By David Gold at Club France in London
August 3 – French Guiana has unveiled a project it hopes will encourage leading athletes and nations to base themselves in the region prior to the 2014 FIFA World Cup in neighbouring Brazil.
Guiana is an overseas region of France, situated on the North Atlantic coast of South America, bordering with Brazil to the east and Suriname to the west (map pictured below).
The French Government is investing in a series of sport infrastructure developments to provide nations choosing to prepare themselves in the region with the best possible training facilities.
The country is keen to aim its facilities at teams who will play World Cup matches in the north of Brazil in 2014.
The Amazonian town of Manaus will stage some games, as will the Brazilian cities of Recife, Fortaleza and Natal in the north east; all of which are situated closer to Guiana than some cities in the south, such as Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo.
Among the facilities in Guiana are two football stadiums in Rémire-Montjoly and Kourou.
Representatives of the group promoting Guiana – GIP Guiana 2014-2016 – were here at Club France in London to announce project details.
The group’s vice-president is French World Cup winning goalkeeper Bernard Lama (pictured above), who lives in Guiana.
Also involved in the project are Olympic silver medal winning swimmer Malia Metalla, triple world judo champion Lucie Décosse and Ulrich Robeiri, a Beijing 2008 fencing champion.
With Brazil also hosting the Summer Olympics and Paralympics in 2016, French Guiana is determined to take full advantage of the opportunity.
New stadiums, hotels and a transport network are being developed along with modern facilities to attract top athletes and national teams to Guiana.
“From 2013, the sports world will be following the rhythm of the South American continent,” said Guiana 2014-2016 President Roger-Michel Loupec.
“French Guiana, like the Pas de Calais before it, intends to offer sport federations the best possible training and preparation facilities.
“With no time difference, a similar climate, European standard safety conditions and free access to sports facilities, you need look no further.
Approximately €35 million (£28 million/$43 million) is being spent over the next three years on the developments.
Lama told insideworldfootball that teams should base themselves in Guiana because of the natural beauty of the country.
“We have the best conditions…the sun, the beach,” he said.
“Our population – we have 84 nationalities in Guiana, it is a force.
“We have also a natural life…when I was young, I lived outside of the house – after school I went to the beach to play football.”
He added that they had facilities for any sport, from football to handball and fencing.
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