional 5kg to counterbalance, Switzerland were lumbered with an additional 20kg. However, the former of the two competitors was well-built and this would prove that no advantage was gained by having the lighter bag. Switzerland finished the game in 1 minute 5 seconds followed by Great Britain in 1 minute 23 seconds.

Running Scores and Positions: 1st Werl (D) (12pts awarded / Joker / 28pts total) ▲ =2nd Blankenberge (B) (1pt / 24pts) ▼ =2nd Geleen (NL) (5pts / 24pts) ▲ 4th Battipaglia (I) (--- / 20pts) ▼ 5th Balerna (CH) (3pts / 14pts) 6th Bourg-en-Bresse (F) (8pts / Joker / 13pts) ▲ 7th Ashington (GB) (2pts / 10pts) ▼

Comments: The body weights of the competitors themselves were not taken into consideration and therefore, as could be seen in the final heat, the additional weights fettered to their ankles did not actually hinder the teams in some cases!

Fil Rouge, Round 5 - The Hindered Cyclists

The fifth round of the Fil Rouge featured Italy and they released balloons after 13 and 44 seconds of elapsed time and completed the game in 1 minute 12 seconds.

Running Fil Rouge Standings: 1st Balerna (CH) (1 minute 1 second) 2nd Werl (D) (1 minute 9 seconds) 3rd Battipaglia (I) (1 minute 12 seconds) 4th Ashington (1 minute 20 seconds) ▼ 5th Bourg-en-Bresse (F) (1 minute 31 seconds) ▼

Game 6 - The Clown's Costume

The sixth game - ‘The Clown's Costume’ - was played over three heats of two minutes duration and featured a male competitor from each team and four greased carousel podia hinged on fulcra, each with a basket containing items of a clown’s attire. On the whistle, the competitor had to race to the first podium and collect a false nose and bow tie. He then had to make his way to the second podium to collect a hat with a protruding flower and on the third podium he had to collect a jacket. On the fourth podium, he had to collect a pair of trousers and then run to a static podium to collect a female team-mate. He then had to run back to the start with the female in his arms. All the items collected had to be attired whilst standing on their respective podia. If a competitor slid from the podium, he had to stop dressing and get back on before continuing. The team completing the game in the faster time would be declared the winners.

The first heat of this very simple slapstick game saw the participation of West Germany and France and ended with France completing the game in 1 minute 7 seconds, followed by West Germany in 1 minute 28 seconds.

The second and penultimate heat featured Great Britain and Italy and ended with Italy completing the game in 1 minute 17 seconds, followed by Great Britain in 1 minute 19 seconds.

The third and final heat saw the participation of Belgium and Switzerland and ended with Belgium completing the game in 48 seconds followed by Switzerland in 1 minute 9 seconds.

Running Scores and Positions: 1st Blankenberge (B) (6pts awarded / 30pts total) ▲ 2nd Werl (D) (1pt / 29pts) ▼ 3rd Geleen (NL) (--- / 24pts) ▼ 4th Battipaglia (I) (3pts / 23pts) =5th Balerna (CH) (4pts / 18pts) =5th Bourg-en-Bresse (F) (5pts / 18pts) ▲ 7th Ashington (GB) (2pts / 12pts)

Fil Rouge, Round 6 - The Hindered Cyclists

The sixth and penultimate round of the Fil Rouge featured Netherlands and they released balloons after 17 and 44 seconds of elapsed time and completed the game in 1 minute 25 seconds.

Running Fil Rouge Standings: 1st Balerna (CH) (1 minute 1 second) 2nd Werl (D) (1 minute 9 seconds) 3rd Battipaglia (I) (1 minute 12 seconds) 4th Ashington (1 minute 20 seconds) 5th Geleen (NL) (1 minute 25 seconds) 6th Bourg-en-Bresse (F) (1 minute 31 seconds) ▼

Game 7 - Swing and Catch

The seventh and penultimate game - ‘Swing and Catch’ - was played over three heats of 1 minute 30 seconds duration and witnessed Switzerland and Great Britain presenting their Jokers for play. The game featured six competitors (four males and two females) from each team and a large playground swing located in front of a 6m (19ft 8¼in) high net. On the whistle, the first male had to jump down from a podium behind the game and push the swing to set it in motion. He then had to return to the podium and continue the game from there. Contemporaneously, the second male, standing in front of the swing, then had to throw a ball for the female to catch on her forward journey. After catching the ball, she then had to throw it over the net and the ball had to be caught cleanly in a wicker-style basket being held by the other two males. If successful, the second female had to retrieve the ball from the basket and place it on a rack in front of the game. The game would then be repeated continuously throughout. The balls could not be handled or assisted into the basket by the second pair of males. The team collecting the greater number of balls would be declared the winners.

The first heat of this straightforward non-eventful game saw the participation of West Germany and Italy and ended with West Germany catching 12 balls from sixteen thrown and Italy catching 11 balls from eighteen thrown.

The second and penultimate heat featured France and Netherlands and ended with Netherlands catching 13 balls from twenty thrown and France catching 5 balls from seventeen thrown.

The third and final heat saw the participation of Switzerland and Great Britain and ended with Great Britain catching 13 balls from nineteen thrown and Switzerland catching 10 balls from nineteen thrown.

Running Scores and Positions: 1st Werl (D) (4pts awarded / 33pts total) ▲ =2nd Blankenberge (B) (--- / 30pts) ▼ =2nd Geleen (NL) (6pts / 30pts) ▲ 4th Battipaglia (I) (3pts / 26pts) 5th Ashington (GB) (12pts / Joker / 24pts) ▲ 6th Balerna (CH) (4pts / Joker / 22pts) ▼ 7th Bourg-en-Bresse (F) (1pt / 19pts) ▼

Comments: After the first round of this game, the Italian female on the swing collapsed after hyperventilating and had to be rushed off to be given medical assistance. This incident could clearly be seen on-screen behind the referees at the final whistle when the competitor is surrounded by her team-mates and is carried off by a member of the Dutch team with medical personnel rushing in to assist. At the end of the game, the competitor was presented to the cameras to show that she had fully recovered. The scoreboard operators got into a slight mess after the points were awarded at the end of the game. Instead of adding 4pts to the score of West Germany, they added 5pts to show their total incorrectly as 34pts. However, the scoreboard would show that this error had been corrected before the points of the Fil Rouge were revealed. In addition to this, whilst listing the positional order of the teams, they inadvertently showed Switzerland in 5th place instead of Great Britain and this appeared to throw them into a state of frozen animation as neither the 6th or 7th positional number appeared on-screen, despite the camera lingering on the scoreboard for over 10 seconds after the erroneous 5th placing was shown!

Fil Rouge, Round 7 - The Hindered Cyclists

The seventh and final round of the Fil Rouge featured Belgium and they released balloons after 14 seconds and 1 minute 11 seconds of elapsed time and completed the game in 1 minute 43 seconds and finished in 7th place on the game.

Final Fil Rouge Standings: 1st Balerna (CH) (1 minute 1 second) 2nd Werl (D) (1 minute 9 seconds) 3rd Battipaglia (I) (1 minute 12 seconds) 4th Ashington (1 minute 20 seconds) 5th Geleen (NL) (1 minute 25 seconds) 6th Bourg-en-Bresse (F) (1 minute 31 seconds) 7th Blankenberge (B) (1 minute 43 seconds)

Running Scores and Positions: 1st Werl (D) (6pts awarded / 39pts total) 2nd Geleen (NL) (3pts / 33pts) =3rd Blankenberge (B) (1pt / 31pts) ▼ =3rd Battipaglia (I) (5pts / 31pts) ▲ 5th Balerna (CH) (7pts / 29pts) ▲ 6th Ashington (GB) (4pts / 28pts) ▼ 7th Bourg-en-Bresse (F) (2pts / 21pts)

Comments: After the result of this game and only having won two of the games, West German team Werl had already accumulated sufficient points (6pts ahead of nearest rival) to guarantee overall victory (tied or outright), whatever the outcome of the final game.

Game 8 - The Circus Bicycles

The eighth and final game - ‘The Circus Bicycles’ - was played in unison in two distinct heats and featured two competitors (one male and one female) from each team and seven touch-judges each equipped with a different circus-style bicycle and a placard numbered between 1 and 7. On the whistle, the female wearing flippers on her feet had to run down an 80m (262ft 5¾in) straight course to a large pool filled with crazy foam. She then had to jump in and search for one of seven balls (also numbered between 1 and 7) and once found, had to climb out of the pool and make her way to a podium. The finishing order would determine the starting position and the ball collected would determine which bicycle would be used in the next part of the game.

The second heat was in the guise of a ‘handicap’ with the winning team from the first heat given a 0.5m (1ft 7¾in) head start on the second-placed team. Each subsequent placed team would also be given a 0.5m head start on the team behind them. On the whistle, they then had to cycle around the 200m semi-ovoid course utilised in the first game and cross the finishing line. The team completing the course in the faster time would be declared the winners.

This was a very simple but enjoyable game and saw Belgium complete the first part of the game ahead of West Germany, France, Great Britain, Netherlands, Italy and Switzerland. With their ball numbers revealed, the males were placed in their positional order on the track (Belgium with a 3.5m (10ft 8in) head start on Switzerland) sitting on their respectively-numbered bicycle. From the whistle, it was apparent that Belgium had been fortunate in acquiring the faster and better-styled of the bicycles and raced around the course and finished the game in 25 seconds. They were followed by Netherlands in 34 seconds, France in 35 seconds, West Germany in 37 seconds, Great Britain in 40 seconds, Switzerland in 42 seconds and Italy in 43 seconds.

Final Scores and Positions: 1st Werl (D) (4pts awarded / 43pts total) 2nd Geleen (NL) (6pts / 39pts) 3rd Blankenberge (B) (7pts / 38pts) 4th Battipaglia (I) (1pt / 32pts) ▼ =5th Balerna (CH) (2pts / 31pts) =5th Ashington (GB) (3pts / 31pts) ▲ 7th Bourg-en-Bresse (F) (5pts / 26pts)

Comments: This game obviously played out better than the designers had originally imagined. The permitted time to complete the second part of the game was 2 minutes 30 seconds. However as can be seen above, all of the teams completed the game in less than 44 seconds!

Presenters, Officials and Production Team

When the British team of Ashington was mentioned by West German commentator, Hartmut Bruehl, he stated that the town was the birthplace of English footballer, Bobby Charlton. He also mentioned that after the previous heat at Bristol, where they were real-life, the Jokers presented to the referees at this heat had returned to their normal playing card format.

Belgian commentator Paule Herreman began commentary duties for RTB/RTBF at the annual Eurovision Song Contest from this year until 1980.

Reunions

Werl (D)

During May 2013, the seven surviving members of the original Werl team got together for a 40th anniversary reunion in the Markrplatz, venue of their 1973 Spiel Ohne Grenzen Domestic Heat.

Additional Information

When the British team of Ashington was mentioned by West German commentator, Hartmut Brühl, he stated that the town was the birthplace of English footballer, Bobby Charlton (1937-2023). He also mentioned that after the previous heat at Bristol, where they were real-life, the Jokers presented to the referees at this heat had returned to their normal playing card format.

This was the second consecutive International Heat that the West Germans had won. Coincidentally, it was also the second consecutive heat that the team had amassed sufficient points before the final game to ensure victory.

At the end of the programme as the credits rolled, fireworks were lit to spell out BLANKENBERGE and also to say farewell in five languages - AU REVOIR, TOT WEERZIENS, AUF WIEDERSEHEN, ARRIVEDERCI and GOODBYE.

West German team Werl were accompanied at this heat by their local metalworks marching band comprised of twenty-eight members. Der Musikzug der Standard-Metallwerke was founded in Werl in 1958. Their members had always worn blue uniforms and were known locally as The Blue Jackets. However, in 1972 the band’s colours were changed to dark red and were given the honour of being asked to accompany the team to this heat.

Made in Colour • This programme does not exist in the BBC Archives
Exists in European archives

D

Jeux Sans Frontières 1973

Heat 7

Event Staged: Wednesday 29th August 1973
Venue: Dockside Car Park, Heiligenhafen, West Germany

European Transmissions (Local Timings):
BRT (B): Wednesday 29th August 1973, 9.05-10.25pm (Live)
RTB (B): Wednesday 29th August 1973, 9.05-10.30pm (Live)
SSR (CH): Wednesday 29th August 1973, 9.05-10.30pm (Live)
TSI (CH): Wednesday 29th August 1973, 9.05-10.20pm (Live)
SRG (CH): Wednesday 29th August 1973, 9.05-10.20pm (Live)
WDR 1 (D): Wednesday 29th August 1973, 9.05-10.50pm (Live)
Nederland 2 (NL): Wednesday 29th August 1973, 9.05-10.25pm (Live)