Jeux Sans Frontières 1972

European International Series

Entrants 1972: Belgium (B) • Switzerland (CH) • West Germany (D) •
France (F) • Great Britain (GB) • Italy (I) • Netherlands (NL) 

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

International Referees:
Gennaro Olivieri
Guido Pancaldi

National Referees:
Marcel LeFavre (B)
Franco Crameri (CH)
Hans Ebersberger, Hubert Gunsin, Peter Hochrath, Helmut Konrad, Gerd Siepe
and Werner Treichel (D)
Philippe Meiringe and Bernard Stollere (F)
Arthur Ellis and Paul Ridyard (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), Jef Savenberg and Herman Verelst (BRT - B), Jean-Luc Balmer (SSR - CH), Marius Berger (SRG - CH), Werner Marti (TSI - CH), Marita Theile (D), 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: Michel Rochat (RTB - B), Jean Bovon and Michel Dami (SSR - CH), Walter Plüß and Tobias Wyss (SRG - CH), Günther Hassert (D), Claude Fayard and Jean Manceau (F), Bill Taylor (GB), Luigi Turolla (I), Wim van Schaik (NL); National Games Designers: Stuart Furber (GB)

Produced by the European Broadcasting Union and
RTB-BRT (B), SSR-SRG-TSI (CH), ARD-WDR (D), 
ORTF (F), BBC North West (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)

B

Jeux Sans Frontières 1972

Heat 1

Event Staged: Tuesday 23rd May 1972
Venue: Piscine Communale de Spa (Spa Municipal Swimming Pool), Spa, Belgium

European Transmissions (Local Timings):
BRT (B): Tuesday 23rd May 1972, 9.05-10.25pm (Live)
RTB (B): Tuesday 23rd May 1972, 9.05-10.25pm (Live)
SSR (CH): Tuesday 23rd May 1972, 9.05-10.30pm (Live)
TSI (CH): Tuesday 23rd May 1972, 9.05-10.20pm (Live)
SRG (CH): Tuesday 23rd May 1972, 9.05-10.20pm (Live)
WDR 1 (D): Tuesday 23rd May 1972, 9.05-10.30pm (Live)
Nederland 2 (NL): Tuesday 23rd May 1972, 9.05-10.20pm (Live)
RAI Due (I): Thursday 25th May 1972
ORTF 2: Saturday 24th June 1972
BBC1 (GB): Friday 28th July 1972, 7.45-9.00pm

Weather Conditions: Rain at start and then Warm and Dry

Winners' Trophy presented by: The Mayor of Spa

Theme: Professional Trades

Teams: Spa (B) v. La Chaux-de-Fonds (CH) v. Hirschau an der Oberpfalz (D) v.
Anglet (F) v. Salisbury (GB) v. Ostuni (I) v. Franeker (NL)

Team Members included:
La Chaux-de-Fonds (CH) - Daniel Berget, Freddy Feitz;
Hirschau an der Oberpfalz (D) - Herman Heckl (Team Coach), Henning Ausfrauer, Albert Füchs, Hans Graf, Brittka Kopf, Norbert Lubert, Klaus Lugosz, Werner Marsheleck, Richard Mikler, Jürgen Rolich, Alfonse Sleur, Heide Spitmeier, Inga Stoiner, Maria Strügel, Rudolf Wiltz;
Anglet (F) - Jean-Marc Gassier, Marcin van Setante;
Salisbury (GB) - Bryan White (Team Manager and Co-Team Coach), Bill Gourlay (Co-Team Coach), John Hibberd (Co-Team Coach), Bill Toop (Team Captain), Jane Aurther, Steve Baldock, Iain Blood, Margaret Brown, Christina Bystrzamowska, Brian Coles, Hilary Edworthy, Roger Gregory, Paul Griffin, Carlos Gutierrez, Hilary Hancock, Vic Hart, John Hayes, Michael Hayes, Sally-Anne Heygate, Susan Jenkins, Rod Jones, Denise Keane, Roger Kelner, Nicola King, Susan King, Chas Lucas, Helena Lush, Gordon May, Barry Pritchard, Ian Purcell, Glenys Raven, Jack Smith, Neil Stott, Clay Thomas, Stephen Tilley, Linda Tullet, Richard Waite, Geraldine Westlake, Carolyn Wright;
Franeker (NL) - Rein Stoelwinder (Team Coach), Rein War (Team Captain, non--playing), Jan Bergmans, Age de Boer, Genne de Boer, Anneke Boonstra-van Langen, Henk Brijker, Piet van Dijk, Siepe Dijkstra, Geert Dilstra, Nynke Faber, Murk de Jong, Tjerkje de Jong-van der Veen, Sietse Koolstra, Jannie Meijer-Vierstra, Joke Plantinga, Rinske van der Molen, Klaas van der Ploeg, Bert Sietsma, Sjoerd Talsma, Tjibbe van der Veer, Bettie Venema-Dijkstra, Mrs Christien Vijver-Heijen, Minke van der Werf-van der Meulen.

Games: The Lifeguards, The Bakers' Oven, Erecting the Aerial, The Hairdressers, The Plumbers' Showers, The Haberdashers, The Waiter Service and The Painters;
Fil Rouge: The Chimney Sweeps;
Jokers: Professional Traders.

Game Results and Standings

Result

 Team

Points

Final Scoreboard

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

 GB • Salisbury ● ●
 CH • La Chaux-de-Fonds ●
 D • Hirschau an der Oberpfalz
 F • Anglet ●
 NL • Franeker
 B • Spa
 I • Ostuni

48
44
38
28
26
25
19

Running International Final Qualifiers

Belgium (B) - Spa (6th, 25pts)
Switzerland (CH) - La Chaux-de-Fonds (2nd, 44pts)
West Germany (D) - Hirschau an der Oberpfalz (3rd, 38pts)
France (F) - Anglet (4th, 28pts)

Great Britain (GB) - Salisbury (1st, 48pts)
Italy (I) - Ostuni (7th, 19pts)
Netherlands (NL) - Franeker (5th, 26pts)

The Host Town

Spa, Belgium

Spa is a town with a population of around 10,500 inhabitants in the francophonic (French-speaking) province of Liège. It is located 11km (7 miles) south of Verviers, 56km (35 miles) north of Bastogne, 69km (43 miles) east of Namur and 24km (15 miles) west of Küchelscheid and the German border.

Spa is one of Belgium's main tourist cities and is famous for its several natural mineral springs and for giving the word ‘spa’ to the world. As the famed site of healing cold springs, Spa has been frequented as a watering-place since as early as the 14th century. Though other sources of healing mineral springs have become famous throughout the world, it is the town of Spa which has become eponymous with any place having a natural water source that is believed to possess special health-giving properties.

In 1547, Agustino, physician to King Henry VIII (1491-1547), was staying at Spa and helped give knowledge to the world of the value of the waters. In July 1565, the gentry of the provinces met in Spa under the pretext of taking the waters. In 1654, the stay of Charles II of England (1630-1685) in Spa brought greater fame. Since the 18th century, casinos have been located in the town and it played host to the world’s first beauty pageant, Concours de Beauté, on 19th September 1888.

During World War I (1914-1918), Spa was an important German convalescent hospital town from 1914 to 1917. The general headquarters of Kaiser Wilhelm II (1859-1941) in Spa was the last place where he resided before his removal due to the German surrender. World War II (1939-1945) saw the town reoccupied by the Germans but it escaped the Battle of the Bulge in 1945 which fortunately stopped just outside the town. The Marshall Plan, an American initiative to aid Western Europe, in which the United States gave over $13 billion (approximately £160 billion today) helped Belgium to recover quickly and between 1950 and 1960, and this gradually led to the development of mass tourism. These were also the decades of social tourism during which time more and more Flemish and Dutch customers would visit, whilst those from Wallonia went en masse to the Belgian coast in Flanders.

On 17th May 1983, to mark the 400th anniversary of the export of Spa waters, King Baudouin (1930-1993), arriving by helicopter, visited the new facilities of the Spa Monopole SA, the Henrijean Hydrology Institute and the Thermal Establishment.

Lying 10km (6 miles) south-east of Spa, is the village of Francorchamps and the renowned Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, which hosts the annual Belgian Formula 1 Grand Prix in addition to the Spa 24 Hours and 1000km endurance races. It is one of the most challenging race tracks in the world, mainly due to its fast, hilly and twisty nature. Spa is a favourite circuit of many racing drivers and fans.

Spa is also famous for being the birthplace of fictional detective Hercule Poirot, created by British writer Agatha Christie (1890-1976).

The Visiting Towns

La Chaux-de-Fonds is a city with a population of around 39,000 inhabitants in the francophonic (French-speaking) Swiss canton of Neuchâtel and is located 383km (238 miles) south of Spa.

Hirschau an der Oberpfalz is a town with a population of around 6,000 inhabitants in the German state of Bayern and is located 448km (278 miles) south-east of Spa.

Anglet is a town with a population of around 40,000 inhabitants in the French region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine and is located 959km (596 miles) south-west of Spa.

Salisbury is a city with a population of around 41,000 inhabitants in the English county of Wiltshire and is located 542km (337 miles) west of Spa.

Ostuni is a town with a population of around 34,000 inhabitants in the Italian region of Puglia and is located 1,416km (880 miles) south-east of Spa.

Franeker is a town with a population of around 14,000 inhabitants in the Dutch province of Friesland and is located 301km (187 miles) north of Spa.

The Venue

Piscine Communale de Spa
(Spa Municipal Swimming Pool)

The games were played at the municipal swimming pool which is located in the north-east of the town on Avenue Amédée Hesse, part of the breathtaking Route du Lac de Warfaaz.

Completed in the mid-1960s, the infrastructure includes a 50m outdoor Olympic swimming pool with a constant water temperature of 24°C (75°F), a 45m (147ft 8in) water slide, a 15m (49ft 2in) long family slide, diving boards, swimming pool and games for the children and 8,000m² (2 acres) of open field.

It also has a 25m indoor swimming pool with a constant water temperature of 27°C (81°F) and which itself has a 40m (131ft 3in) long slide, a swimming pool for children, a whirlpool, a relaxation area with sauna, steam bath and tanning beds and a cafeteria with large terrace.

The Rehearsals

During rehearsals for this heat, several members of the Franeker team were mysteriously taken ill with stomach problems, and were unable to participate on the night of the actual recording. To assist the team’s coach, members of the Dutch production crew were given permission to participate for the team on the night. This unexpected change of personnel would have a serious impact on the team's performance in the final programme. Incidentally, the stomach problems were traced back to a local take-away that the team had visited on the previous evening.

The Games in Detail

Game 1 - The Lifeguards

The first game - ‘The Lifeguards’ - was played in unison over 2 minutes 30 seconds duration and featured a male competitor from each team and a large polystyrene lifeguard effigy designed with its arms akimbo. On the whistle, the competitor had to descend a large greased ramp and enter the pool and then swim to the lifeguard effigy floating in the water. He then had to push it back to the base of the ramp and then, with the assistance of ropes and cords built into the ramp itself, climb to the top. Once accomplished, he then had to lift the lifeguard on to two protruding bars so that they went through two holes under the armpits of the effigy. The team completing the game in the faster time would be declared the winners.

This was a very straightforward opening game which saw all the competitors entering the pool within one second of each other but it was West Germany that reached the base of the ramp first followed by Great Britain, Belgium, Netherlands, France and Italy. These positions were maintained by the majority during the ascent and saw West Germany finishing in 1st place in 1 minute 1 second followed by Belgium (off-camera) in 2nd place in 1 minute 2 seconds and Netherlands in 3rd place in 1 minute 3 seconds. Great Britain finished in 4th place in 1 minute 34 seconds followed by France in 5th place in 1 minute 45 seconds and Italy were last to complete the game in 2 minutes 16 seconds.

Running Scores and Positions: 1st Hirschau an der Oberpfalz (D) (6pts awarded / 6pts total) 2nd Spa (B) (5pts / 5pts) 3rd Franeker (NL) (4pts / 4pts) 4th Salisbury (GB) (3pts / 3pts) 5th Anglet (F) (2pts / 2pts) 6th Ostuni (I) (1pt / 1pt) 7th La Chaux-de-Fonds (CH) (--- / 0pts)

Fil Rouge, Round 1 - The Chimney Sweeps

The next game - ‘The Chimney Sweeps’ - was the Fil Rouge which was played over 1 minute 30 seconds duration and featured two male competitors with a small Sputnik satellite-shaped object attached by rope to one of their legs and a 10m (32ft 9¾in) long upright Perspex tube protruding from a brick fireplace. On the whistle, the first competitor had to climb up unassisted inside the tube using only his body weight and friction. Once he had ascended the tube, he had to climb out onto a platform and then descend down a slide. A signal would then be given for the second competitor to begin and repeat the game. The team completing the two runs in the faster time would be declared the winners.

The first round saw the participation of Switzerland and their first competitor completed his run in 22 seconds and the second competitor completed his run in 30 seconds. This gave the team an aggregate time of 52 seconds.

Running Fil Rouge Standings: 1st La Chaux-de-Fonds (CH) (52 seconds)

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 - The Bakers' Oven

The second game - ‘The Bakers’ Oven’ - was played individually over two heats and featured two male competitors from each team, equipped with long spatulas, and a conveyor belt on either side of the course between which was a small baker’s oven (in reality, a wind machine). On the whistle, whilst one of the competitors moved along his conveyor belt carrying eight bread rolls on his spatula, the other had to move along his conveyor from the opposite end with an empty spatula and when they met in the middle of the course, the bread rolls had to be passed from one spatula to the other. Any bread rolls remaining had to be emptied into a small basket further along the course. On the second heat, the two competitors would change their starting ends and participating roles. The teams participated in the same order in both heats and could decide how to transfer the rolls but either or both spatulas had to pass across the wind machine whilst doing so. The team collecting the greater number of rolls would be declared the winners.

The first heat of this straightforward game saw Switzerland, Great Britain and Italy collecting 1 roll each, Belgium and France collecting 3 rolls each and Netherlands failing to score.

The second heat saw Switzerland collecting 7 rolls (total score of 8 rolls), Great Britain collecting 2 rolls (3 rolls), Italy collecting 1 roll (2 rolls), Belgium collecting 2 rolls (5 rolls), France collecting 3 rolls (6 rolls) and Netherlands collecting 1 roll (1 roll).

Running Scores and Positions: 1st Spa (B) (4pts awarded / 9pts total) ▲ 2nd Anglet (F) (5pts / 7pts) ▲ =3rd La Chaux-de-Fonds (CH) (6pts / 6pts) ▲ =3rd Hirschau an der Oberpfalz (D) (--- / 6pts) ▼ =3rd Salisbury (GB) (3pts / 6pts) ▲ 6th Franeker (NL) (1pt / 5pts) ▼ 7th Ostuni (I) (2pts / 3pts) ▼

Fil Rouge, Round 2 - The Chimney Sweeps

The second round of the Fil Rouge featured West Germany, whose first competitor completed his run in 21 seconds. Their second competitor, having become entangled at the top of the slide after exiting the tube, completed his run in 51 seconds. This gave the team an aggregate time of 1 minute 12 seconds.

Running Fil Rouge Standings: 1st La Chaux-de-Fonds (CH) (52 seconds) 2nd Hirschau an der Oberpfalz (1 minute 12 seconds)

Comments: Before the round commenced, presenter Paule Herreman was seen holding a bottle of red wine and a small statuette of a stuffed squirrel which had been presented to her by the Swiss team of La Chaux-de-Fonds. Whilst she was thanking them for the gift, referee Guido Pancaldi appeared to be in somewhat of a hurry to start the game and took them from her. He duly placed them on the brickwork of the fireplace used in the game, after which they were swiftly removed by a stagehand!

Game 3 - Erecting the Aerial

The third game - ‘Erecting the Aerial’ - was played over two heats of 1 minute 30 seconds duration and featured a male competitor from each team wearing white overalls and a very large four-poster bed on rockers. Above the canopy of the bed were four small boxes, one of which contained a nightgown while another contained a nightcap. Before the game was started, an opposing female member had to stand on the bed and beginning rocking it from side to side. On the whistle, the competitor had to climb up one of the four posts and into the canopy and then had to disrobe himself of the overalls and collect the nightgown and nightcap and attire himself in them. He then had to descend the post and pick up an indoor aerial and insert it into a pole connected to a television set and then switch it on. 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, Switzerland and West Germany, with Netherlands, Italy and Great Britain in respective opposition to these teams, and it played out without incident. At the end of the game, the results showed that Belgium had completed the game in 1 minute 7 seconds followed by West Germany in 1 minute 10 seconds and Switzerland in 1 minute 14 seconds.

The second heat featured Great Britain, Italy and Netherlands, with Belgium, Switzerland and West Germany in respective opposition. As had been the case with the first heat, it passed without incident with Great Britain completing the game in 1 minute 9 seconds, followed by Italy in 1 minute 18 seconds and Netherlands in 1 minute 22 seconds.

Running Scores and Positions: 1st Spa (B) (6pts awarded / 15pts total) 2nd Salisbury (GB) (5pts / 11pts) ▲ 3rd Hirschau an der Oberpfalz (D) (4pts / 10pts) 4th La Chaux-de-Fonds (CH) (3pts / 9pts) ▼ 5th Anglet (F) (--- / 7pts) ▼ 6th Franeker (NL) (1pt / 6pts) 7th Ostuni (I) (2pts / 5pts)

Fil Rouge, Round 3 - The Chimney Sweeps

The third round of the Fil Rouge featured France and whilst their first competitor completed his run in 32 seconds, the second competitor was only able to make it halfway up the tube before he slid back down to the fireplace. Although he tried in vain to re-climb, it could be seen that he was suffering from friction burns to his elbows - sustained during rehearsals - and was eventually declared out of time. With only one successful run, the team had failed to complete the game and were given 0:00, which ultimately condemned them to a 7th place finish at the end of the Fil Rouge.

Running Fil Rouge Standings: 1st La Chaux-de-Fonds (CH) (52 seconds) 2nd Hirschau an der Oberpfalz (1 minute 12 seconds) 7th Anglet (F) (0:00)

Game 4 - The Hairdressers

The fourth game - ‘The Hairdressers’ - was played over two heats of 2 minutes 30 seconds duration and witnessed West Germany, France and Italy presenting their Jokers for play. The game featured three competitors (one male and two females) from each team and a large paddle boat caricatured as a giant rectangular head with a large nose at the front and four cubed feet, one at each corner. On the whistle, whilst one of the females dived into the pool at one end, the male competitor inside the head had to paddle towards her from the other. At the point where they met (around 25-30m (82ft-98ft 5¼in) from either end), the female had to climb up onto the paddle boat using the large nose and feet in order to reach the crown of the head and a large tuft of hair. She then had to place the hair into a hole on the crown and then jump back into the pool and assist her team-mate by guiding him towards her original starting point and above which the second female, equipped with a pair of garden shears, was perched on a scaffold. As they approached the finish line, she then had to cut or trim the hair as they passed underneath to finish. The team completing the game in the faster time would be declared the winners.

The first heat saw the participation of Switzerland, France and Netherlands, with all three making steady progress together until the latter failed to keep a straight course and headed towards the side of the pool. This error permitted the other two teams to open up a small lead and saw Switzerland climbing aboard their boat after 37 seconds of elapsed time, followed by France after 38 seconds and Netherlands after 40 seconds. It was then a straight race towards the finish line with Switzerland cutting their hair in 1 minute 36 seconds, Netherlands in 1 minute 50 seconds and France in 1 minute 51 seconds.

The second heat featured Belgium, West Germany and Italy, and saw all three failing to steer their boats on a straight course and ultimately heading towards the sides of the pool which resulted in the females having to swim further to climb aboard. Belgium were first to do so after 32 seconds of elapsed time followed by Belgium after 35 seconds and West Germany after 38 seconds. With all females back in the water, it was again a straight race to the finish and it ended with West Germany closing the deficit and cutting their hair in 1 minute 54 seconds followed by Belgium in 1 minute 58 seconds and Italy in 2 minutes 8 seconds.

Running Scores and Positions: 1st Spa (B) (2pts awarded / 17pts total) 2nd Hirschau an der Oberpfalz (D) (6pts / Joker / 16pts) ▲ =3rd La Chaux-de-Fonds (CH) (6pts / 15pts) ▲ =3rd Anglet (F) (8pts / Joker / 15pts) ▲ =5th Salisbury (GB) (--- / 11pts) ▼ =5th Franeker (NL) (5pts / 11pts) ▲ 7th Ostuni (I) (2pts / Joker / 7pts)

Comments: The male competitors were playing ‘blind’ in this game as there were no guide holes at the front of the boat and therefore they had to try and ensure that they steered a straight course by moving both paddles at the same speed until the female competitor was able to guide and assist him for the remainder of the 50m (164ft) course.

Fil Rouge, Round 4 - The Chimney Sweeps

The fourth round of the Fil Rouge featured Great Britain and their first competitor completed his run in 23 seconds with the second competitor emulating his time by also completing his run in 23 seconds. This gave the team an aggregate time of 46 seconds.

Running Fil Rouge Standings: 1st Salisbury (GB) (46 seconds) 2nd La Chaux-de-Fonds (CH) (52 seconds) ▼ 3rd Hirschau an der Oberpfalz (1 minute 12 seconds) ▼ 7th Anglet (F) (0:00)

Comments: Following the announcement of the result, the cameras returned to co-presenter Michel Lemaire and eagle-eyed viewers would have witnessed the rare sight of referee Guido Pancaldi smoking a cigarette. After realising that he was actually in camera shot, he quickly removed it from his mouth and dropped it to the ground!

Game 5 - The Plumbers' Showers

The fifth game - ‘The Plumbers’ Showers’ - was played individually over one minute duration and featured two male competitors from each team equipped with a plunger and a long stick. On the whistle, the first competitor had to make his way across the pool via a greased concave podium above which there were a number of shower heads. As he progressed across the podium, he had to push the head of the plunger onto a metal strip above to steady his balance and then use the stick to turn a handle to stop the flow of water from each of the showers. If he fell into the pool before completing the entire length of the podium, then the second competitor would then start his run. The team with the greater number of shower heads switched off would be declared the winners.

The first heat of this simple game saw the participation of Netherlands and the first competitor switched off 2 showers whilst his team-mate failed to score.

The second heat featured Switzerland and their first competitor switched off 5 showers before limit time elapsed.

The third team to participate was West Germany and whilst their first competitor failed to score, the second took the team into the lead by switching off 6 showers.

The fourth of the six teams to participate was France and their first competitor switched off 4 showers whilst the second simply jumped straight into the pool without trying.

The fifth and penultimate heat saw the participation of Great Britain and whilst their first competitor failed to score, the second switched off 5 showers before falling into the pool.

The sixth and final heat featured Belgium and although their first competitor switched off 4 showers, the second was unable to increase the score further when he fell into the water just two seconds after beginning his run.

Running Scores and Positions: 1st Hirschau an der Oberpfalz (D) (6pts awarded / 22pts total) ▲ =2nd Spa (B) (3pts / 20pts) ▼ =2nd La Chaux-de-Fonds (CH) (5pts / 20pts) ▲ 4th Anglet (F) (3pts / 18pts) ▼ 5th Salisbury (GB) (5pts / 16pts) 6th Franeker (NL) (1pt / 12pts) ▼ 7th Ostuni (I) (--- / 7pts)

Comments: Despite Great Britain being awarded 5pts, the scoreboard operators failed to add any points and continued to display their score as 11pts!

Fil Rouge, Round 5 - The Chimney Sweeps

The fifth round of the Fil Rouge featured Italy and their first competitor was only able to make it halfway up the tube before sliding back down. Although he tried in vain to re-climb, it could be seen that his general build was against him and he was eventually declared out of time. The team had failed to complete the game and were given 0:00, which, as was the case with France in the third round, would ultimately condemn them to a 7th place finish at the end of the Fil Rouge.

Running Fil Rouge Standings: 1st Salisbury (GB) (46 seconds) 2nd La Chaux-de-Fonds (CH) (52 seconds) 3rd Hirschau an der Oberpfalz (1 minute 12 seconds) 7th Anglet (F) (0:00) 7th Ostuni (I) (0:00)

Game 6 - The Haberdashers

The sixth game - ‘The Haberdashers’ - was played in unison over three minutes duration and witnessed Great Britain presenting their Joker for play. The game featured three female competitors from each team standing on a floating podium and inside a large bobbin which was attached to a rope at the far end of the pool. On the whistle, the three competitors had to work together to lift the bobbin and rotate it, in order to wind the rope onto it and thus pull the podium down the pool. The team completing the game in the faster time would be declared the winners.

This was a straightforward game which saw all the teams get off to a slow start. However, once Great Britain got themselves into a rhythm, they stormed ahead of the other five teams and completed the game in 2 minutes 21 seconds. With no other team anywhere near the finish line on the sound of the final whistle, the distance travelled was used to determine their finishing positions. West Germany finished in 2nd place, Switzerland finished in 3rd place, Italy finished in 4th place, France finished in 5th place and Belgium finished in 6th place.

Running Scores and Positions: 1st Salisbury (GB) (12pts awarded / Joker / 28pts total) ▲ 2nd Hirschau an der Oberpfalz (D) (5pts / 27pts) ▼ 3rd La Chaux-de-Fonds (CH) (4pts / 24pts) ▼ 4th Spa (B) (1pt / 21pts) ▼ 5th Anglet (F) (2pts / 20pts) ▼ 6th Franeker (NL) (--- / 12pts) 7th Ostuni (I) (3pts / 10pts)

Comments: Jokers were no longer permitted to be played on the last game from this year and therefore teams had to play their Jokers on the games on which other teams missed out (i.e. Games 1-7). This revision to the rules was brought in to prevent teams from gaining an unfair advantage considering that a 1st place Joker game win on Game 8 would be worth 14pts as opposed to 12pts for the same achievement on any of the previous games. However this change of rule had obviously not got through to the Belgian contingent (despite two rehearsals having been played), and before this game there were still four Jokers remaining to be presented for play. One of those outstanding was duly presented to the referees before the start which left Belgium, Switzerland and Netherlands still to present them for play. With Belgium scheduled to miss the next game, there would not be another opportunity for them to play it, but as the team captain was not forthcoming, referee Gennaro Olivieri started the game. No mention of this oversight would arise until Belgium participated in the final Fil Rouge.

Fil Rouge, Round 6 - The Chimney Sweeps

The sixth and penultimate round of the Fil Rouge featured Netherlands and their first competitor completed his run in 38 seconds with the second competitor completing his run in 35 seconds. This gave the team an aggregate time of 1 minute 13 seconds.

Running Fil Rouge Standings: 1st Salisbury (GB) (46 seconds) 2nd La Chaux-de-Fonds (CH) (52 seconds) 3rd Hirschau an der Oberpfalz (1 minute 12 seconds) 4th Franeker (NL) (1 minute 13 seconds) 7th Anglet (F) (0:00) 7th Ostuni (I) (0:00)

Game 7 - The Waiter Service

The seventh and penultimate game - ‘The Waiter Service’ - was played over three heats of 2 minutes 15 seconds duration and witnessed Switzerland and Netherlands presenting their Jokers for play. The game featured a balance beam protruding out over the pool and two male competitors from each team equipped with a tray. On the whistle, the first competitor had to pick up a cup and place it on the tray and then walk through a rotating door and return to pick up a second cup. He then had to repeat this until he had collected five cups and then had to walk through the door once more and out onto the beam. At the end of the beam, there was a similar tray hanging from above onto which he had to place the cups. He could then choose to either jump into the pool to return to the start or walk back along the beam. Contemporaneously, the second competitor had to repeat the process but only after the first competitor had begun walking onto the beam. The game then had to be repeated throughout but only one competitor could be on the beam at any one time. The team collecting the greater number of cups would be declared the winners.

The first heat saw the participation of Switzerland and France with the former appearing to be more agile in their balancing skills. On their first run, Switzerland placed five cups on the tray before descending into the pool whilst France opted to place just three before doing likewise. On the second run, Switzerland placed a further five cups whilst France were having some difficulty in collecting and maintaining the balance of the second set of cups. With thirty seconds of permitted time still remaining, France began their second run onto the beam and Switzerland began their third. After placing one of the cups on the tray, Switzerland lost their balance and descended into the pool. France, although placing one more cup on the tray, also lost their balance, but in doing so also knocked two off. The scores were confirmed as Switzerland 11 cups and France 2 cups.

The second and penultimate heat featured Great Britain and Italy with the former placing four cups on the tray on their first run whilst Italy descended into the pool before placing any. On their second run, Great Britain placed a further five cups whilst Italy were more successful than on their first run and placed two cups. Great Britain increased their lead after placing another five cups on their third run. Although they made their way out to the end of the beam for a fourth occasion, time was against them and the whistle was blown just before any further scoring could be made. The scores were confirmed as Great Britain 14 cups and Italy 2 cups.

The third and final heat saw the participation of West Germany and Netherlands with both teams placing five cups on their respective trays on each of their first runs. On their second runs, West Germany placed a further three cups whilst Netherlands placed just one before descending into the pool. On their third runs, Netherlands placed three cups whilst West Germany failed to reach the end of the beam before losing their balance. The scores were confirmed as Netherlands 9 cups and West Germany 8 cups.

Running Scores and Positions: =1st La Chaux-de-Fonds (CH) (10pts awarded / Joker / 34pts total) ▲ =1st Salisbury (GB) (6pts / 34pts) 3rd Hirschau an der Oberpfalz (D) (3pts / 30pts) ▼ 4th Anglet (F) (2pts / 22pts) ▲ 5th Spa (B) (--- / 21pts) ▼ 6th Franeker (NL) (8pts / Joker / 20pts) 7th Ostuni (I) (2pts / 12pts)

Fil Rouge, Round 7 - The Chimney Sweeps

The seventh and final round of the Fil Rouge featured Belgium and their first competitor completed his run in 36 seconds with the second competitor completing his run in 42 seconds. This gave the team an aggregate time of 1 minute 18 seconds and they finished in 5th place on the game.

Final Fil Rouge Standings: 1st Salisbury (GB) (46 seconds) 2nd La Chaux-de-Fonds (CH) (52 seconds) 3rd Hirschau an der Oberpfalz (1 minute 12 seconds) 4th Franeker (NL) (1 minute 13 seconds) 5th Spa (B) (1 minute 18 seconds) 7th Anglet (F) (0:00) 7th Ostuni (I) (0:00)

Running Scores and Positions: 1st Salisbury (GB) (7pts awarded / 41pts total) 2nd La Chaux-de-Fonds (CH) (6pts / 40pts) ▼ 3rd Hirschau an der Oberpfalz (D) (5pts / 35pts) =4th Spa (B) (3pts / 24pts) ▼ =4th Franeker (NL) (4pts / 24pts) ▲ 6th Anglet (F) (1pt / 23pts) ▼ 7th Ostuni (I) (1pt / 13pts)

Comments: At the end of this round of the Fil Rouge, West German commentators Camillo Felgen and Kurt Gerhardt mentioned that Belgium had forgotten to play their Joker. Camillo stated that the rule change this year meant that they would not be able to play the Joker on the last game.

Game 8 - The Painters

The eighth and final game - ‘The Painters’ - was played in unison over three minutes duration and witnessed Belgium presenting their Joker for play. However, due to the revision to the rules for 1972 it was not accepted (see Comments). The game featured a male competitor from each team inside a circular cage and a slightly inclined but uneven course on which there were 150 balloons. On the whistle, the competitor had to roll the cage down the incline, in a manner similar to that of a hamster, and burst all the balloons. The team completing the course in the faster time or the one with the greater number of balloons burst correctly would be declared the winners.

With three consecutive victories under their belt, Great Britain were determined not to sit on their laurels in this straightforward game. Despite a slow start and with the majority of the teams on an even keel, Great Britain and Italy moved ahead of the rest and went blazing down the course, with Great Britain completing the game in 2 minutes 13 seconds. Italy, whose best performance up to this point had been a 4th placing, surprisingly finished in 2nd place in 2 minutes 40 seconds. With none of the other teams completing the game, the number of balloons burst determined their finishing order. France finished in 3rd place after bursting 135 balloons whilst it was clear that the other four teams had failed to burst even half their number. Switzerland were declared to have finished in 4th place, West Germany in 5th place, Netherlands in 6th place and Belgium in 7th place.

Final Scores and Positions: 1st Salisbury (GB) (7pts awarded / 48pts total) 2nd La Chaux-de-Fonds (CH) (4pts / 44pts) ▼ 3rd Hirschau an der Oberpfalz (D) (3pts / 38pts) 4th Anglet (F) (5pts / 28pts) ▲ 5th Franeker (NL) (2pts / 26pts) ▼ 6th Spa (B) (1pt / 25pts) ▼ 7th Ostuni (I) (6pts / 19pts)

Comments: Although the Belgian team captain presented the Joker for play, the team was informed by Guido Pancaldi that it would not be accepted. Gennaro Olivieri then stepped in and explained the reason for this amidst a hail of jeers from the home crowd. The team captain appeared to be slightly peeved by this but accepted it and exited the area whilst Belgian presenter Michel Lemaire shrugged his shoulders in sympathy. Since their introduction in 1967, this was the first time a Joker had not been accepted by the referees. Fortunately after this, no other team befell the same fate. As a matter of interest, the team actually finished in last place on the game, bursting a mere 40 or so balloons. If their attempt to play the Joker on this game had been accepted, it would not have made any significant difference to the result except for promoting them to joint 5th position overall. With each of the teams being assigned 150 balloons, there was a total of 1050 balloons laid out down the course. With each of the seven lanes having balloons of a different colour, it was quite a spectacular sight to observe, and as the teams started their first incline drop, the noise from the bursting of the balloons by the caged rollers was somewhat dramatic!

Presenters, Officials and Production Team

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

Associated Events

Returning to Salisbury, the triumphant British team were fêted at a civic reception held in their honour in the Guildhall Square. The weather was not quite so favourable, but the pouring rain was unable to dampen the spirits of those in attendance. Team manager Bryan White was bursting with pride for Salisbury's achievements and stated that, "The performance by the squad was absolutely magnificent. We even won the rehearsal game as well." Meanwhile, the new Mayor of Salisbury, Councillor Mrs H. E. Barker, who had accompanied the team to Spa, declared that, "The city can be very proud of the team. They were fabulous. Not only did they win, they won very well indeed. Their names are on everybody’s lips in Spa." Also amongst the travelling supporters party was Councillor Burden, the former Mayor, who had been closely involved in the creation of the Salisbury team.

Additional Information

For the first time, all the Jokers presented to the referees were different. Each of the teams' Jokers were representative of one of the seven trades from the theme's games - a chimney sweep (Switzerland), a plumber (West Germany), a wine waiter (France), a lifeguard (Great Britain), a barber (Italy), an aerial erector (Netherlands) and a baker (Belgium).

For no clear reason (except possibly for its length), the Swiss team of La Chaux-de-Fonds was shown on the master scoreboard as La-Ch. de Fonds, with the hyphen between 'La' and 'Chaux' instead of between 'Chaux'. 'de' and 'Fonds'. However, in the International Final (for which they qualified), their scoreboard entry had been revised and their name was shown in full.

For reasons unknown, the music played over the end credits at this heat was the closing theme from the 1967 series of the programme!

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

CH

Jeux Sans Frontières 1972

Heat 2

Event Staged: Wednesday 7th June 1972
Venue: Eisstadion Allmend (Allmend Ice Stadium), Beundenfeld, Bern, Switzerland

European Transmissions (Local Timings):
BRT (B): Wednesday 7th June 1972, 9.05-10.25pm (Live)
RTB (B): Wednesday 7th June 1972, 9.05-10.25pm (Live)
SSR (CH): Wednesday 7th June 1972, 9.05-10.30pm (Live)
TSI (CH): Wednesday 7th June 1972, 9.05-10.20pm (Live)
SRG (CH): Wednesday 7th June 1972, 9.05-10.20pm (Live)
WDR 1 (D): Wednesday 7th June 1972, 9.05-10.30pm (Live)
Nederland 2 (NL): Wednesday 7th June 1972, 9.05-10.20pm (Live)

RAI Due (I): Thursday 8th June 1972
ORTF 2: Saturday 1st July 1972
BBC1 (GB): Friday 4th August 1972, 7.45-9.00pm

Weather Conditions: Not applicable as the event was staged indoors

Winners' Trophy presented by: Jan Hiermeyer

Theme: The Hotel

Teams: Gembloux (B) v. Jegenstorf (CH) v. Waldkraiburg (D) v.
Thiers (F) v. Banbury (GB) v. Terracina (I) v. IJsselstein (NL)

Team Members included:
Gembloux (B) - Victor Rushaine;
Waldkraiburg (D) - Günther Bauer (Team Coach), Heide Bauer, Peter Gerhardt, Günther Hunkel, Manfred Pithofer, Eva Oberberger, Erika Ostroff, Peter Thiem;
Thiers (F) - Robert Salvitte;
Banbury (GB) - Mike Swann (Team Manager), Brian Stone (Team Coach), Ray Phillips (Team Captain), Louise Belcher, Sandra Boland, George Gibbs, Angela Harper, Derek Heywood, David Higgs, Eric Hillman, Helen Jarman, Stella Judd, Ann Mullard, Mike Palmer, Tony Puddifoot, George Reynolds, Stuart Smith, Lee Steadman, Gerard ‘Jed’ Sutton, Ellen Twiner.
Terracina (I) - Paolo Arrabini.

Games: The Balancing Porters, The Pastry Chefs, The Washerwomen, The Guests' Keys, The Hotel Cloakroom, The Quick Waiters, The Kitchen Cooks and Moving Out of the Hotel;

Fil Rouge: The Piano Player;
Jokers: Brown Bears.

Game Results and Standings

Result

 Team

Points

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

 D • Waldkraiburg ●
 I • Terracina
 CH • Jegenstorf
 NL • IJsselstein
 B • Gembloux
 F • Thiers
 GB • Banbury

43
42
39
36
30
23
22

Running International Final Qualifiers

Belgium (B) - Gembloux (5th, 30pts)
Switzerland (CH) - La Chaux-de-Fonds (2nd, 44pts)
West Germany (D) - Waldkraiburg (1st, 43pts)
France (F) - Anglet (4th, 28pts)

Great Britain (GB) - Salisbury (1st, 48pts)
Italy (I) - Terracina (2nd, 42pts)
Netherlands (NL) - IJsselstein (4th, 36pts)

The Host Town

Bern, Switzerland

Bern is the country’s capital city and, with a population of around 142,000 inhabitants, is the fourth-most populous. It is located in the teutophonic (German-speaking) canton of the same name, 40km (25 miles) east of Neuchâtel, 66km (41 miles) west of Luzern, 69km (43 miles) south of Basel and 80km (50 miles) north of Sion.

The etymology of the name Bern is uncertain but according to the local legend, Berchtold V, Duke of Zähringen (1160-1218), the founder of the city, vowed to name the city after the first animal he met on the hunt, and this turned out to be a bear. In 1218, after Berthold died without an heir, Bern was made a free imperial city by the Goldene Handfeste (Golden Charter) of Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II (1194-1250). In 1353, Bern joined the Swiss Confederacy, becoming one of the eight cantons of the formative period of 1353 to 1481. Bern invaded and conquered Aargau in 1415 and Vaud in 1536, as well as other smaller territories, and thereby became the largest city-state north of the Alps. By the 18th century, it comprised mostly of what are today the cantons of Bern and Vaud.

Bern was occupied by French troops in 1798 during the French Revolutionary Wars, when it was stripped of parts of its territories. It regained control of the Bernese Oberland in 1802, and following the Congress of Vienna of 1814, it acquired the Bernese Jura. At this time, it once again became the largest canton of the confederacy. Bern was made the Federal City (seat of the Federal Assembly) within the new Swiss federal state in 1848.

The structure of the city centre is largely medieval and has been recognised by UNESCO as a Cultural World Heritage Site. Perhaps its most famous sight is the Zytglogge (Time Bell), an elaborate medieval clock tower with moving puppets. Since its construction in the early 13th century it has served the city as guard tower, prison, clock tower, centre of urban life and civic memorial. It is credited as being the oldest monument that still survives in Bern. Other sights include the impressive 15th-century Gothic cathedral (the Münster), the Town Hall and the Federal Palace (Bundeshaus), built from 1857 to 1902, which houses the national parliament, government and part of the federal administration.

Thanks to 6km (4 miles) of arcades, the Old Town boasts one of the longest covered shopping promenades in Europe and also eleven Renaissance allegorical statues on public fountains. One of the more interesting fountains is the Kindlifresserbrunnen (Child Eater Fountain). The fountain sculpture is a sitting ogre devouring a naked child. Placed at his side is a bag containing more children. Because the ogre is wearing a pointed hat resembling a Jewish hat, it has been speculated about the possibility of the ogre being the depiction of a Jew as an expression of blood libel against Jews. Another theory is that the statue is the likeness of Krampus, the beast-like creature from the folklore of Alpine countries thought to punish children during the Christmas season who had misbehaved. Around the fountain's base runs a frieze showing armed bears going to war, including a piper and a drummer.

Although the earliest reference to the keeping of live bears dates to the 1440s, it is only since the 16th century that the city has had a Bärengraben (bear pit), located at the far end of the Nydeggbrücke, to house its heraldic animals. Between 1994 and 1996, the Bärengraben was completely renovated to improve conditions for the bears. Despite this, the keeping of bears in what still remained a bear pit led to many complaints. This, as well as new legal requirements, prompted a rethink of how the bears should be kept. As a result, the BärenPark was opened in 2009, on the steeply sloping land between the Bärengraben and the bank of the River Aare. The original bear pit and the BärenPark were linked by a tunnel, allowing the current four brown bears to make use of both spaces. Two other young bears, a present donated by Russian president Vladimir Putin, are kept in Dählhölzli zoo.

The Visiting Towns

Gembloux is a town with a population of around 26,000 inhabitants in the francophonic (French-speaking) Belgian province of Namur and is located 449km (279 miles) south-east of Bern.

Jegenstorf, with a population of around 6,000 inhabitants, is a town located 10km (6 miles) north of Bern in the teutophonic / francophonic (German / French-speaking) Swiss canton of the same name.

Waldkraiburg is a town with a population of around 24,000 inhabitants in the German state of Bayern and is located 396km (246 miles) north-east of Bern.

Thiers is a town with a population of around 13,000 inhabitants in the French region of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes and is located 325km (202 miles) south-west of Bern.

Banbury is a town with a population of around 48,000 inhabitants in the English county of Oxfordshire and is located 853km (530 miles) north-west of Bern.

Terracina is a town with a population of around 47,000 inhabitants in the Italian region of Lazio and is located 781km (485 miles) south-east of Bern.

IJsselstein is a town with a population of around 34,500 inhabitants in the Dutch province of Utecht and is located 589km (366 miles) north-west of Bern.

The Venue

Eisstadion Allmend
(Allmend Ice Stadium)

The games were played at the Eisstadion Allmend located in the suburb of Beudenfeld. The original open-air stadium was built in 1967 and was given a roof comprising glulam (glued laminated timber) arches tied by steel tension members at their springing points in 1970. The maximum span of these arches is 85m (278ft 10in).

Known today as the PostFinance Arena, it was formerly called Eisstadion Allmend between 1967 and 2002 and then BernArena between 2002 and 2007. It is currently the largest ice sports hall in Switzerland with one of the largest ice rinks (2,400m² or 25,833ft²) in Europe. It accommodates up to 17,031 people and its main characteristic is that it has the world's largest standing room grandstand within an arena, with a capacity of 10,422 bench seats. It is primarily used for ice hockey and is the home arena of SC Bern. During the 2008/2009 season, the stadium enjoyed an average of 16,203 spectators – a European record.

The stadium was chosen as the main venue for the Ice Hockey World Championship 2009 but due to its age it needed extensive renovation work at a cost of 105 million Swiss Francs (£46.5 million). The work was carried out by HRS Hauser Rutishauser Suter AG in Bern. After this it was renamed PostFinance Arena after its sponsor PostFinance. The entire work was carried out before and during the 2008/09 season without affecting any game operation.

The interior of the arena remains mostly unchanged, especially the steep standing room stand, which is very popular with the fans. The former VIP zone was demolished and integrated into a new five-storey annex with a total of 21 VIP lodges being created and the number of VIP seats increased by about 500. The media cube above the ice field was replaced by a modern version. Likewise, the entire sound system was renewed in the ice rink as well as the surrounding premises.

The deep public ice field in front of the stadium has given way to an underground training hall (2,310m² or 24,864ft²) with 500 spectator seats and 140 additional parking spaces for the service centre. The outer façade of the PostFinance Arena was dressed up with cuboids that can be illuminated at night. In addition, the PostFinance Arena received a new stadium logo, which can be seen from several sides.

In addition to its main role as an ice-hockey stadium, it offers figure skating, curling and ice-skating. It can also be converted and used for basketball, volleyball, handball, tennis, motocross, Kart racing, gymnastics, and equestrianism events such as dressage and show jumping. On 12th December 2009, the WBC World Championship fight between Vitali Klitschko and Kevin Johnson was staged in the stadium.

The Games in Detail

Game 1 - The Balancing Porters

The first game - ‘The Balancing Porters’ - was played in unison over three minutes duration and featured a male competitor from each team, a large red double-layered rolled-up carpet and eleven items of luggage - a fishing rod, two tennis rackets, a beach ball, a sailor’s sea bag, two skis, a hat box, two suitcases, and a child’s inflated swimming aid. On the whistle, the competitor had to run up the course and pick up as many of the items as he could carry and then stand on top of the carpet. He then had to unfurl the carpet whilst balancing on top. Once he had unfurled the complete carpet and crossed a given line, he had to jump off and deposit all the items that he had carried into a large basket. He then had to run back to the start whilst rolling up the inner layer of the carpet and then repeat the game with all the remaining items. He then had to return to the start in the same manner as previously and make a third and final run whilst carrying an open umbrella. If the competitor fell from the carpet at any time, he could restart his run from that point. The team completing the game in the faster time would be declared the winners.

Although this was a straightforward game, it was difficult to determine which team was leading, but it was Italy that finished in 1st place in 1 minute 38 seconds. They were followed by Switzerland in 1 minute 46 seconds, France in 2 minutes 15 seconds, Netherlands in 2 minutes 18 seconds and Great Britain in 2 minutes 19 seconds. With Belgium only having completed two runs after 2 minutes 40 seconds of elapsed time, and the result already determined, the referees blew the whistle to end the game.

Running Scores and Positions: 1st Terracina (I) (6pts awarded / 6pts total) 2nd Jegenstorf (CH) (5pts / 5pts) 3rd Thiers (F) (4pts / 4pts) 4th IJsselstein (NL) (3pts / 3pts) 5th Banbury (GB) (2pts / 2pts) 6th Gembloux (B) (1pt / 1pt) 7th Waldkraiburg (D) (--- / 0pts)

Comments: As each of the carpets was unfurled, a message was displayed in one of five different languages - ‘Bienvenue à Berne’ (French), ‘Willkommen zu Bern’ (German), ‘Benvenuti a Berna’ (Italian), ‘Welcome to Berne’ (English) and ‘Welkom in Bern’ (Dutch).

Fil Rouge, Round 1 - The Piano Player

The next game - ‘The Piano Player’ - was the Fil Rouge which was played over 1 minute 30 seconds duration and featured a male competitor standing in front of a grand piano and on a long board supported underneath by a total of 27 tins built of three pyramids (one at each end and the other in the middle), each comprising nine tins in a 2, 3, 4 formation. Before the game started, the competitor had to balance himself on the board and then begin playing a chosen piece of music on the piano. After five seconds, the whistle was blown and six opposing male team members (one from each of the other teams) had to kick footballs from a distance of 5m (16ft 5in) and knock down the tins and ultimately the competitor from the board. The competitor was only able to touch the keys of the piano to play and would not be able to steady himself by holding or resting on it. The team keeping their balance for the greater time would be declared the winners.

The first round saw the participation of West Germany and, despite having the outside pyramids knocked down after 20 seconds of elapsed time, their competitor kept his balance on the board, supported by just 7 tins for the full 1 minute 30 seconds. This time would not be equalled over the next six rounds and it would earn the team 7pts at the end of the game.

Running Fil Rouge Standings: 1st Waldkraiburg (D) (1 minute 30 seconds)

Comments: To ensure that competitors did not support themselves or gain any unfair advantage, referee Guido Pancaldi positioned himself close to the side of the game in order that he could observe any misdemeanours.

Game 2 - The Pastry Chefs

The second game - ‘The Pastry Chefs’ - was played over two heats of 1 minute 30 seconds duration and witnessed Switzerland presenting their Joker for play. The game featured three male competitors from each team, one equipped with a large toasting fork on one side of a large net and the other two equipped with a rectangular wooden box on the other. On the whistle, the competitor with the fork had to pick up one of 25 doughnuts (in reality water-filled life-saving rings) from a large skillet and toss it over the net whilst the other two competitors had to catch it cleanly in the box. The game then had to be repeated until all the rings had been exhausted or permitted time was reached. Competitors could not touch the rings with their hands at any point but any that were guided into the box by their heads or torsos would be deemed as valid. The team collecting the greater number of rings would be declared the winners.

The first heat of this straightforward game saw the participation of Switzerland, West Germany and Netherlands. When the results were announced it was apparent that Switzerland had played their Joker wisely and had collected 15 rings whilst Netherlands had collected 13 rings and West Germany had collected 7 rings.

The second heat featured Belgium, Great Britain and Italy and was the lower-scoring of the two heats with Great Britain collecting 12 rings, Italy 8 collecting rings and Belgium collecting 3 rings.

Running Scores and Positions: 1st Jegenstorf (CH) (12pts awarded / Joker / 17pts total) ▲ 2nd Terracina (I) (3pts / 9pts) ▼ 3rd IJsselstein (NL) (5pts / 8pts) ▲ 4th Banbury (GB) (4pts / 6pts) ▲ 5th Thiers (F) (--- / 4pts) ▼ =6th Gembloux (B) (1pt / 2pts) =6th Waldkraiburg (D) (2pts / 2pts) ▲

Fil Rouge, Round 2 - The Piano Player

The second round of the Fil Rouge featured France and their competitor kept his balance on the board for 37 seconds.

Running Fil Rouge Standings: 1st Waldkraiburg (D) (1 minute 30 seconds) 2nd Thiers (F) (37 seconds)

Game 3 - The Washerwomen

The third game - ‘The Washerwomen’ - was played over two heats of two minutes duration and witnessed Netherlands presenting their Joker for play. The game featured two female competitors from each team and a large tub of very soapy water. On the whistle, the competitors had to take eight large cloths and empty them into the tub and then climb in. They then had to ‘wash’ the cloths ensuring that they soaked up as much water as they could hold and then climb out of the tub and take the water-sodden cloths to a set of weighing scales and wring the water into a bowl. The cloths could be carried in any manner but each one could only be ‘washed’ once. The team collecting the greater volume of water would be declared the winners.

The first heat saw the participation of Belgium, Italy and Netherlands and it was apparent that Netherlands had honed their tactics to collect the greatest volume of water possible. Whilst the other two teams pulled the cloths from the tub and ran to the scales with water dripping from them, the Netherlands duo folded the cloth and held it by each of the four corners in order for it to collect water in the middle and create a ‘U’ shape as they lifted it from the tub. Italy, playing the game behind them, observed the tactics and adopted the same method halfway through the game. At the end of permitted time, Netherlands had collected 31.2kg (68lbs 12½oz) of water, Italy had collected 29.6kg (65lb 4oz) and Belgium had collected just 5.4kg (11lb 14½oz).

The second heat featured Switzerland, West Germany and France and it could be seen that one of the teams had been observing the tactics adopted by Netherlands and Italy in the previous heat. Whilst the other two teams carried the cloths in the same manner as Belgium in the previous heat, West Germany took their time and meticulously folded each cloth in order to maximise the volume of water that each could hold. When the results were announced, despite only having utilised five of the eight cloths, West Germany had collected a total of 50.6kg (111lb 8¾oz) of water, France had collected 19kg (41lb 14¼oz) and Switzerland had collected 15.2kg (33lb 8¼oz).

Running Scores and Positions: 1st Jegenstorf (CH) (2pts awarded / 19pts total) 2nd IJsselstein (NL) (10pts / Joker / 18pts) ▲ 3rd Terracina (I) (4pts / 13pts) ▼ 4th Waldkraiburg (D) (6pts / 8pts) ▲ 5th Thiers (F) (3pts / 7pts) 6th Banbury (GB) (--- / 6pts) ▼ 7th Gembloux (B) (1pt / 3pts) ▼

Fil Rouge, Round 3 - The Piano Player

The third round of the Fil Rouge featured Great Britain and, despite their competitor holding his balance for the first 30 seconds of elapsed time, the tins began to fall and he tumbled to the ground after 46 seconds.

Running Fil Rouge Standings: 1st Waldkraiburg (D) (1 minute 30 seconds) 2nd Banbury (GB) (46 seconds) 3rd Thiers (F) (37 seconds) ▼

Comments: Although the tune adopted by Great Britain was the Piano Concerto in C Major, written by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840-1893), it did not sound anything like it when competitor George Gibbs began to play. Presenter Jan Hiermeyer spoke to him after the game and stated that it was the shortest Tchaikovsky concerto ever played, to which Gibbs gave him a beaming smile and bowed!

Game 4 - The Guests' Keys

The fourth game - ‘The Guests’ Keys’ - was played in unison over 2 minutes 30 seconds duration and witnessed Belgium and West Germany presenting their Jokers for play. The game featured a male competitor from each team standing behind a reception desk and 61 large keys hanging from a jackdaw’s nest above the playing area. On the whistle, the competitor had to leap over the desk and run to the area under the nest and then jump up and grab a key. He then had to return to the desk, leap over it and hang the key from one of 15 hooks. The game then had to be repeated throughout. The team collecting 15 keys in the faster time or the one collecting the greater number would be declared the winners.

This was another straightforward game which saw West Germany having the advantage of a 1.82m (6ft) tall competitor drawn to play and whilst all the other five teams made heavy weather of the game, West Germany made it look very easy. When the results were announced, West Germany had collected all 15 keys in 2 minutes 28 seconds, Netherlands had collected 13 keys, Belgium had collected 12 keys, Switzerland had collected 8 keys, France had collected 5 keys and Great Britain had collected just 3 keys.

Running Scores and Positions: 1st IJsselstein (NL) (5pts awarded / 23pts total) ▲ 2nd Jegenstorf (CH) (3pts / 22pts) ▼ 3rd Waldkraiburg (D) (12pts / Joker / 20pts) ▲ 4th Terracina (I) (--- / 13pts) ▼ 5th Gembloux (B) (8pts / Joker / 11pts) ▲ 6th Thiers (F) (2pts / 9pts) ▼ 7th Banbury (GB) (1pt / 7pts) ▼

Comments: As with most games of this ilk, there was a chance of each of the teams being able to collect an equal number of keys. However for the actual recording, Swiss TV appeared to err on the safe side and added an additional key to the nest so that there would be, as they believed, no possibility of a six-way tie. However, it is apparent that they may not have taken into account that all the teams could still collect 10 keys each with one key remaining hanging from the nest!

Fil Rouge, Round 4 - The Piano Player

The fourth round of the Fil Rouge featured Italy and their competitor kept his balance on the board for 50 seconds.

Running Fil Rouge Standings: 1st Waldkraiburg (D) (1 minute 30 seconds) 2nd Terracina (I) (50 seconds) 3rd Banbury (GB) (46 seconds) ▼ 4th Thiers (F) (37 seconds) ▼

Game 5 - The Hotel Cloakroom

The fifth game - ‘The Hotel Cloakroom’ - was played over three heats of two minutes duration and featured a male competitor from each team and a 10m (32ft 9¾in) long balance beam. On the whistle, the competitor had to collect a numbered (1) cloakroom token from a touch-judge and then run to the other end of the game and hang it from a hook on an upright post. He would then be handed two heavy overcoats by a female team-mate which he had to attire himself in. Once accomplished, he then had to walk along the 5cm (2in) wide beam and en route had to pass under a small hurdle. After completing the first run, he had to collect another token (2) and then run to the end of the game once more and place it on a second hook. He would then be handed and assisted with a third coat and a top hat and scarf. He then had to cross the beam for a second time to finish the game. Only cleanly executed crossings would be deemed as successful. Any competitor that fell or stepped down from the beam had to return to the starting end of the beam and repeat the crossing. The team completing two clean runs in the faster time would be declared the winners.

The first heat saw the participation of Belgium and France and whilst it was executed without incident by Belgium, it provided some funny, if not teeth-clenching, painful moments from France. Belgium completed their first run after 22 seconds of elapsed time and followed this with a second success after 53 seconds. Contemporaneously, France were having problems with their balance and although their competitor fell from the beam on three occasions, he recomposed himself and completed the first run in 54 seconds. However, on the second run, and with more weight to carry, he lost his balance once again and, as he passed underneath the hurdle, he knocked the crossbar off and, in doing so, scraped his legs on the beam as he fell. After repositioning the crossbar and recomposing himself, he almost made a successful crossing of the beam before succumbing to another fall after 1 minute 47 seconds. As he made his way back to the start, he inadvertently destroyed the hurdle whilst passing underneath it. Despite some assistance from referee Guido Pancaldi, permitted time elapsed and the whistle was sounded. Having been unable to make two runs, France were given a time of 0:00.

The second and penultimate heat featured West Germany and Great Britain and proved to be a more-closely run race. Whilst both teams made a clean crossing on their first runs (Great Britain after 25 seconds of elapsed time and West Germany after 26 seconds), the latter had to return to the touch-judge as their competitor had forgotten to collect his second token. With their rivals now further ahead, West Germany were able to close the deficit after Great Britain suffered a mishap and knocked the crossbar off its supports whilst passing underneath. West Germany completed their second crossing without mishap in 1 minute 5 seconds and whilst the cameras panned on the team celebrating, Great Britain were struggling to cross the beam out of camera-shot. When the cameras returned to the action, presenting Jan Hiermeyer could be heard urging the team on with shouts of “Come on”. Although Great Britain finally made the crossing, they were deemed to be out of time by just one second and were given 0:00.

The third and final heat saw the participation of Switzerland and Netherlands and would be the more successful of the three. With both teams making flawless performances on both their runs, Switzerland completed the game in 50 seconds followed by Italy, out of camera-shot, in 53 seconds.

Running Scores and Positions: 1st Jegenstorf (CH) (6pts awarded / 28pts total) ▲ =2nd Waldkraiburg (D) (3pts / 23pts) ▲ =2nd IJsselstein (NL) (--- / 23pts) ▼ 4th Terracina (I) (5pts / 18pts) 5th Gembloux (B) (5pts / 16pts) 6th Thiers (F) (1pt / 10pts) 7th Banbury (GB) (1pt / 8pts)

Fil Rouge, Round 5 - The Piano Player

The fifth round of the Fil Rouge featured Netherlands and their competitor kept his balance on the board for 1 minute 1 second which put them in 2nd place at this point.

Running Fil Rouge Standings: 1st Waldkraiburg (D) (1 minute 30 seconds) 2nd IJsselstein (NL) (1 minute 1 second) 3rd Terracina (I) (50 seconds) ▼ 4th Banbury (GB) (46 seconds) ▼ 5th Thiers (F) (37 seconds) ▼

Game 6 - The Quick Waiters

The sixth game - ‘The Quick Waiters’ - was a game of nerve and chance played over six heats of one minute duration and witnessed France and Great Britain presenting their Jokers for play. The game featured eight male competitors from each team, seven of whom were standing on a long rectangular table, each holding a tray with five items - a large bunch of grapes, two bottles of wine, a large honeydew melon and a whole roasted chicken. On the whistle, the seven competitors on the table had to jump in unison so that the eighth competitor, standing at one end of the table, could pull on a 30m (98ft 5¼in) long table carpet. If the team got their rhythm correct then the carpet would pass underneath with ease, but if they did not keep in synchronisation, the carpet would stop and hinder their passage. The competitors had to keep both hands on the tray at all times. The team completing the game with the higher number of items intact would be declared the winners.

The first heat saw the participation of Italy and they appeared to have a regular rhythm and finished the game in 27 seconds with a total of 30 items intact on the trays.

The second heat featured Great Britain and it was embarrassingly apparent that the team had no idea how to play this game and as a result, with half the team in the air whilst the other half were standing on the carpet, after 30 seconds of elapsed time the carpet had only travelled 5m (16ft 5in) metres. At the end of permitted time, the carpet had only been moved 11m (36ft 1in) and the team were declared out of time and given 0:00!

The third team to participate was France and after a slow start they finished the game in 46 seconds with 19 items intact.

The fourth of the six teams to participate was Switzerland and, following a good start, the team began to falter. However, with assistance from the home crowd shouting “up, up, up”, the team recomposed itself and got back into rhythm and completed the game in 51 seconds with a total of 24 items intact.

The fifth and penultimate heat saw the participation of West Germany and, having had the advantage of observing the previous four teams, they completed a flawless performance in 31 seconds with a full complement of 35 items intact.

The sixth and final heat featured Netherlands and although they completed the game in 24 seconds they had only secured a total of 19 items.

Running Scores and Positions: 1st Jegenstorf (CH) (4pts awarded / 32pts total) 2nd Waldkraiburg (D) (6pts / 29pts) 3rd IJsselstein (NL) (3pts / 26pts) ▼ 4th Terracina (I) (5pts / 23pts) =5th Gembloux (B) (--- / 16pts) =5th Thiers (F) (6pts / Joker / 16pts) ▲ 7th Banbury (GB) (2pts / Joker / 10pts)

Comments: Although up to this point there had been no signs of picture disturbance, it soon became apparent that the weather conditions being experienced in Bern had been or were somewhat extreme. During the fifth heat of this game, whilst Netherlands were participating, the live picture feed began to break up. Although this loss was for just a matter of a few seconds, WDR had obviously prepared itself for such an eventuality and displayed a caption on-screen within one second of the picture break up! It read: "Die besondere Wetterlage kann heute durch überreichweiten zu Störungen fuhren. Wir bitten um Verstandnis" (The special weather situation today can lead to disturbances. We ask for your understanding). The scoreboard operators inadvertently added 15pts to the score of Italy and displayed their total as 33pts. Despite this error, it appears that they overlooked this when displaying the positional order of the teams. Instead of flashing ‘Terracina’, as it would have if the scores being displayed had been correct, they correctly flashed ‘Jegenstorf’ even though they were only displayed with 32pts!

Fil Rouge, Round 6 - The Piano Player

The sixth and penultimate round of the Fil Rouge featured Belgium and their competitor kept his balance on the board for 35 seconds.

Running Fil Rouge Standings: 1st Waldkraiburg (D) (1 minute 30 seconds) 2nd IJsselstein (NL) (1 minute 1 second) 3rd Terracina (I) (50 seconds) 4th Banbury (GB) (46 seconds) 5th Thiers (F) (37 seconds) 6th Gembloux (B) (35 seconds)

Game 7 - The Kitchen Cooks

The seventh and penultimate game - ‘The Kitchen Cooks’ - was played in unison over two minutes duration and witnessed Italy presenting their Joker for play. The game featured a male competitor from each team and 30 large strings of onions hanging from a podium above the playing area. On the whistle, the competitor had to climb a 5m (16ft 5in) long pole and after ascending to the top, had to swing it like a pendulum in order for him to reach the onions. After removing a string, he then had to descend the pole and place the onions on a podium. He then had to repeat the game and after placing the second string of onions on the podium, he had to make a final ascent and hang his chef’s hat from the top of the pole to end the game. The team completing the game in the faster time would be declared the winners.

This was a straightforward game which saw Italy finishing in 37 seconds followed by Belgium in 2nd place in 54 seconds and Great Britain in 3rd place in 55 seconds. France finished in 4th place in 1 minute 6 seconds, West Germany in 5th place in 1 minute 14 seconds and Netherlands in 6th place in 1 minute 21 seconds.

Running Scores and Positions: 1st Terracina (I) (12pts awarded / Joker / 35pts total) ▲ 2nd Jegenstorf (CH) (--- / 32pts) ▼ 3rd Waldkraiburg (D) (2pts / 31pts) ▼ 4th IJsselstein (NL) (1pt / 27pts) ▼ 5th Gembloux (B) (5pts / 21pts) 6th Thiers (F) (3pts / 19pts) ▼ 7th Banbury (GB) (4pts / 14pts)

Fil Rouge, Round 7 - The Piano Player

The seventh and final round of the Fil Rouge featured Switzerland and their competitor kept his balance on the board for just 24 seconds before he succumbed to the effects of the opposing teams’ shooting accuracy. With the shortest recorded time it put them in 7th place on the game.

Final Fil Rouge Standings: 1st Waldkraiburg (D) (1 minute 30 seconds) 2nd IJsselstein (NL) (1 minute 1 second) 3rd Terracina (I) (50 seconds) 4th Banbury (GB) (46 seconds) 5th Thiers (F) (37 seconds) 6th Gembloux (B) (35 seconds) 7th Jegenstorf (CH) (24 seconds)

Running Scores and Positions: 1st Terracina (I) (5pts awarded / 40pts total) 2nd Waldkraiburg (D) (7pts / 38pts) ▲ =3rd Jegenstorf (CH) (1pt / 33pts) ▼ =3rd IJsselstein (NL) (6pts / 33pts) ▲ 5th Gembloux (B) (2pts / 23pts) 6th Thiers (F) (3pts / 22pts) 7th Banbury (GB) (4pts / 18pts)

Game 8 - Moving Out of the Hotel

The eighth and final game - ‘Moving Out of the Hotel’ - was played in unison over two minutes duration and featured five competitors (one male and four females) from each team and 18 different items - a small circular trampoline, three suitcases, two tennis rackets, an alpine horn, an inflated swimming aid, a cello, a beach ball, a clock, two skis, a sailor’s sea bag, a large cow bell, a hat box, an umbrella and a box of chocolates. On the whistle, the four females had to run to collect the items and place them on a small three-wheeled trolley and then the male competitor had to pull it down the course and under a high hurdle. Once completed, the team had to lower a handle on one of the upright poles of the hurdle in order to unfurl a banner to reveal the word ‘goodbye’ in each of their respective languages. To alleviate the possibility of items falling from the trolley en route, team members would be permitted to lie across the items. The team completing the course in the faster time would be declared the winners.

This was a very straightforward and fast-paced game but it ended with Belgium finishing in 1st place in 57 seconds followed by Switzerland in 2nd place in 59 seconds, West Germany in 3rd place in 1 minute 2 seconds and Great Britain in 4th place in 1 minute 4 seconds. Netherlands finished in 5th place in 1 minute 21 seconds, Italy finished in 6th place in 1 minute 24 seconds and France finished in 7th place in 1 minute 28 seconds.

Final Scores and Positions: 1st Waldkraiburg (D) (5pts awarded / 43pts total) ▲ 2nd Terracina (I) (2pts / 42pts) ▼ 3rd Jegenstorf (CH) (6pts / 39pts) 4th IJsselstein (NL) (3pts / 36pts) ▼ 5th Gembloux (B) (7pts / 30pts) 6th Thiers (F) (1pt / 23pts) 7th Banbury (GB) (4pts / 22pts)

Media Attention

Before the British team departed for Switzerland, England football hero Geoff Hurst visited them at their final training session at Banbury United Stadium. “I always believed that people took this as a bit of fun, but it appears that you could be training for a football tournament” he stated. Geoff's company, Unique Sportswear, presented the team with their International shoulder-bags, and he wished them all success in Switzerland.

In an article published in local newspaper The Banbury Guardian dated Thursday 1st June 1972, team manager Mike Swann revealed that the team was fit and ready to go: “We can get a maximum of 56pts in the competition and we have set ourselves a target of 50,” he said. These words would soon come back and bite him at the International heat in Switzerland.

An article in local newspaper The Banbury Guardian dated Thursday 15th June 1972 entitled BBC Protest Follows Knock-Out Defeat details in some way why the British team did so badly on their Joker game. It explains: "A shock decision to alter the ruling on one of the eight games in the Jeux Sans Frontières competition in Bern, Switzerland, has led to a protest being lodged by the BBC with the competition organisers. The ruling seriously affected Banbury’s chances of a better placing in last week’s competition ... The decision to alter the ruling followed a rehearsal of the ‘Quick Waiters’ game. Banbury’s technique of treading the tablecloth along to the team member stationed at the end of the table was so successful that they won the game hands down. The team then decided that this would be the game they would play their Joker on in the actual competition. It was not however until the following morning that the teams were informed that the technique used by the British team could not be used. “We could not believe it,” said team manager Mike Swann. “We made a protest but they just would not listen. Barney Colehan, the BBC producer went out of his mind because under the new rule it stated that we had to play our Joker on that game, and he and other BBC representatives complained but I think they were out-voted. The Dutch captain had a word with me and thought that we were most unfortunate. He said they were also shocked that they should change the rules." Mike Swann finished by stating that, “We had come up with a combination which was really successful and I think we would have won. All the other teams thought we would get 12pts." The new rule that Barney Colehan had been so incensed by had been brought into effect immediately following Belgium's debacle in International Heat 1 when their team forgot to play the Joker. Following protests from the Belgian TV producers immediately after the programme, it was decided that following the final dress rehearsals, all teams had to reveal which game they would be playing their Joker on in the actual competition. This decision was then irrevocable under all circumstances.

Reunions

Waldkraiburg (D)

On the evening of Friday 14th September 2012, the surviving fifteen members of the successful Waldkraiburg Spiel Ohne Grenzen team from 40 years previous met for a reunion in the Sudentenland building at the invitation of the town’s councillors.

Back in the early 1970s, the then city treasurer Edmund Platsch suggested that the town apply to take part in Spiel Ohne Grenzen. The town's mayor at the time, Dr. Josef Kriegisch, put the idea to the town council and the motion was carried unanimously. Waldkraiburg applied in 1971 and was awarded an entry in the 1972 series. As a result, the Waldkraiburg track and field coach Horst Krumpholz was asked to put together a team and train them. Once the descriptions of the games had been received from WDR, the team were then selected based on their personal skills. From more than one hundred applicants, only 20 suitable players were picked to be part of the squad to represent the town.

Once the team were aware that there would be a game with a flock of sheep in their West German Domestic Heat, they drove to Mettenheim to see a shepherd, who showed the participants how to drive a flock, and in fact it was exactly this discipline that was required of the participants on the day. It goes without saying that the Waldkraiburgers went on to win this game hands down.

Following their victory in Rothenburg ob der Tauber, the team qualified for the International programme in Bern in Switzerland. Despite not being reckoned to be any threat to the other teams, Waldkraiburg won ahead of the big favourites from Italy. However, going into the final game ‘Auszug auf dem Hotel’ (Moving Out of the Hotel) and leading by two points, the Italian team were unlucky and their luggage trolley got caught in a transverse groove of the ice rink and this dropped them five places.

At that time, the players were accompanied by around two thousand supporters with special trains laid on. Among the travelling support were singers Peter Maffay and Peter Zicholinski, who would later become the mayor of Waldkraiburg. The returnees were welcomed by an estimated 20,000 Waldkraiburgers at the old train station. From there they went to a reception - complete with brass band music - in front of the town hall.

At the 40th anniversary celebrations in the Sudetenland building, Mayor Siegfried Klika heartily thanked the organisers and participants, because this huge event made the town of Waldkraiburg very well known internationally. There were lively discussions at the meeting and many memories were refreshed. After a meal together, watching surviving film material from the team's 1972 adventure was a must. Members of the public were also invited to relive the memories of the team with a special viewing of both programmes in Waldkraiburg’s Haus der Kultur on Saturday 29th September 2012.

Additional Information

This was only the second of three summer Jeux Sans Frontières competitions to be staged indoors. The first event had been staged in 1971 at the Sportpaleis ‘Ahoy’ in Rotterdam, Netherlands and the third would be in 1976 when the programme was staged at the Pallazzo dello Sport in Milano, Italy. It should be noted that the first-ever Jeux Sans Frontières related event to be staged indoors was during the 1968 Interneige series when the final programme was broadcast from the Centre Sportif des Vernets (Vernets Sports Centre) at Bâtie-Acacias in Genève, Switzerland.

It was apparent that the introduction of the teams had been recorded earlier that evening or at one of the previous nights’ rehearsals as it was pouring with rain outside. However, when the teams ran into the arena not a single competitor had a drop of rain on their outfits!

With the event being held indoors, the noise made by the cheering spectators drowned out most of what Swiss presenter Jan Hiermeyer was saying and it was even more difficult to hear any explanations of the times / scores and points being delivered by the referees.

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

D

Jeux Sans Frontières 1972

Heat 3

Event Staged: Tuesday 20th June 1972
Venue: Sylt-Stadion (Sylt Stadium), Westerland (Sylt), West Germany

European Transmissions (Local Timings):
BRT (B): Tuesday 20th June 1972, 9.05-10.25pm (Live)
RTB (B): Tuesday 20th June 1972, 9.05-10.25pm (Live)
SSR (CH): Tuesday 20th June 1972, 9.05-10.30pm (Live)
TSI (CH): Tuesday 20th June 1972, 9.05-10.20pm (Live)
SRG (CH): Tuesday 20th June 1972, 9.05-10.20pm (Live)
WDR 1 (D): Tuesday 20th June 1972, 9.05-10.30pm (Live)
Nederland 2 (NL): Tuesday 20th June 1972, 9.05-10.20pm (Live)
RAI Due (I): Wednesday 21st June 1972
ORTF 2 (F): Saturday 8th July 1972
BBC1 (GB): Friday 11th August 1972, 7.45-9.00pm

Weather Conditions: Warm and Dry

Winners' Trophy presented by: Camillo Felgen

Theme: The Olympic Games

Teams: Middelkerke (B) v. Massagno (CH) v. Westerland (Sylt) (D) v.
Angoulême (F) v. Folkestone (GB) v. Carpi (I) v. Ridderkerk (NL)

Team Members included:
Middelkerke (B) - Hubert Maissaint, Eddy Rosnome;
Westerland (Sylt) (D) - Wolfgang Lehrerpen (Team Manager), Gudrun Haun, Veralka Liebrischen, Peter Matmüßen, Erhard Paul, Dieter Pulitzer;
Folkestone (GB) - Brian Spearpoint (Co-Team Coach), Steve Thomas (Co-Team Coach), Mike O’Grady (Team Captain), Keith Allen, David Anslow, Sue Anslow, Mike Berry, Van Betts, Sue Boardman, Lottie Boucher, Sue Clark, Gary Cooper, Sheila Crockford, Norma Devereux, Brian Fowler, Chris Fowler, Ron Fowler, Michael Hawkes, Janet Hughes, Pat James, Graham Jones, Peter Kennedy, Roger McCrow, Elizabeth Mount, Peter Munday, David Price, Ron Price, Jenny Thomas, Peter Warren;
Carpi (I) - Umberto Venuzzi (Team Manager);
Ridderkerk (NL) - Kees Bisdom (Co-Team Coach), Floor Oliver (Co-Team Coach), Aad de Zeeuw (Team Captain), Liesbeth de Boef, Karel Borkes, Henk de Frise, Klasske van der Heide, Kees Langendijk, Anja Puister, Henk Vormlar.

Games: Lighting the Flame, The Steeplechase, The Giant Wrestlers, Passing the Baton, The Giant Bowling Balls, Waldi the Dachshund, The Obstacle Race and Harvesting the Medals;
Fil Rouge: The Doves and the Cannon;
Jokers: Roman Emperor Busts.

Game Results and Standings

Result

 Team

Points

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

 D • Westerland (Sylt) ● ●
 CH • Massagno
 NL • Ridderkerk
 GB • Folkestone
 I • Carpi
 B • Middelkerke
 F • Angoulême

47
42
40
37
30
22
17

Running International Final Qualifiers

Belgium (B) - Gembloux (5th, 30pts)
Switzerland (CH) - La Chaux-de-Fonds (2nd, 44pts)
West Germany (D) - Westerland (Sylt) (1st, 47pts)
France (F) - Anglet (4th, 28pts)

Great Britain (GB) - Salisbury (1st, 48pts)
Italy (I) - Terracina (2nd, 42pts)
Netherlands (NL) - Ridderkerk (3rd, 40pts)

The Host Town

Westerland (Sylt), West Germany

Westerland is a town and seaside resort with a population of around 9,000 inhabitants in the state of Schleswig-Holstein. It is located on the western shore of the island of Sylt, 74km (46 miles) west of Flensburg, 153km (95 miles) north of Bremerhaven, 74km south of Esbjerg in Denmark and separating it from Newcastle-upon-Tyne in Great Britain to the east, is 636km (395 miles) of North Sea.

At the time of recording, Westerland was West Germany's northernmost town. Only the smaller communities of List, Wenningstedt and Kampen lay farther north. However, after the merger of the town with the former municipalities of Rantum and Sylt-Ost in 2009, it gave up its status as a stadt (town), and became part of the new municipality of Gemeinde Sylt. Thanks to its affluent, glamorous lifestyle and thriving tourism industry, Westerland has been called the ‘Beverly Hills’ of Germany.

The island of Sylt, and thereby Westerland, cannot be reached by road from the mainland. Instead, there is a shuttle train that carries cars, the Sylt-Shuttle, that runs between Niebüll and Westerland. The railway line, called the Marschbahn (Marsh Railway), was inaugurated in 1927 and runs across the 11.3km (7 miles) long Hindenburgdamm, a causeway across the Wadden Sea joining the island to the mainland. It can also be reached by air through Sylt Airport and by car ferry from the nearby Danish island of Rømø.

Westerland is one of the younger settlements on the island of Sylt. After the All Saints' Day Flood of 1436 had destroyed the biggest community of Eidum, which was actually located several hundred metres west of the present coastline of today’s town, the survivors left it and founded a new settlement about 2km (1¼ miles) further east on the higher geest ridge (a type of landform, slightly raised above the surrounding countryside) in the area of Tinnum. This settlement was called Südhedig and from it emerged present-day Westerland. The latter name, ‘Westerland’, is believed to have derived from an old Tinnum field name, on which this new settlement stood. The land was west of the village, hence ‘Wester-land’.

During the 16th century, most of the Sylt population were involved in the herring fishing trade around the island of Helgoland and to this end, Westerland was no exception. The village grew heavily during the 17th and 18th centuries due to a big increase in wealth, thanks to whaling. Before this, the population had only lived from the sea and what little their fields could provide - the latter often destroyed by the wandering dunes or flooding.

In 1855, the local landvogt (reeve or advocate) decided to turn Westerland into a seaside resort. In 1857, the first hotel - the Dünenhalle - opened its doors. In 1888, the Kurhalle was inaugurated, followed in 1903 by the art nouveau hotel Miramar, which still stands on the promenade today. Electricity was available from 1893, and in 1897, a telephone cable to the mainland was laid.

In 1948, it received official recognition as a seaside spa town (Nordseeheilbad). The concrete high rise buildings that today dominate the Westerland skyline (and which are visible from many places on Sylt) were built between 1966 and 1968 (Kurzentrum, Metropol). Another, even more gargantuan, development project named Atlantis was stopped in 1971 after protests by locals.

The major attraction at Westerland is the beach and the 6km (3¾ miles) long promenade with its Musikmuschel music pavilion. The town has 30 listed historic buildings and another 150 that are considered of special historic or architectural value. These include the Kurhaus from 1897, which now houses the municipal administration and a casino.

The Visiting Towns

Middelkerke is a town with a population of around 18,000 inhabitants in the néerlandophonic (Dutch-speaking) Belgian province of West-Vlaanderen and is located 554km (344 miles) south-west of Westerland (Sylt).

Massagno is a town with a population of around 6,500 inhabitants in the italophonic (Italian-speaking) Swiss canton of Ticino and is located 992km (616 miles) south of Westerland (Sylt).

Angoulême is a town with a population of around 43,000 inhabitants in the French region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine and is located 1,182km (734 miles) south-west of Westerland (Sylt).

Folkestone is a town with a population of around 47,000 inhabitants in the English county of Kent and is located 641km (398 miles) south-west of Westerland (Sylt).

Carpi is a town with a population of around 71,000 inhabitants in the Italian region of Emilia-Romagna and is located 1,141km (709 miles) south of Westerland (Sylt).

Ridderkerk is a town with a population of around 46,000 inhabitants in the Dutch province of Zuid-Holland and is located 419km (260 miles) south-west of Westerland (Sylt).

The Venue

Sylt-Stadion
(Sylt Stadium)

The games were played at Sylt-Stadion, known today as Dünensteg Stadion, which is located adjacent to the Dünensteg (Dune Ridge). It was originally constructed as an athletics stadium and is used today by civilians, soldiers of the German armed forces and Allied nations in attaining their DSA - Deutsches Sportabzeichen (German Sports Badge) - a decoration of the German Olympic Sports Federation of the Federal Republic of Germany.

Since 1971, the stadium has been the venue for the athletic disciplines, with the cycle track around the stadium being used for various exercises. The swimming disciplines are taken in the swimming pool of the naval supply school adjacent to the stadium (the building with the blue roof to the left in the picture below).

Despite its small size, the stadium will always hold four records: (a) the only West German venue in Jeux Sans Frontières ever to be located on an island; (b) the most-northerly venue of any West German heat (Spiel Ohne Grenzen or Jeux Sans Frontières); (c) the most-northerly venue of any heat staged on mainland Europe and (d) the third most-northerly venue of any Jeux Sans Frontières heat (the first and second most-northerly being in Great Britain namely Edinburgh in 1967 and Washington in 1981).

The Games in Detail

Game 1 - Lighting the Olympic Flame

The first game - ‘Lighting the Olympic Flame’ - was played in unison over two minutes duration and witnessed Switzerland and Great Britain presenting their Jokers for play. The game featured a male competitor from each team, sitting on a podium, dressed in trousers with legs measuring 10m (32ft 9¾in) in length. On the whistle, the competitor had to use his hands to crimp the material backwards up his legs in order to reveal his feet. Once accomplished, he had to jump down off the podium and collect a ‘flame torch’ and run down the 50m (164ft) course to a step of six large steps. He then had to climb the steps in order to reach a large bowl and then press a switch to ignite an ‘Olympic flame’. The team completing the game in the faster time would be declared the winners.

From the outset of this straightforward game, it was apparent that there was only to be one winner. Switzerland were the first to complete the crimping and set off towards the steps. Despite the bottom of their trouser legs becoming loose and straightening out (something that would eventually occur with all the teams), they reached the top of the steps and switched on the flame after 41 seconds of elapsed time. They were followed by West Germany in 2nd place in 50 seconds, Netherlands and Great Britain in 3rd place and 4th place respectively in 52 seconds (with Netherlands crossing the line marginally ahead of Great Britain), Italy in 5th place in 53 seconds and Belgium in 6th place in 1 minute 1 second.

Running Scores and Positions: 1st Massagno (CH) (12pts awarded / Joker / 12pts total) 2nd Folkestone (GB) (6pts / Joker / 6pts) 3rd Westerland (Sylt) (D) (5pts / 5pts) 4th Ridderkerk (NL) (4pts / 4pts) 5th Carpi (I) (2pts / 2pts) 6th Middelkerke (B) (1pt / 1pt) 7th Angoulême (F) (--- / 0pts)

Fil Rouge, Round 1 - The Doves and the Cannon

The next game - ‘The Doves and the Cannon’ - was the Fil Rouge which was played over 2 minutes 15 seconds duration and featured two male competitors equipped with a giant spring-loaded cannon and seven 2kg (4lb 6½oz) wooden balls. On the whistle, one of the competitors had to place one of the balls into the cannon and then push it down with a pole until it locked into place. The second competitor then had to aim the cannon towards some Roman ruins that were housing 19 white dove ornaments with three different values - five with a value of 3pts, nine with a value of 2pts and five with a value of 1pt. He then had to release a catch on the top of the cannon to release the ball and knock down a dove from the ruins. The game then had to be repeated with the other six balls or until permitted time expired. The team scoring the greater aggregated points total would be declared the winners.

The first round saw the participation of France and they removed two doves, one valued at 1pt with their first ball after 15 seconds of elapsed time and one valued at 2pts with their fifth ball after 1 minute 18 seconds. The game was stopped after 1 minute 58 seconds as all seven balls had been utilised and their score was confirmed as 3pts.

Running Fil Rouge Standings: 1st Angoulême (F) (3)

Game 2 - The Steeplechase

The second game - ‘The Steeplechase’ - was played in unison over three minutes duration and featured two male competitors from each team, dressed in a pantomime horse costume disguised as a Grand National steeplechase runner, and an obstacle course comprising a 3m (9ft 10¼in) long balance beam and a box containing 30 balloons. On the whistle, the competitors had to run down the 40m (131ft 2¾in) course and cross the beam without falling off and, once accomplished, run forward and step inside the box and burst each balloon by foot. Once they had cleared both obstacles, they had to run to the far end of the course and circumnavigate a small box and then run back to the start. The final task was to burst a 31st balloon located 5m (16ft 5in) in front of the finish line and then complete the course. The team completing the game in the faster time would be declared the winners.

This was another straightforward and uneventful game which saw Netherlands leading from the outset and finishing in 1st place in 1 minute 15 seconds. Italy finished in 2nd place in 1 minute 23 seconds, West Germany finished in 3rd place in 1 minute 24 seconds and Switzerland finished in 4th place in 1 minute 33 seconds. Belgium, who finished in 5th place in 1 minute 56 seconds, were penalised and disqualified for having encroached into the neighbouring lane of France on the outward journey. France, who had finished last on the game in 2 minutes 4 seconds, were therefore promoted to 5th place.

Running Scores and Positions: 1st Massagno (CH) (3pts awarded / 15pts total) 2nd Ridderkerk (NL) (6pts / 10pts) ▲ 3rd Westerland (Sylt) (D) (4pts / 9pts) 4th Carpi (I) (5pts / 7pts) ▲ 5th Folkestone (GB) (--- / 6pts) ▼ =6th Middelkerke (B) (1pt / 2pts) =6th Angoulême (F) (2pts / 2pts) ▲

Fil Rouge, Round 2 - The Doves and the Cannon

The second round of the Fil Rouge featured Great Britain and they removed two doves, one valued at 3pts with their third ball after 41 seconds of elapsed time and one valued at 2pts with their fourth ball after 54 seconds. The game was stopped after 1 minute 34 seconds as all seven balls had been utilised and their score was confirmed as 5pts.

Running Fil Rouge Standings: 1st Folkestone (GB) (5) 2nd Angoulême (F) (3) ▼

Game 3 - The Giant Wrestlers

The third game - ‘The Giant Wrestlers’ - was an elimination game played in reverse over five rounds and featured a male competitor from each team inside a giant upright effigy of a Roman arena wrestler weighing 30kg (66lb 2¼oz). On the whistle, the competitor had to run up a 20m (65ft 7½in) course and then negotiate a small gap between two podia that was only wide enough for one effigy to pass through. The game would then be repeated with five competitors and then again with four competitors and so on. The team passing through the gap on the first run would be declared the winners.

Although this was a straightforward game it had some very hilarious moments especially when the competitors fell over and blocked the entrance to the gap and the others tried in vain to pass through. The first round, which in theory should have been the most chaotic, passed without incident and saw West Germany going through the gap and ultimately winning the game.

The second round was an almost exact copy of the first and passed without incident and saw Netherlands going through the gap and finishing in 2nd place.

The third round saw the teams begin to get entangled with each other with France and Great Britain blocking the entrance to the gap and neutralising the round. The re-run saw Great Britain tumble to the ground whilst France passed through the gap at great speed and finished in 3rd place.

The fourth and penultimate round saw Switzerland become entangled with Great Britain which resulted in Switzerland tumbling to the ground and Great Britain falling precariously across the gap. Although Belgium tried in vain to push Great Britain through the gap, referee Gennaro Olivieri deemed the round null and void. A re-run saw Great Britain tumble to the ground again whilst Switzerland passed through the gap and finished in 4th place.

The fifth and final round saw Belgium and Great Britain do battle for the two lowest placings and although Great Britain tumbled for a fourth occasion they did so as they passed through the gap. Gennaro Olivieri deemed it acceptable as the base of the effigy had passed the opening of the gap. Great Britain were declared as having finished in 5th place and Belgium in 6th place.

Running Scores and Positions: 1st Massagno (CH) (3pts awarded / 18pts total) =2nd Westerland (Sylt) (D) (6pts / 15pts) ▲ =2nd Ridderkerk (NL) (5pts / 15pts) 4th Folkestone (GB) (2pts / 8pts) ▲ 4th Carpi (I) (--- / 7pts) ▼ 6th Angoulême (F) (4pts / 6pts) 7th Middelkerke (B) (1pt / 3pts) ▼

Fil Rouge, Round 3 - The Doves and the Cannon

The third round of the Fil Rouge featured Italy and they removed two doves both valued at 3pts, the first with their fifth ball after 1 minute 20 seconds of elapsed time and the other with their seventh ball after 1 minute 53 seconds. Having utilised all seven balls, the game was halted at this point and their score was confirmed as 6pts.

Running Fil Rouge Standings: 1st Carpi (I) (6) 2nd Folkestone (GB) (5) ▼ 3rd Angoulême (F) (3) ▼

Game 4 - Passing the Baton

The fourth game - ‘Passing the Baton’ - was played in unison over two minutes duration and witnessed West Germany and Italy presenting their Jokers for play. The game featured four female competitors from each team, running 20m (67ft 7½in) each, and a 3.5m (11ft 6in) high baton. On the whistle, the first competitor, who was already inside the baton, had to run halfway down the 40m (131ft 2¾in) course where she had to hand the baton over to the second competitor. To achieve this, the first competitor had to lean forward so that the top of the baton lowered to meet the head of the second competitor and then she had to raise her head to take the baton over her body. The second competitor then had to run the second 20m and hand over to the third competitor in the same manner. The third competitor then had to run back up the course to the halfway point and hand over the baton to the fourth competitor who then had to run and finish the game at the original start line. The team completing the course in the faster time would be declared the winners.

From the outset of the straightforward game, it was apparent that West Germany had played their Joker wisely and finished the course in 59 seconds. Switzerland finished in 2nd place in 1 minute 9 seconds with Italy finishing in 3rd place in 1 minute 10 seconds. Although France and Great Britain both finished in 1 minute 17 seconds, France were deemed to have crossed the line first and were awarded 4th place and Great Britain 5th place. The last team to finish the game was Belgium in 1 minute 20 seconds.

Running Scores and Positions: 1st Westerland (Sylt) (D) (12pts awarded / Joker / 27pts total) ▲ 2nd Massagno (CH) (5pts / 23pts) ▼ =3rd Carpi (I) (8pts / Joker / 15pts) ▲ =3rd Ridderkerk (NL) (--- / 15pts) ▼ 5th Folkestone (GB) (2pts / 10pts) ▼ 6th Angoulême (F) (3pts / 9pts) 7th Middelkerke (B) (1pt / 4pts)

Comments: Great Britain could be seen encroaching into the lane utilised by Italy on the return journey and, by doing so, hindering the Italian team. However, unlike Belgium in the second game who were penalised for the encroachment, no disqualification was forthcoming despite protests to the referees from the Italian team captain and manager.

Fil Rouge, Round 4 - The Doves and the Cannon

The fourth round of the Fil Rouge featured Netherlands and they would be the first of only two teams that would not emulate their target score. They removed two doves, one valued at 1pt with their fifth ball after 1 minute 18 seconds of elapsed time and the other (3pts) with their sixth ball after 1 minute 29 seconds. The game was stopped after 1 minute 40 seconds as all seven balls had been utilised and their score was confirmed as 4pts.

Running Fil Rouge Standings: 1st Carpi (I) (6) 2nd Folkestone (GB) (5) 3rd Ridderkerk (NL) (4) 4th Angoulême (F) (3) ▼

Game 5 - The Giant Bowling Balls

The fifth game - ‘The Giant Bowling Balls’ - was played over two heats of 1 minute 30 seconds duration and witnessed Netherlands presenting their Joker for play. The game featured two male competitors from each team and a very large ten-pin bowling ball set on a ‘track’ of two 30m (98ft 5¼in) long parallel planks of wood. On the whistle, the first competitor, standing at one end of the course, had to push the ball and release it down the track. If the competitor pushed hard enough, the ball would reach the second competitor at the far end of the track. The second competitor then had to climb inside via one of the finger holes and then roll the ball back to the start to complete the game. If the ball failed to reach the far end of the track, the first competitor had to run up the course to give it a second push. 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 Great Britain, Italy and Netherlands with only the ball of Great Britain reaching its target with a single push. Whilst the first competitors of the other two teams raced down the course to give their respective ball a second push, Great Britain climbed into their ball and completed the game in 52 seconds followed by Netherlands in 58 seconds and Italy in 1 minute 12 seconds.

The second heat featured Switzerland, West Germany and France and none of the balls reached the end of the tracks on their first push. However, Switzerland were the first to complete the outward journey and climbed into their ball and raced back to the start and finished the game in 57 seconds followed by West Germany in 1 minute 4 seconds and France in 1 minute 21 seconds.

Running Scores and Positions: 1st Westerland (Sylt) (D) (3pts awarded / 30pts total) 2nd Massagno (CH) (5pts / 28pts) 3rd Ridderkerk (NL) (8pts / Joker / 23pts) 4th Carpi (I) (2pts / 17pts) ▼ 5th Folkestone (GB) (6pts / 16pts) 6th Angoulême (F) (1pt / 10pts) 7th Middelkerke (B) (--- / 4pts)

Fil Rouge, Round 5 - The Doves and the Cannon

The fifth round of the Fil Rouge featured Belgium and, although they were the second of the two teams unable to emulate their target score, they were the first to remove more than two doves. In total they removed three doves, two valued at 1pt with their first and fourth balls after 32 seconds and 54 seconds of elapsed time respectively, and one valued at 3pts with their sixth ball after 1 minute 59 seconds. The game was stopped after 2 minutes 14 seconds as all seven balls had been utilised and their score was confirmed as 5pts.

Running Fil Rouge Standings: 1st Carpi (I) (6) =2nd Middelkerke (B) (5) =2nd Folkestone (GB) (5) 4th Ridderkerk (NL) (4) ▼ 5th Angoulême (F) (3) ▼

Game 6 - Waldi the Dachshund

The sixth game - ‘Waldi the Dachshund’ - was played over two heats of 1 minute 30 seconds duration and witnessed France presenting their Joker for play. The game featured four female competitors from each team and a multi-coloured dachshund prop weighing 80kg (176lb 6oz). On the whistle, the competitors had to run down the 50m (164ft) course to the dachshund and place a giant sausage (wurst) into its spring-loaded mouth. They then had to tie four pieces of rope to the front of the dog to make a leash and, once they had accomplished this, had to pull the dog back to the start line. A male team-mate then had to remove the sausage and run 5m (16ft 5in) and stand on a small podium to finish the game. The team completing the game in the faster time would be declared the winners.

The first heat of this fairly straightforward game saw the participation of Belgium, West Germany and Great Britain, with the latter leading from the outset. After reaching the far end of the course after 14 seconds of elapsed time, the team worked together to tie the ropes together and began their return journey after 26 seconds. With an advantage of a 6-second lead on the other two teams, Great Britain raced up the course and completed the game in 1 minute 7 seconds. Having reduced the deficit on the return journey, West Germany completed the game in 1 minute 8 seconds, followed by Belgium in 1 minute 17 seconds.

The second heat featured France, Italy and Netherlands and was the faster of the two heats with all three teams commencing their return journeys within 31 seconds of elapsed time. Despite their sausage dropping to the ground en route, Netherlands recomposed themselves and completed the game in 1 minute 6 seconds, followed by Italy in 1 minute 7 seconds and France in 1 minute 15 seconds.

Running Scores and Positions: 1st Westerland (Sylt) (D) (3pts awarded / 33pts total) 2nd Ridderkerk (NL) (6pts / 29pts) ▲ 3rd Massagno (CH) (--- / 28pts) ▼ 4th Carpi (I) (5pts / 22pts) 5th Folkestone (GB) (5pts / 21pts) 6th Angoulême (F) (4pts / Joker / 14pts) 7th Middelkerke (B) (1pt / 5pts)

Inspiration for the Game: This game was based on the first-ever official mascot to be designed for an Olympic Games competition, specifically for the  games to be staged at München, West Germany, during August and September of 1972. At the Games, ‘Waldi the Dachshund’ was suitably coloured in light and dark blue, yellow, light and dark green and orange to represent the colours of the Olympic Rings. However, although all of these are not the official colours of the rings, it was felt that red and black should not be used for fear of being associated with the Nazi Party.

Fil Rouge, Round 6 - The Doves and the Cannon

The sixth and penultimate round of the Fil Rouge featured Switzerland and they almost doubled their target score. They removed four doves, one valued at 2pts with their first ball after 16 seconds of elapsed time, and three valued at 3pts each with their fifth, sixth and seventh balls after 1 minute 17 seconds, 1 minute 34 seconds and 1 minute 51 seconds respectively. With all seven balls utilised, the game was halted and their score was confirmed as 11pts.

Running Fil Rouge Standings: 1st Massagno (CH) (11) 2nd Carpi (I) (6) ▼ =3rd Middelkerke (B) (5) ▼ =3rd Folkestone (GB) (5) ▼ 5th Ridderkerk (NL) (4) ▼ 6th Angoulême (F) (3) ▼

Comments: It was revealed by referee Gennaro Olivieri that 11pts was a record score for this game and that it had not been equalled throughout the previous two night’s rehearsals.

Game 7 - The Obstacle Race

The seventh and penultimate game - ‘The Obstacle Race’ - was played individually over six rounds and witnessed Belgium presenting their Joker for play. The game featured three male competitors from each team, tied together around their waists by ropes, and six inflated obese horses spread-eagled on the ground. On the whistle, the competitors had to run up to the first horse and jump on its back and then traverse the other five before dismounting. They then had to run a short distance to circumnavigate a small box and then return to the start in the same manner. The team completing the return journey in the faster time would be declared the winners.

The first heat of this simple game saw the participation of Italy and, despite a few simple mishaps, they completed the return journey in 39 seconds.

The second heat featured France and after three seconds of elapsed time, one of their competitors slipped off the second horse and fell badly and dislocated his left shoulder. With the competitor clearly in agony and unable to continue, medical staff ran to his assistance and referee Gennaro Olivieri stopped the game. The rules this year stipulated that all team members were drawn to play specific games. However, Gennaro explained that due to the nature of the injury sustained an exception would be made for France to play the game with another competitor at a later point.

The third team to participate was Switzerland and they completed an almost perfect game, stumbling only when remounting the horses on the return journey, and finished in 31 seconds.

The fourth of the six teams to participate was Netherlands and, despite dragging one of the competitors along the ground on the final run-in, they made a flawless return journey and finished in 27 seconds.

This was followed by the re-run for France but, despite being given a second chance and one of the ropes coming untied, they failed to meld together well and finished the return journey in 41 seconds.

The fifth and penultimate heat saw the participation of Belgium and they could only finish the return journey in 31 seconds. However, following five consecutive last places, they had wisely opted to play their Joker on this game as it proved to be their highest placing on any of the possible games that they could have chosen!

The sixth and final heat featured Great Britain and they produced an outstanding, flawless performance and completed the return journey in 25 seconds.

Running Scores and Positions: 1st Ridderkerk (NL) (5pts awarded / 34pts total) ▲ 2nd Westerland (Sylt) (D) (--- / 33pts) ▼ 3rd Massagno (CH) (4pts / 32pts) 4th Folkestone (GB) (6pts / 27pts) ▲ 5th Carpi (I) (2pts / 24pts) ▼ 6th Angoulême (F) (1pt / 15pts) 7th Middelkerke (B) (8pts / Joker / 13pts)

Comments: After being informed that France would be given a second chance to compete, the home crowd of spectators obviously agreed as they responded to this announcement with a round of applause. This may have also been due to the fact that France were out of contention at this point, some 19pts behind the leaders, West Germany! Before the participation of Switzerland, referee Guido Pancaldi began the countdown with "Trii, duu, vun." Unsure of what he had heard, presenter Frank Elstner asked, “Tri, du, was?” (three, two, what?). Guido reiterated, “Trii, duu, vun”. For those confused by this, Guido was actually speaking in Ticinese (or Lombardian), very rarely heard on the programme, as the team of Massagno stemmed from the Ticino canton where the language is widely spoken.

Fil Rouge, Round 7 - The Doves and the Cannon

The seventh and final round of the Fil Rouge featured West Germany and, despite being unable to better their target score, they were able to emulate it. They removed five doves, one valued at 1pt with their third ball after 49 seconds of elapsed time, one valued at 3pts with their fourth ball after 1 minute 3 seconds and two valued at 2pts each with their fifth and sixth balls after 1 minute 19 seconds and 1 minute 33 seconds respectively. With one ball remaining, they removed a second dove valued at 3pts after 1 minute 48 seconds. With all seven balls utilised the game was halted and their score was confirmed as 11pts and they finished in joint 1st place on the game.

Final Fil Rouge Standings: =1st Massagno (CH) (11) =1st Westerland (Sylt) (11) 3rd Carpi (I) (6) ▼ =4th Middelkerke (B) (5) ▼ =4th Folkestone (GB) (5) ▼ 6th Ridderkerk (NL) (4) ▼ 7th Angoulême (F) (3) ▼

Running Scores and Positions: 1st Westerland (Sylt) (D) (7pts awarded / 40pts total) ▲ 2nd Massagno (CH) (7pts / 39pts) ▲ 3rd Ridderkerk (NL) (2pts / 36pts) ▼ 4th Folkestone (GB) (4pts / 31pts) 5th Carpi (I) (5pts / 29pts) 6th Middelkerke (B) (4pts / 17pts) ▲ 7th Angoulême (F) (1pt / 16pts) ▼

Game 8 - Harvesting the Medals

The eighth and final game - ‘Harvesting the Medals’ - was played in unison over three minutes duration and featured four female competitors from each team with their footwear attached to the four corners of a small carpet. On the whistle, the competitors had to work together and move the carpet up the 30m (98ft 5¼in) course by jumping in unison. En route they had to collect a total of 30 gold medals (three piles of 10) laid out along the course. The team completing the game in the faster time would be declared the winners.

From the outset, it was apparent that this was a very demanding game for females to execute. Despite the strength-sapping method of propulsion, West Germany and Great Britain took an early lead and it remained a neck and neck battle between the two teams throughout. However, West Germany had the slight edge in the closing stages and crossed the finish line in 1st place in 1 minute 9 seconds followed by Great Britain in 2nd place in 1 minute 13 seconds. Belgium finished in 3rd place in 1 minute 20 seconds and were followed by Netherlands in 4th place in 1 minute 31 seconds. There was then a long wait as the final three teams were still three-quarters of the way down the course but eventually, Switzerland completed the game in 5th place in 2 minutes 37 seconds. France and Italy failed to complete the game within the permitted time and were both awarded 7th place.

Final Scores and Positions: 1st Westerland (Sylt) (D) (7pts awarded / 47pts total) 2nd Massagno (CH) (3pts / 42pts) 3rd Ridderkerk (NL) (4pts / 40pts) 4th Folkestone (GB) (6pts / 37pts) 5th Carpi (I) (1pt / 30pts) 6th Middelkerke (B) (5pts / 22pts) 7th Angoulême (F) (1pt / 17pts)

Presenters, Officials and Production Teams

West Germany’s presenter and commentator Frank Elstner was actually born in Linz, Austria in 1942 with the birth name Timm Maria Franz Elstner. For his first few years on television, and initially on Jeux Sans Frontières, he worked as Tim Elstner. Since 1972, he has been better known as Frank Elstner.

Despite Camillo Felgen being the main presenter for WDR since the programme’s inception in 1965, he was somewhat demoted to co-presenter at this heat. At the end of the programme, Frank Elstner had presented four games plus four Fils Rouge whilst Camillo had presented four games plus three Fils Rouge! This ‘demotion’ was somewhat confirmed over the rest of this and the following year’s series, when his workload lessened compared to that of former years. Maybe this was due in part to the fact that the 51-year-old would announce his retirement from the programme during the latter stages of the 1973 International Final.

Returning Teams and Competitors

The Dutch team of Ridderkerk returned to the programme later in the year when they demonstrated the games to the teams at the Dutch International Heat in Delft on 16th August.

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

I

Jeux Sans Frontières 1972

Heat 4

Event Staged: Wednesday 5th July 1972
Venue: Cortile Esterno (Outer Courtyard), Villa Manin di Passariano,
Passariano di Codroipo, Codroipo, Italy

European Transmissions (Local Timings):
BRT (B): Wednesday 5th July 1972, 9.05-10.20pm (Live)
RTB (B): Wednesday 5th July 1972, 9.05-10.20pm (Live)
SSR (CH): Wednesday 5th July 1972, 9.05-10.30pm (Live)
TSI (CH): Wednesday 5th July 1972, 9.05-10.20pm (Live)
SRG (CH): Wednesday 5th July 1972, 9.05-10.20pm (Live)
WDR 1 (D): Wednesday 5th July 1972, 9.05-10.30pm (Live)
Nederland 2 (NL): Wednesday 5th July 1972, 9.05-10.20pm (Live)

RAI Due (I): Wednesday 5th July 1972, 10.05-11.20pm (Live - DST)
ORTF 2 (F): Saturday 15th July 1972

BBC1 (GB): Friday 18th August 1972, 7.45-9.00pm

Weather Conditions: Warm and Dry

Winners' Trophy presented by: Rosanna Vaudetti

Theme: Children's Toys and Games

Teams: Zottegem (B) v. Sarnen am See (CH) v. Oberursel im Taunus (D) v.
Moëlan-sur-Mer (F) v. Dalkeith (GB) v. Codroipo (I) v. Venray (NL)

Team Members included:
Sarnen am See (CH) - Heiri Baumeler (Team Captain), Silvia Amstalden-Vlach, Evelyn Arm-Wagner, Hampi Dillier, Beat Grendelmeier, Klari Häfliger-Ulrich, Ruth Hinter-Beck, Romy Huwyler, Doris Imfeld-Rohrer, Jost Kiser, Isidor Krummenacher, Sepp Küchler, Kaspi Niederberger, Hans Odermatt, Susi Omlin-Fanger, Peter Rohrer, Beatrice Rohrer-Odermatt, Walter Röthlin, Ruedi Ruckli, Edwin Suter, Bärti von Ah, Elsbeth von Arx-Mattli, Marianne Wallimann, Sepp Ziegler;
Oberursel im Taunus (D) - Karl Pfaff (Team Coach), Werner Schlotter (Assistant Team Coach), Ottmar Bessler, Elke-Blasner-Koepke, Margarete Braun, Peter Güra, Martin Heckendorf, Ingrid Heusler, Kurt Hundertmark, Wolfgang Lux, Erica Michelson-Hellbrück, Jens Mischner, Gert Oettinger, Doris Ruddat, Horst Dieter Schimanski, Rita Schlotter, Heinz Scholl, Christina Schmitz, Volker Schwiegerhausen, Hans Stampe, Albrecht Voss, Gabriele Weil, Wolfgang Westenburger, Norbert Wiest;
Dalkeith (GB) - Marion Renfrew (Team Coach), Alice Anderson, Lyb Anderson, Bob Barnes, Hunter Blair, Bill Ingram, Robert Gilfinnan, Maggie Holmes, Rob Holmes, Jim Ingram, Toby Morris, Minnie Robertson, Jim Smith;
Codroipo (I) - Ugo Caus (Team Captain), Olga Bortolini, Paola Brazzafolli, Carlo Comessatti, Daniela Corazza, Stefano d’Ambrosio, Laura di Toma, Elda Fenos, Nadia Forniz, Valentino Gloazzo, Andrea Mascarin, Giorgio Morettuzzo, Giuliana Pez, Renzo Pozzo, Alberto Pramparo, Diego Rosetti, Mauro Rubbini, Eugenio Valoppi, Francesco Vignando, Nella Zalateu;
Venray (NL) - Tino Zandbergen (Team Coach), Wim Willemsen (Team Captain), Jan Bastiaans, Sraar Bastiaans, Luc Beterams, Hans Bosch, Tonnie Coenen-van Zwol, Martien Custers, Truus van Dijck, Dorien Hendrix, Edu Hout, Annie Jans-Beken, Sraar Jans-Beken, Thea Jaspers, Jos Josten, Tannie van de Kreeke, Wim Loonen, Lia Lucassen, Jan de Massen, Tineke Pleket, Adrie van Stokkum, Piet Theuws, Jan Thomassen, Nelly Vergeldt, Gemma Vorst.

Games: The ‘Hot Air' Balloon Balloons, The Spinning Tops, The Pinball Machine, Building the Bridge, The Clowns and the Sugar Cane Sticks, Jam or Marmalade for Tea?,The Great Hula Ring Roll, The Giant Cube Puzzle;
Fil Rouge: Blind Man’s Buff (Le Colin-Maillard);
Jokers: Frescoes.

Game Results and Standings

Result

 Team

Points

Final Scoreboard

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

 NL • Venray ● ●
 I • Codroipo
 D • Oberursel im Taunus
 B • Zottegem
 F • Moëlan-sur-Mer
 GB • Dalkeith
 CH • Sarnen am See

44
38
36
31
30
28
23

Running International Final Qualifiers

Belgium (B) - Zottegem (4th, 31pts)
Switzerland (CH) - La Chaux-de-Fonds (2nd, 44pts)
West Germany (D) - Westerland (Sylt) (1st, 47pts)
France (F) - Anglet (4th, 28pts)

Great Britain (GB) - Salisbury (1st, 48pts)
Italy (I) - Terracina (2nd, 42pts)
Netherlands (NL) - Venray (1st, 44pts)

The Host Town

Codroipo, Italy

Codroipo is a town with a population of around 16,500 inhabitants in the Friuli-Venezia Giulia region. It is located 24km (15 miles) east of Pordenone, 34km (21 miles) north of Lignano Sabbiadoro, 48km (30 miles) west of Gorizia and 50km (31 miles) south of Tolmezzo.

The town was founded around 181 BC and originally named Quadruvium, derived from the four main districts (quadrivio) that converged here from the encounter of two important Roman roads - the Postumia, which connected Aquileia to Genoa, and the Iulia Augusta that connected to Concordia Norico (Germany). With the fall of the Roman Empire, Codroipo and the rest of Friuli were subject to barbarian invasions between the 6th and 7th centuries. During this period, a partial resumption of business was favoured by the location of the commune along the only road connecting the capital of the Lombard province of Pavia, with the capital of the Ducato of Friuli, the city of Cividale (the ancient Roman Forum of Iulii).

On 28th April 1001, Emperor Ottone III (AD 980-1002) granted much of Friuli, including Codroipo, to John, Patriarch of Aquileia. The patriarchal period marked the beginning of an economic and demographic recovery, stimulated by the settlement of colonists from the borderlands to the east. However, Codroipo's strategic importance as a military outpost prevented the formation of a free commune.

In 1797, the battle of Tagliamento, between the Habsburg and Napoleonic troops, took place in this area and saw the victory of the Armée and the temporary annexation of the Venetian Republic to France. Following the imposition of the Doge's accommodation at Villa Manin, victorious Napoléon Bonaparte (1769-1821) made Codroipo his headquarters until the signing of the Treaty of Campoformio at the Villa, which sanctioned the end of the Venetian Republic, ceded it to Austria. The annexation, in 1866, to the Kingdom of Italy, was marked by considerable damage to the communication paths put in place by the retreating Austrians.

During the Second World War (1939-1945), the town was targeted due to the presence of the Mangiarotti ammunition factory. The bombing was particularly heavy on 12th October 1944, when a railway convoy loaded with explosives was detonated.

Today, the town enjoys quieter times with tourism being its main industry. This is somewhat helped by the aforementioned Villa Manin in the frazione (literally ‘fraction’ or ward / parish) of Passariano located just 1.8km (1 mile) south-east of Codroipo. The San Simone Fair in October hosts the historic fair of the traditional autumn farmer’s market. The fair, which was famous until the 1970s as the most important cattle market in the region, ends with the awarding of the greatest literary prizes in Friulian - the San Simone and San Simoso.

The Visiting Towns

Zottegem is a town with a population of around 26,000 inhabitants in the néerlandophonic (Dutch-speaking) Belgian province of Oost-Vlaanderen and is located 872km (542 miles) north-west of Codroipo.

Sarnen am See is a town with a population of around 10,500 inhabitants in the teutophonic (German-speaking) Swiss canton of Obwalden and is located 380km (236 miles) north-west of Codroipo.

Oberursel im Taunus is a town with a population of around 46,000 inhabitants in the German state of Hessen and is located 576km (358 miles) north-west of Codroipo.

Moëlan-sur-Mer is a town with a population of around 7,200 inhabitants in the French region of Bretagne and is located 1,281km (796 miles) north-west of Codroipo.

Dalkeith is a town with a population of around 14,000 inhabitants in the Scottish council area of Midlothian and is located 1,574km (978 miles) north-west of Codroipo.

Venray is a town with a population of around 30,000 inhabitants in the Dutch province of Limburg and is located 807km (501 miles) north-west of Codroipo.

The Venue

Villa Manin di Passariano
(Villa Manin of Passariano)

The games were played in the outer courtyard of the impressive Villa Manin which was constructed between 1650 and 1660 by the Manin family who had arrived in Friuli (Aquileia and Cividale) around 1000. It is a monumental architectural complex built at the behest of the noble Friulian Antonio Manin who came into possession of the gastaldato (Lombard official) of Sedegliano and settled in Passariano. After losing the dominion of the seas, he focused on the resources offered by the mainland, setting up a farm and putting a manor house at its centre.

In the following years, the grandchildren Ludovico Manin I and Francesco IV took up the project, perhaps aided by the architect Giuseppe Benone. The original appearance of the 17th-century villa was radically different from the current one, due to the transformations and enlargements in 18th century by Ludovico II and Ludovico III (called Alvise), made first by the Venetian architect Domenico Rossi (1657-1737) (who designed the square plaza in 1707 and the current monumental exedra, an arcade with benches or seats where people could converse, in 1718), and then by Giovanni Ziborghi, who between 1730 and 1740 raised the barchessa (service buildings). The noble central core was constructed in 1745 and the large garden (over 17 acres) at the rear was made by following instructions included in the will of Ziborghi.

The villa was the residence of the last Doge of Venice, Ludovico Manin (1725-1802) and Napoléon Bonaparte and Joséphine de Beauharnais (1763 -1814) lived there for about two months in 1797, at a time when many interviews for the signing of the treaty between France and Austria - known as the Treaty of Campoformio (17 October 1797) - were carried out. After the abandonment by the last Doge, the villa was left to fall into a state of disrepair.

In 1962, the villa became property of the Ente Ville Venete (now Istituto Regionale Ville Venete - Venetian Villas Regional Institute) by ministerial decree of public interest, which authorised the expropriation at the symbolic price of 140 million lire (approx £80,400 at the time) - a price of bankruptcy liquidation considering the state of abandonment. The Venetian Villas Authority began the restoration of the villa at a cost of about 200 million lire (approx. £115,000). The question was what to do with the Villa, with a usable area of 1,800 square meters and a 19-hectare garden, once it was restored. The project was taken up by Aldo Rizzi (1927-1996), art historian and director of the Civic Museums of Udine, to take the ancient noble residence, and turn it into a prestigious venue for major art exhibitions. This was met with favour of the municipality of Udine.

In 1969, the autonomous region of Friuli-Venezia Giulia bought the villa from the Ente Ville Venete. In 1971, Rizzi (who was to become curator of the villa between 1972 and 1993), organised the memorable inaugural exhibition of Tiepolo (which attracted 325,000 visitors) and created, after the earthquake of 1976, la Scuola del Restauro (the School of Restoration), which saved many masterpieces of art.

Since then, the villa has played host to major international exhibitions and concerts. In addition to hosting three Jeux Sans Frontières programmes, it has played host to singer Sting (1993) and numerous rock concerts including American bands R.E.M. (2008), Foo Fighters (2012) and Kiss (2013) and English bands Motörhead (2010), Iron Maiden (2010) and Radiohead (2012).

The venue for this heat was revisited in 1993 when the programme was staged there during the second incarnation of the programme.

The Games in Detail

Game 1 - The 'Hot Air' Balloon Balloons

The first game - ‘The ‘Hot-Air’ Balloon Balloons’ - was played in unison over three minutes duration and witnessed Switzerland and France presenting their Jokers for play. The game featured four competitors (two males and two females) from each team equipped with 50 large helium-filled balloons and a large hot-air balloon-shaped net attached to a weighted bucket and also anchored to the ground by a rope. On the whistle, the competitors, standing adjacent to the net and 5m (16ft 5in) in front of the balloons, had to work as a team and fill the net with the balloons in order for it to rise above the arena. There had to be sufficient balloons in the net to support the weight of the bucket and raise it to its maximum height (the length of the rope) to finish the game. The team completing the game in the faster time would be declared the winners.

From the outset of this very straightforward game, it was a two-horse race between West Germany and France. Although the latter raised their net first after 1 minute 20 seconds of elapsed time, it began to lower again as the team had failed to fill it with a sufficient number of balloons to support the weight of the bucket. This error permitted West Germany to complete the game in 1st place in 1 minute 42 seconds and although France failed for a second time to raise it to the correct height, they eventually completed the game in 2nd place in 1 minute 54 seconds. Italy finished in 3rd place in 2 minutes 24 seconds but, despite all their efforts, Belgium, Switzerland and Great Britain failed to complete the game.

Running Scores and Positions: 1st Moëlan-sur-Mer (F) (10pts awarded / Joker / 10pts total) 2nd Oberursel im Taunus (D) (6pts / 6pts) 3rd Codroipo (I) (4pts / 4pts) 4th Sarnen am See (CH) (2pts / Joker / 2pts) =5th Zottegem (B) (1pt / 1pt) =5th Dalkeith (GB) (1pt / 1pt) 7th Venray (NL) (--- / 0pts)

Fil Rouge, Round 1 - Blind-Man’s Buff (Le Colin-Maillard)

The next game - ‘Blind-Man’s Buff (Le Colin-Maillard)’ - was the Fil Rouge and was played over 1 minute 30 seconds duration. It featured a blindfolded male competitor equipped with an extended wooden mallet and dressed as a mannequin doll with a large polystyrene head, standing on a small podium in the middle of a large saucer. In the rounded base of the saucer, there were seven (six blue and one yellow) large water-filled balloons and, standing around the perimeter of the saucer, there were six opposing male team members (one from each of the other countries) in front of power-jet hoses. Before the game commenced, the competitor had to be rotated by a female team-mate by means of a sash wrapped around his waist. On the whistle, the competitor had to strike randomly at the balloons below him with the mallet. However, he had to avoid bursting the yellow balloon as it would ultimately end the game. The opposition would direct their jets of water to position the yellow balloon in front of him whilst his female team-mate would use a similar hose to do the opposite whilst shouting directions to him. The team bursting all six blue balloons in the faster time or the one with the greater number of blue balloons burst would be declared the winners.

The first round saw the participation of Netherlands and they avoided the yellow balloon altogether and burst all six blue balloons after 1, 3, 5, 13, 15 and 27 seconds, respectively. The speed in which they executed the game would prove to be incredibly fast and difficult to emulate.

Running Fil Rouge Standings: 1st Venray (F) (27 seconds)

Game 2 - The Spinning Tops

The second game - ‘The Spinning Tops’ - was played over two heats of two minutes duration and featured a male competitor from each team equipped with a large wind-up spinning top. On the whistle, the competitor had to put the tip of the spinning top into a hole located in a wooden ball on the end of an upright pole. He then had to push down on the spindle to rotate the top and then continue until it had reached a good momentum. He then had to leave the top to spin whilst he ascended a short ramp to reach a board, in front of which were 26 small cards, each printed with a letter from A-Z. He then had to start sticking the cards to the board to reveal all the letters of the alphabet in the correct order. If the top began to falter or wobble, he had to descend the ramp to restart it before it fell to the ground. Once accomplished, he could then resume the game and repeat throughout. However, if the top fell to the ground, the competitor would take no further part in the game. If any letter was in the incorrect position at the end of the game, the score would only be valid up to that point irrespective of the number of letters displayed correctly after the error. The team completing the game in the faster time or the one with the greater number of letters in the correct order would be declared the winners.

The first heat saw the participation of Switzerland, Great Britain and Netherlands and whilst Switzerland and Netherlands got their tops spinning in rapid time, Great Britain appeared to have some difficulty maintaining momentum. This delay permitted the other two teams to open up a lead which eventually saw Switzerland finish the game after 1 minute 12 seconds of elapsed time. Great Britain were still struggling at this point and had yet to display a single letter but by the time Netherlands had completed the game after 1 minute 43 seconds, they had been able to display 4 letters (A-D). Following a mishap, whereby the top fell to the ground whilst winding it up, Great Britain failed to secure any more letters.

The second heat featured West Germany, France and Italy and whilst the two latter teams got off to a good start, West Germany appeared to be having similar problems to those encountered by Great Britain in the first heat. Nevertheless, their competitor persevered and eventually got the top spinning but by this point was a long distance behind the other two. Having closed the deficit on France, West Germany permitted the top to spin too long before returning to reactivate it, and it fell to the ground after 1 minute 11 seconds. Although Italy believed they had completed the game in 1 minute 25 seconds, their competitor had inadvertently displayed the letters P and Q in the incorrect order and despite everybody else being able to notice the error, the competitor seemed oblivious to his mistake. With permitted time fast approaching, France were unable to complete the game before the whistle was sounded. When the scores were revealed, France were deemed as having 16 correct letters (A-P) displayed on the board, Italy as having 15 letters (A-O) and West Germany as having 11 letters (A-K).

Running Scores and Positions: 1st Moëlan-sur-Mer (F) (4pts awarded / 14pts total) =2nd Sarnen am See (CH) (6pts / 8pts) ▲ =2nd Oberursel im Taunus (D) (2pts / 8pts) 4th Codroipo (I) (3pts / 7pts) ▼ 5th Venray (NL) (5pts / 5pts) ▲ 6th Dalkeith (GB) (1pt / 2pts) ▼ 7th Zottegem (B) (--- / 1pt) ▼

Comments: Despite all the countries participating in Jeux Sans Frontières using the Latin alphabet, the designer / production team still believed it necessary to print the correct order of the letters in the bottom right-hand corner of each board for the competitors to refer to if needed!

Fil Rouge, Round 2 - Blind-Man’s Buff (Le Colin-Maillard)

The second round of the Fil Rouge featured Belgium and although they did not burst the yellow balloon, they were only able to burst four blue balloons after 23, 25, 28 and 32 seconds of elapsed time respectively.

Running Fil Rouge Standings: 1st Venray (F) (27 seconds) 2nd Zottegem (B) (4 balloons)

Game 3 - The Pinball Machine

The third game - ‘The Pinball Machine’ - was played individually over six rounds of one minute duration and witnessed Great Britain presenting their Joker for play. The game featured a male competitor from each team inside a metal caged ball and six male team members (one from each of the six participating teams, five of which were in opposition and one from his own team) wearing boxing gloves and dressed as ‘bumpers’ with seven inflated rubber rings around each of their bodies, standing in marked circles. On the whistle, the competitor was assisted into the arena by a male team-mate and then he had to roll himself towards the opposition in order to knock them down or out of the circle. The opposition would be permitted to move but only within the marked circle but could not use their hands to steady themselves but the team-mate of the competitor could assist by guiding him in the correct direction. Any opposition competitors that exited the perimeter of the circle would be deemed as having been knocked down. The team knocking down the greater number of opposition would be declared the winners.

The first heat of this simple game saw the participation of Netherlands and they knocked down 5 of their opposition after 2, 13, 21, 45 and 51 seconds of elapsed time respectively.

The second heat featured Belgium and they knocked down 4 of their opposition after 2, 10, 30 and 51 seconds.

The third team to participate was Italy and they knocked down 4 of their opposition after 2, 26, 36 and 54 seconds.

The fourth of the six teams to participate was France and they knocked down 4 of their opposition after 6, 31, 46 and 59 seconds.

The fifth and penultimate heat saw the participation of Great Britain and they knocked down 3 of their opposition after 8, 17 and 46 seconds.

The sixth and final heat featured West Germany and they knocked down 3 of their opposition after 39, 54 and 56 seconds.

Running Scores and Positions: 1st Moëlan-sur-Mer (F) (5pts awarded / 19pts total) 2nd Codroipo (I) (5pts / 12pts) ▲ 3rd Venray (NL) (6pts / 11pts) ▲ 4th Oberursel im Taunus (D) (2pts / 10pts) ▼ 5th Sarnen am See (CH) (--- / 8pts) ▼ =6th Zottegem (B) (5pts / 6pts) ▲ =6th Dalkeith (GB) (4pts / Joker / 6pts)

Comments: With one of their own competitors playing in ‘opposition’, each team was guaranteed to knock down at least one of the ‘bumpers’!

Fil Rouge, Round 3 - Blind-Man’s Buff (Le Colin-Maillard)

The third round of the Fil Rouge featured Switzerland and they burst the yellow balloon after 37 seconds of elapsed time and consequently ended the game. However, before doing so they had burst two blue balloons after 6 and 20 seconds respectively.

Running Fil Rouge Standings: 1st Venray (F) (27 seconds) 2nd Zottegem (B) (4 balloons) 3rd Sarnen am See (CH) (2)

Game 4 - Building the Bridge

The fourth game - ‘Building the Bridge’ - was played individually over six rounds of 1 minute 15 seconds duration and featured nine competitors (seven males and two females) from each team equipped with nine large polystyrene blocks. On the whistle, the competitors had to work together to lift the blocks and construct an arched bridge with the all-important keystone at its centre. Once all the blocks were in place, one of the female competitors then had to ascend the bridge from one end and, after reaching the keystone, had to stand up and raise her arms. The team underneath the bridge then had to release their hold on the blocks in order for the arch to support itself for at least one second. The team completing the game in the faster time would be declared the winners.

The first heat of this rapidly-executed game saw the participation of Switzerland and they completed their bridge without mishap in 51 seconds.

The second heat featured Netherlands and they completed their bridge without mishap in an incredible 27 seconds.

The third team to participate was Belgium and although they completed their bridge, they were unable to emulate their target time and finished the game in 30 seconds.

The fourth of the six teams to participate was Italy and they attempted to build their bridge too quickly and without much thought and failed to ensure that the blocks were secure. Although the female competitor ascended the bridge and stood aloft after 28 seconds of elapsed time, the team had yet to release their hold underneath and after doing so, the bridge ultimately collapsed. On their second attempt, the team did not make the same mistake and built the bridge and completed the game in 1 minute 7 seconds.

The fifth and penultimate heat saw the participation of France and although they constructed a very rickety bridge, by some miracle it stayed in place, and they completed the game in 52 seconds.

The sixth and final heat featured Great Britain and they completed their bridge without mishap in 42 seconds.

Running Scores and Positions: 1st Moëlan-sur-Mer (F) (2pts awarded / 21pts total) 2nd Venray (NL) (6pts / 17pts) ▲ 3rd Codroipo (I) (1pt / 13pts) ▼ =4th Zottegem (B) (5pts / 11pts) ▲ =4th Sarnen am See (CH) (3pts / 11pts) ▲ =6th Oberursel im Taunus (D) (--- / 10pts) ▼ =6th Dalkeith (GB) (4pts / 10pts)

Comments: At first glance, it appeared that the stagehands had worked extremely fast to prepare the game for each round after the previous team’s participation. However, although not seen on camera, there were actually two bridges adjacent to each other and well-orchestrated camera angles did nothing to spoil that illusion!

Fil Rouge, Round 4 - Blind-Man’s Buff (Le Colin-Maillard)

The fourth round of the Fil Rouge featured West Germany and although they did not burst the yellow balloon, they were only able to burst three blue balloons after 21, 65 and 89 seconds, respectively.

Running Fil Rouge Standings: 1st Venray (F) (27 seconds) 2nd Zottegem (B) (4 balloons) 3rd Oberursel im Taunus (D) (3 balloons) 4th Sarnen am See (CH) (2 balloons) ▼

Game 5 - The Clowns and the Sugar Cane Sticks

The fifth game - ‘The Clowns and the Sugar Cane Sticks’ - was played over three heats of 2 minutes 30 seconds duration and witnessed Belgium, West Germany and Italy presenting their Jokers for play. The game featured a male competitor from each team dressed in a clown costume, complete with elongated shoes, standing on a podium, and a course comprised of six individual stepped obstacles. On the whistle, the competitor had to negotiate the first obstacle and collect three sugar cane sticks lying on the ground in front of it. Once accomplished, he then had to move to the next four obstacles and do likewise. After collecting all fifteen sugar cane sticks, he then had to jump to the sixth obstacle and then down onto the ground, where a female team-mate was standing holding a flower basket. He then had to place all the sticks in the basket and then carry her in his arms back to the start and onto the podium. The competitor could not step onto the ground to collect the sticks but instead had to lie on his stomach and stretch for them. If he inadvertently placed his feet on the ground, he would be sent back to the start of the obstacle to repeat it. 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 and Netherlands and saw Switzerland finishing in 1 minute 9 seconds and Netherlands in 1 minute 28 seconds.

The second and penultimate heat featured Belgium and Great Britain and was played without mishap and saw Great Britain finishing in 1 minute 6 seconds and Belgium in 1 minute 23 seconds.

The third and final heat saw the participation of West Germany and Italy and, with both teams playing their Jokers, it was anticipated to be a close-run race. Italy took an early lead and it appeared that they would be the victors, but following a mishap on the fourth obstacle, they were sent back and this permitted West Germany to close the deficit and take the lead. West Germany held their nerve and completed a flawless run in 1 minute 1 seconds followed by Italy in 1 minute 7 seconds.

Running Scores and Positions: 1st Oberursel im Taunus (D) (12pts awarded / Joker / 22pts total) ▲ =2nd Moëlan-sur-Mer (F) (--- / 21pts) ▼ =2nd Codroipo (I) (8pts / Joker / 21pts) ▲ 4th Venray (NL) (1pt / 18pts) ▼ =5th Zottegem (B) (4pts / Joker / 15pts) ▼ =5th Dalkeith (GB) (5pts / 15pts) ▲ 7th Sarnen am See (CH) (3pts / 14pts) ▼

Fil Rouge, Round 5 - Blind-Man’s Buff (Le Colin-Maillard)

The fifth round of the Fil Rouge featured France and they burst the yellow balloon after just one second of elapsed time and ended the game. They were given an official score of 0, which ultimately condemned them to a 7th place finish at the end of the Fil Rouge.

Running Fil Rouge Standings: 1st Venray (F) (27 seconds) 2nd Zottegem (B) (4 balloons) 3rd Oberursel im Taunus (D) (3 balloons) 4th Sarnen am See (CH) (2 balloons) 7th Moëlan-sur-Mer (F) (0)

Game 6 - Jam or Marmalade for Tea?

The sixth game - ‘Jam or Marmalade for Tea?’ - was played over two heats of two minutes duration and featured two competitors (one male and one female) from each team with their backs together and tied around the waist with a large belt. The female was equipped with a large wooden cane with a hook at the end and the male was holding a large bowl. On the whistle, the two competitors had to work together and traverse a 5m (16ft 5in) course to a high scaffold comprising three levels, each with seven buckets of coloured water (jam / marmalade). The female had to hook the cane over the rim of the buckets whilst the male had to collect the falling contents in the bowl. They then had to return to the start and empty any contents into a large container on weighing scales. They then had to repeat the game throughout. The buckets on the top and middle levels each contained 10kg (22lb ¾oz) of water, whilst those on the lower level each contained 15kg (33lb 1oz), giving a maximum total of 245kg (540lb 2oz). The team collecting the greater volume of water would be declared the winners.

The first heat of this simple game saw the participation of Belgium, France and Italy and ended with France collecting 105kg (187lb 9¾oz) of water, Italy collecting 92.5kg (203lb 14¾oz) and Belgium collecting 81kg (178lb 9¼oz).

The second heat featured Switzerland, West Germany and Netherlands and ended with West Germany collecting 85.1kg (231lb 7¾oz) of water, Netherlands collecting 78.4kg (172lb 13½oz) and Switzerland collecting 68.7kg (151lb 7¼oz).

Running Scores and Positions: 1st Moëlan-sur-Mer (F) (6pts awarded / 27pts total) ▼ =2nd Oberursel im Taunus (D) (4pts / 26pts) ▼ =2nd Codroipo (I) (5pts / 26pts) 4th Venray (NL) (2pts / 20pts) 5th Zottegem (B) (3pts / 18pts) =6th Sarnen am See (CH) (1pt / 15pts) ▲ =6th Dalkeith (GB) (--- / 15pts) ▼

Fil Rouge, Round 6 - Blind-Man’s Buff (Le Colin-Maillard)

The sixth and penultimate round of the Fil Rouge featured Great Britain and they burst the yellow balloon after 1 minute 4 seconds of elapsed time and ended the game. However, before doing so they had burst three blue balloons after 1, 3 and 17 seconds, respectively.

Running Fil Rouge Standings: 1st Venray (F) (27 seconds) 2nd Zottegem (B) (4 balloons) =3rd Oberursel im Taunus (D) (3 balloons) =3rd Dalkeith (GB) (3 balloons) 4th Sarnen am See (CH) (2 balloons) 7th Moëlan-sur-Mer (F) (0)

Game 7 - The Giant Hula Ring Roll

The seventh and penultimate game - ‘The Giant Hula Ring Roll’ - was played individually over six rounds of one minute duration and witnessed Netherlands presenting their Joker for play. The game featured five competitors (one male and four females) from each team and a giant-sized hula hoop. On the whistle, the male competitor had to roll the hoop down the 20m course, passing four small inflated paddling pools filled with water along the way. As each of the pools was passed, one of the females had to run up a small springboard incline and make a clean jump through the hoop and into the water. At the end of the course, the hoop had to be turned around and the game repeated in the reverse direction. If the female failed to make a clean jump, the hoop had to be rolled past her pool again in order for her to retry. The team completing the return journey and eight clean jumps in the faster time would be declared the winners.

The first heat of this simple and rapidly-executed game saw the participation of Netherlands and they completed a flawless return journey in 22 seconds.

The second heat featured France and they suffered mishaps on both journeys and failed to complete the game. Although they eventually completed seven clean jumps they were given a score of 0:00 which condemned them to a 6th place finish and a score of just 1pt on the game.

The third team to participate was Switzerland and, as had been the case with France, they suffered mishaps on both journeys but were able to complete the return journey in 52 seconds.

The fourth of the six teams to participate was West Germany and despite a mishap by the first female on the outward journey, they recomposed themselves and completed the game in 29 seconds.

The fifth and penultimate heat saw the participation of Great Britain and, although they also completed a flawless return journey, their execution was slightly slower than the target time set by the Netherlands team and they completed the game in 23 seconds.

The sixth and final heat featured Belgium and they surprised everyone, completing the game without mishap in 21 seconds.

Running Scores and Positions: 1st Venray (NL) (10pts awarded / Joker / 30pts total) ▲ 2nd Oberursel im Taunus (D) (3pts / 29pts) 3rd Moëlan-sur-Mer (F) (1pt / 28pts) ▼ 4th Codroipo (I) (--- / 26pts) 5th Zottegem (B) (6pts / 24pts) 6th Dalkeith (GB) (4pts / 19pts) 7th Sarnen am See (CH) (2pts / 17pts) ▼

Fil Rouge, Round 7 - Blind-Man’s Buff (Le Colin-Maillard)

The seventh and final round of the Fil Rouge featured Italy and they avoided the yellow balloon and burst all six blue balloons after 10, 20, 53, 59, 62 and 72 seconds respectively, and they finished in 2nd place on the game.

Final Fil Rouge Standings: 1st Venray (F) (27 seconds) 2nd Codroipo (I) (6 balloons) 3rd Zottegem (B) (4 balloons) ▼ =4th Oberursel im Taunus (D) (3 balloons) ▼ =4th Dalkeith (GB) (3 balloons) ▼ 6th Sarnen am See (CH) (2 balloons) ▼ 7th Moëlan-sur-Mer (F) (0)

Running Scores and Positions: 1st Venray (NL) (7pts awarded / 37pts total) ▲ 2nd Oberursel im Taunus (D) (4pts / 33pts) 3rd Codroipo (I) (6pts / 32pts) ▲ =4th Zottegem (B) (5pts / 29pts) ▲ =4th Moëlan-sur-Mer (F) (1pt / 29pts) ▼ 6th Dalkeith (GB) (4pts / 23pts) 7th Sarnen am See (CH) (2pts / 19pts)

Game 8 - The Giant Cube Puzzle

The eighth and final game - ‘The Giant Cube Puzzle’ - was played in unison over four minutes duration and featured four competitors (two males and two females) from each team and sixteen large cubes. On the whistle, the team had to construct a 4 x 4 jigsaw. Once completed, two of the competitors had to stand aloft the jigsaw whilst the other two had to stand on the ground in front of it. When completed, the jigsaw would display the national animal of each of the seven countries - a lion (Belgium), a St. Bernard dog (Switzerland), an eagle (West Germany), a cockerel (France), a bulldog (Great Britain), a wolf (Italy) and a cow (Netherlands). The team completing the game in the faster time would be declared the winners.

This was a very straightforward game which saw Netherlands finishing in 1st place after 1 minute 54 seconds of elapsed time, followed by Italy in 2nd place after 2 minutes 2 seconds and Great Britain in 3rd place after 2 minutes 38 seconds. Switzerland finished in 4th place in 2 minutes 45 seconds, West Germany finished in 5th place in 3 minutes 35 seconds and Belgium finished in 6th place in 3 minutes 52 seconds. France failed to complete the game, having just four cubes in the correct positions, and finished in 7th place.

Final Scores and Positions: 1st Venray (NL) (7pts awarded / 44pts total) 2nd Codroipo (I) (6pts / 38pts) ▲ 3rd Oberursel im Taunus (D) (3pts / 36pts) ▼ 4th Zottegem (B) (2pts / 31pts) 5th Moëlan-sur-Mer (F) (1pt / 30pts) ▼ 6th Dalkeith (GB) (5pts / 28pts) 7th Sarnen am See (CH) (4pts / 23pts)

Comments: There were mixed fortunes for both France and Netherlands in this heat. Whilst France began the competition in 1st place and were leading on the scoreboard after five of the first six games, they faded drastically on the final three games, finishing in last place on each of them, and ending up in 5th place overall. On the other side of the coin, Netherlands began the competition in 7th place (not participating in the first game) and gradually closed the deficit. They took the lead after the seventh game and finished in 1st place overall after bagging 24pts (from a possible 26pts - one being the Joker game) on the final three games!

Reunions

Oberursel im Taunus (D)

Following reunions of the Oberursel im Taunus team in 1982 and 1992, the team subsequently had no further contact with each other for many years. In 2016, a third reunion was arranged and was covered by Frankfurt am Main based newspaper Taunus Zeitung. Unfortunately, only twelve of the original 22 members were able to attend, with some members being absent due to ill-health and others because they had sadly passed away (Ingrid Heusler, Wolfgang Lux and Karlheinz Pfaff).

Team member Margarete Braun, 65, recalled, “It was an exciting time for us all. We were the representatives of Oberursel and were very popular in the town.” Fellow team member Elke Blasner-Koepke, 71, commented about their International exploits, “We were attired in black and yellow suits which contrasted well with the blue ones of Italy. I still have mine, with mothballs in it, so that it may be preserved.”

The reunion was held at Jahnstuben College where the team coach Werner Schlotter commented, “We are once again all feeling like time has been turned back. This will give us an opportunity to watch the second programme from Italy (Passariano) which none of those present have seen since 1972.”

The article then went on to reveal that once the nostalgic screening began, many of the team recognised themselves and the room was filled with laughter. For example, they saw team member Kurt Hundertmark wandering around with a giant sombrero and shoes which were far too big for him in an artificial forest with several cacti, where he had to try to carry as many balloons in his hands without any being burst by the spines.

Records and Statistics

This programme marked the 100th Spiel Ohne Grenzen transmission (Domestic and International) being broadcast on West German television.

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

F

Jeux Sans Frontières 1972

Heat 5

Event Staged: Wednesday 19th July 1972
Venue: Port Lympia et Quai des Docks (Lympia Port and Dock Quay), Nice, France

European Transmissions (Local Timings):
BRT (B): Wednesday 19th July 1972, 9.05-10.20pm (Live)
RTB (B): Wednesday 19th July 1972, 9.05-10.20pm (Live)
SSR (CH): Wednesday 19th July 1972, 9.05-10.30pm (Live)
TSI (CH): Wednesday 19th July 1972, 9.05-10.20pm (Live)
SRG (CH): Wednesday 19th July 1972, 9.05-10.25pm (Live)
WDR 1 (D): Wednesday 19th July 1972, 9.05-10.30pm (Live)
Nederland 1 (NL): Wednesday 19th July 1972, 9.05-10.15pm (Live)

RAI Due (I): Wednesday 19th July 1972, 10.05-11.20pm (Live - DST)
ORTF 2 (F): Saturday 22nd July 1972
BBC1 (GB): Friday 25th August 1972, 7.45-9.00pm

Weather Conditions: Very Warm and Humid

Winners' Trophy presented by: Simone Garnier

Theme: International Carnival

Teams: Bouillon (B) v. Thônex (CH) v. Rodenkirchen (D) v.
Nice (F) v. Lincoln (GB) v. Città di Castello (I) v. Zelhem (NL)

Team Members included:
Bouillon (B) - Jean-Marie Defayer;
Thônex (CH) - Christian Gambart;
Rodenkirchen (D) - Dieter Reinholz (Team Coach), Leo Marken;
Città di Castello (I) - Paolo Alunni, Achille Baldinelli, Maria Luisa Balzelli, Corrado Bernecchi, Ugo Brodi, Alfio Bucci, Laura Busatti, Anna Maria Calagreti, Giovanna Carbone, Antonello Ciliberti, Fabio Crulli, Benito Davanzati, Franco Francoia, Antonio Galetti, Anna Gragnola, Giuliano Mambrini, Otello Mambrini, Giuseppe Migliorati, Daniela Pazzaglia, Mauro Pazzaglia, Fausto Politori, Daniela Porganti, Renzo Sartini, Vittorio Servadio, Theo Volpi;
Zelhem (NL) - A.M. ter Wal (Team Coach), Cees Lugtenaar (Team Captain).

Games: La Tour de Nice (Belgium), Windmills and Cheeses (Netherlands), Abandon the Ship! (Great Britain), Romeo and Juliet (Italy), The Teutonic Knights (West Germany), Grab the Chicken! (France), The Coin Collectors (Switzerland), Hoop-La Floats;
Fil Rouge: The Trapeze Artist;
Jokers: Joker Playing Cards.

Game Results and Standings

Result

 Team

Points

Final Scoreboard

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

 D • Rodenkirchen ●
 I • Città di Castello ● ●
 CH • Thônex
 GB • Lincoln
 NL • Zelhem
 B • Bouillon
 F • Nice

40
40
39
37
27
23
19

Running International Final Qualifiers

Belgium (B) - Zottegem (4th, 31pts)
Switzerland (CH) - La Chaux-de-Fonds (2nd, 44pts)
West Germany (D) - Westerland (Sylt) (1st, 47pts)
France (F) - Anglet (4th, 28pts)

Great Britain (GB) - Salisbury (1st, 48pts)
Italy (I) - Città di Castello (=1st, 40pts)
Netherlands (NL) - Venray (1st, 44pts)

The Host Town

Nice, France

Nice is a city and resort with a population of around 350,000 inhabitants in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region. It is located on the Mediterranean coast, 21km (13 miles) south-west of Menton, 26km (16 miles) north-east of Cannes and 147km (91 miles) east of Aix-en-Provence.

Nice was probably founded around 350 BC by the Greeks of Massalia (Marseille), and was given the name of Nikaia, in honour of a victory over the neighbouring Ligurians, with Nike being the Greek goddess of victory. During the Middle Ages, Nice participated in the wars and history of Italy. In 1388, it placed itself under the protection of the Counts of Savoy.

In 1705, it was again besieged by France and the following year witnessed its citadel and ramparts being demolished. In 1713, after the signings of the Treaty of Utrecht, the city was handed back to the Duke of Savoy and it enjoyed over 30 years of peace during which a ‘new town’ was built. After the Treaty of Turin was signed in 1860, between the Sardinian king and Napoléon III (1808-1873), the city was again and definitively ceded to France as a territorial reward for French assistance in the Second Italian War of Independence (1859) against Austria.

During the second half of the 20th century, Nice enjoyed an economic boom primarily driven by tourism and construction. Two men dominated this period - Jean Médecin, mayor for 33 years over two terms (from 1928-1943 and 1947-1965), and his son Jacques, mayor for 24 years (from 1966 to 1990). Under their leadership, there was extensive urban renewal, including many new constructions. However, by the late 1980s, rumours of political corruption in the city government surfaced and eventually formal accusations against Jacques Médecin forced him to flee France in 1990. Arrested in Uruguay in 1993, he was extradited back to France in 1994, convicted of several counts of corruption and associated crimes and sentenced to imprisonment.

Today, tourism is the main industry and is the second-most popular destination city after Paris. This is partly due to it having a hot-summer Mediterranean climate, enjoying mild winters with moderate rainfall and summers that are warm to hot, dry, and sunny. Rainfall is rare in this season, and a typical July month only records one or two days with measurable rainfall. The temperature is typically above 20°C (68°F) and frequently reaches 30°C (86°F). The average maximum temperature in the warmest months of July and August is about 27°C (81°F). The highest recorded temperature was 37.7°C (99.9°F) on 1st August 2006.

In the second half of the 18th century, many wealthy English people took to spending the winter here, enjoying the panorama along the coast. Following a particularly harsh winter up north, which brought an influx of beggars to Nice, some of the rich Englishmen proposed a useful project for them - the construction of a walkway (chemin de promenade) along the sea. The city, intrigued by the prospect of a pleasant promenade, greatly increased the scope of the work. The promenade was originally called the Camin dei Anglès (the English Way) by the Niçois in their native dialect. After the annexation of Nice by France in 1860, it was renamed the Promenade des Anglais, replacing the former name with its French translation. The Hotel Negresco on the promenade was named after Henri Negresco (1868-1920) who had the palatial hotel constructed in 1912. In keeping with the conventions of the time, when the Negresco first opened in 1913, its front opened on the side opposite the Mediterranean.

The Visiting Towns

Bouillon is a town with a population of around 5,500 inhabitants in the francophonic (French-speaking) Belgian province of Luxembourg and is located 698km (434 miles) north of Nice.

Thônex is a town with a population of around 14,000 inhabitants in the francophonic (French-speaking) Swiss canton of Genève and is located 288km (179 miles) north of Nice.

Rodenkirchen is a city with a population of around 105,000 inhabitants in the German state of Nordrhein-Westfalen and is located 800km (497 miles) north of Nice.

Lincoln is a city with a population of around 98,000 inhabitants in the English county of Lincolnshire and is located 1,204km (748 miles) north-west of Nice.

Città di Castello is a city with a population of around 42,000 inhabitants in the Italian region of Umbria and is located 401km (249 miles) east of Nice.

Zelhem is a town with a population of around 11,000 inhabitants in the Dutch province of Gelderland and is located 925km (575 miles) north of Nice.

The Venue

Port Lympia et Quai des Docks
(Lympia Port and Dock Quay)

The games were played at Port Lympia, with its beautiful Venetian-coloured buildings, and the surrounding quayside known as Quai des Docks. Its name derives from the Lympia spring which fed a small lake in a marshy zone where work on the port was started in 1745. Although this is the principal harbour of Nice there is another but smaller port in the Carras district. Once having a thriving fishing industry, sadly the number of professional fishermen working today is fewer than a dozen.

It is the first cement port in France and supplies cement to the island of Corsica carried by bulk cargo ship to Bastia where a bagging plant has been installed. Being the nearest point of continental France to the island of Corsica, the port provides ferry connections using navires à grande vitesse (NGV) or high-speed craft. Two private companies provide the connections - Maritima Ferries (taking over from the previous company SNCM (Société Nationale Corse Méditerranée) which filed for bankruptcy in 2014) and Corsica Ferries - Sardinia Ferries, with both companies offering sailings to Ajaccio, Bastia, Calvi and L'Île-Rousse.

The Games in Detail

Game 1 - La Tour de Nice

The first game - ‘La Tour de Nice’ - was an elimination race and witnessed West Germany and Netherlands presenting their Jokers for play. The game featured a female competitor from each team on a bicycle with a small wheel at the front and large wheel at the back and with the chain sprockets reversed. On the whistle, the competitor had to simply race down a 25m (82ft) course and cross the finish line. However, with the pedal arms being mounted on the smaller of the sprockets, it would result in the competitor having to pedal three times faster than normal to get the bicycle to move. The last team to cross the line would be eliminated. The game would then be repeated in the opposite direction and then again for the next three rounds. The last team in play would be declared the winners.

This was a straightforward game which saw France being eliminated on the first run, followed by Belgium on the second run and Switzerland on the third run. The fourth team to be eliminated was Netherlands, with West Germany being eliminated on the fifth run and Italy being declared the winners of the game.

Running Scores and Positions: 1st Rodenkirchen (D) (10pts awarded / Joker / 10pts total) 2nd Zelhem (NL) (8pts / Joker / 8pts) 3rd Città di Castello (I) (6pts / 6pts) 4th Thônex (CH) (3pts / 3pts) 5th Bouillon (B) (2pts / 2pts) 6th Nice (F) (1pt / 1pt) 7th Lincoln (GB) (--- / 0pts)

Fil Rouge, Round 1 - The Trapeze Artiste

The next game - ‘The Trapeze Artiste’ - was the Fil Rouge which was played over 1 minute 30 seconds duration and featured a male competitor hanging from a static bar, and four male team-mates equipped with four items of clothing - a pair of trousers, a jacket, a pair of large shoes and a hat - on a high scaffold overhanging the quay. On the whistle, the first team-mate had to descend the scaffold and hand the competitor the trousers which he had to attire himself in. The team-mate then dropped into the water below. The second team-mate then had to repeat the process with the jacket, the third team-mate with the shoes and then the fourth team-mate with the hat. Once accomplished, the competitor then had to release his grip on the bar and hold on to a trapeze, attached to a weighted wire, and slowly descend to the water below. Contemporaneously, a female team-mate had to pull a rubber dinghy from the middle of the quay to meet the competitor before he hit the water. Once the competitor was inside the dinghy (whether dropping into the water or not), the time would be recorded. The team completing the game in the faster time would be declared the winners.

The first round saw the participation of Great Britain and they completed the game without any mishap in 1 minute 4 seconds. This would not only prove to be a fast time but also one that would be difficult to emulate.

Running Fil Rouge Standings: 1st Lincoln (GB) (1 minute 4 seconds)

Game 2 - Windmills and Cheeses

The second game - ‘Windmills and Cheeses’ - was played individually over 1 minute 15 seconds duration and featured four competitors (three males and one female) from each team and a large windmill located on the quayside overhanging the water, with its sails set in the classic ‘X’ position. On the whistle, the competitors had to take it in turn and climb a ladder and then drop an Edam cheese truckle down inside the hollow sail beam of the windmill, which ran from top right to bottom left. Once released, the competitor then had to slide down the ladder and make their way to the bottom of the sail by means of a greasy platform which was angled into the water, and then grab the cheese as it exited the sail. The competitors had to time their speed of descent down the greased ramp exactly right to ensure success. To assist them, a small groove had been cut away in the lower sail for them to observe the location of the cheese before stepping onto the ramp. Only cheeses caught cleanly as they exited the windmill would be deemed valid. The team collecting the greater number of cheeses would be declared the winners.

The first heat of this straightforward game saw the participation of West Germany and they failed to catch any cheeses from any of their five essays.

The second heat featured Netherlands and they failed to catch any cheeses from any of their six essays.

The third team to participate was Belgium and they also failed to catch any cheeses from any of their six essays.

The fourth of the six teams to participate was Switzerland and they failed to catch any cheeses from any of their seven essays.

The fifth and penultimate heat saw the participation of Great Britain and with four teams already having taken part and all failing to score, it appeared that the game could end in a six-way non-scoring tie. However, having witnessed all these failures, some of the competitors used their heads and decided that instead of standing on the greasy platform and waiting for the cheese to exit the sail, they would sit down on the platform and slide down at a slower rate towards the edge. This proved to be the secret of the game and they managed to catch 1 cheese from their six essays.

The sixth and final heat featured France and having observed the tactics used by Great Britain, some of the team opted for the same method. Unfortunately, they were not as successful as their rivals and were unable to catch any cheeses from their five essays.

Running Scores and Positions: 1st Rodenkirchen (D) (1pt awarded / 11pts total) 2nd Zelhem (NL) (1pt / 9pts) =3rd Lincoln (GB) (6pts / 6pts) ▲ =3rd Città di Castello (I) (--- / 6pts) 5th Thônex (CH) (1pt / 4pts) ▼ 6th Bouillon (B) (1pt / 3pts) ▼ 7th Nice (F) (1pt / 2pts) ▼

Comments: Although each team had a female competitor, only those from Netherlands and Switzerland actually participated, with the others opting to stand aside and leave the task to their male team-mates! As he awarded the points, referee Gennaro Olivieri stated that this result (one winner and five last places) was a first for Jeux Sans Frontières. In fact, there would prove to be only three further occasions in the history of Jeux Sans Frontières where a game would end in such a manner - in Game 2 of JSF 1988 Heat 4 at Sevilla, Spain; in Game 3 of the XMAS 1990 special staged in Macao; and in the Fil Rouge of JSF 1996 Heat 9 at Torino, Italy. A similar incident, although the opposite (six winners and one last place), had occurred during the JSF 1970 series when the programme was staged at Lugano in Switzerland.

Fil Rouge, Round 2 - The Trapeze Artiste

The second round of the Fil Rouge featured Italy and they were somewhat delayed whilst attiring in the jacket. Nevertheless, they completed the game in 1 minute 31 seconds.

Running Fil Rouge Standings: 1st Lincoln (GB) (1 minute 4 seconds) 2nd Città di Castello (I) (1 minute 31 seconds)

Game 3 - Abandon the Ship!

The third game - ‘Abandon the Ship!’ - was played in unison over two minutes duration and witnessed Belgium presenting their Joker for play. The game featured two competitors (one male and one female) from each team equipped with a rubber dinghy and seven inflated life-saver rings. On the whistle, the female competitor had to jump into the water with the dinghy and swim to a boat moored in the quay and tether it with a rope. Once accomplished, she then swam back to the quayside whilst the male competitor, standing in front of a large wooden pole, had to pass each of the rings over his head to encompass the pole and his body. After placing the seventh ring, he then had to climb out of the bottom of the pile of rings and then drop into the awaiting dinghy below and untether it. He then had to paddle back to the quayside and climb a ladder to join his team-mate on a podium to finish the game. The team completing the game in the faster time would be declared the winners.

This was a straightforward game which was closely-run by five of the teams with the exception of Switzerland. Although all the females reached the boat at almost the exact same time, Switzerland had failed to ensure that their dinghy was tethered correctly and swam back to the quayside whilst a touch-judge and the male competitor called and beckoned to her to return. Although West Germany descended the boat first, followed by Belgium, Italy, Great Britain and France, two teams were to be overtaken during the race back to the quayside. Italy finished in 1st place in 1 minute 13 seconds, followed by West Germany in 2nd place in 1 minute 17 seconds and Belgium in 3rd place in 1 minute 21 seconds. The fourth team to finish were France in 1 minute 29 seconds, followed by Great Britain in 5th place in 1 minute 39 seconds and Switzerland were deemed to have finished in 6th place after failing to complete the game within the permitted time.

Running Scores and Positions: 1st Rodenkirchen (D) (5pts awarded / 16pts total) 2nd Città di Castello (I) (6pts / 12pts) ▲ 3rd Bouillon (B) (8pts / Joker / 11pts) ▲ 4th Zelhem (NL) (--- / 9pts) ▼ 5th Lincoln (GB) (2pts / 8pts) ▼ =6th Thônex (CH) (1pt / 5pts) ▼ =6th Nice (F) (3pts / 5pts) ▲

Comments: When the carnival float was driven into the arena with the representation of Great Britain on board, it was accompanied with strains of It’s a Long Way to Tipperary, a famous British music hall song allegedly written as a five-shilling (around £20 today) bet by Jack Judge (1872-1934) in 1912. The original printed music records it as It's a Long, Long Way to Tipperary and the song would later become popular among British soldiers during the First World War (1914-1918) and would forever be associated with such.

Fil Rouge, Round 3 - The Trapeze Artiste

The third round of the Fil Rouge featured Netherlands and they were also delayed whilst attiring in the jacket but completed the game without further mishap in 1 minute 25 seconds.

Running Fil Rouge Standings: 1st Lincoln (GB) (1 minute 4 seconds) 2nd Zelheim (NL) (1 minute 25 seconds) 3rd Città di Castello (I) (1 minute 31 seconds) ▼

Game 4 - Romeo and Juliet

The fourth game - ‘Romeo and Juliet’ - was played individually over six rounds of 1 minute 15 seconds duration and witnessed Italy presenting their Joker for play. The game featured two competitors (one male and one female) from each team dressed as Romeo and Juliet. On the whistle, the male competitor had to run along a conveyor belt located at the side of a house with six ‘solid’ windows and then climb a knotted rope (located above a greased ramp) to join his team-mate on the balcony. However, in opposition were six females (one from each of the other participating teams and one from the participating team) standing behind the windows and, as he moved along the conveyor belt, it would their task to knock him off by opening the windows and hindering his passage. 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 Great Britain and they completed the game without mishap in 52 seconds.

The second heat featured Italy and they stormed the game, completing it in just 39 seconds.

The third team to participate was Switzerland and, although they had some difficulty climbing onto the balcony, they completed the game in 44 seconds.

The fourth of the six teams to participate was West Germany and their competitor almost made a perfect run but was knocked off the conveyor belt by France behind the sixth window. After returning to the start, the same fate befell him on his second essay and he consequently failed to complete the game in the permitted time and was given 0:00.

The fifth and penultimate heat saw the participation of Netherlands and they completed the game without mishap in 51 seconds.

The sixth and final heat featured France and they also completed the game without mishap in 51 seconds.

Running Scores and Positions: 1st Città di Castello (I) (12pts awarded / Joker / 24pts total) ▲ 2nd Rodenkirchen (D) (1pt / 17pts) ▼ 3rd Zelhem (NL) (4pts / 13pts) ▲ 4th Bouillon (B) (--- / 11pts) ▼ =5th Thônex (CH) (5pts / 10pts) ▲ =5th Lincoln (GB) (2pts / 10pts) 7th Nice (F) (4pts / 9pts) ▼

Comments: In the majority of the games of this ilk, the identity of the teams behind the doors would be random and the competitors would participate ‘blind’, not knowing which of the six doors was ‘safe’. However, on this occasion, each of the doors was marked with the ident of the country behind it, so the competitors were aware of which of the six doors would open during their passage!

Fil Rouge, Round 4 - The Trapeze Artiste

The fourth round of the Fil Rouge featured Belgium and they completed the game without any significant mishap in 1 minute 18 seconds.

Running Fil Rouge Standings: 1st Lincoln (GB) (1 minute 4 seconds) 2nd Bouillon (B) (1 minute 18 seconds) 3rd Zelheim (NL) (1 minute 25 seconds) ▼ 4th Città di Castello (I) (1 minute 31 seconds) ▼

Game 5 - The Teutonic Knights

The fifth game - ‘The Teutonic Knights’ - was played over three heats of two minutes duration and featured two competitors (one male and one female) from each team and a 10m (32ft 9¾in) long rope bridge. On the whistle, the male competitor, dressed as a knight, had to cross the bridge to a boat where the female competitor, dressed as a damsel, was waiting, and then remove his helmet. The two competitors then had to return across the bridge to the starting point. The team completing the game in the faster time would be declared the winners.

The first heat of this very straightforward game saw the participation of West Germany and France and whilst West Germany ran back on foot together, France adopted a ludicrous method of returning with the female being carried piggy-back. This had the effect of their centre of gravity being much higher and, with the bridge being very rickety, resulted in them toppling off the bridge into the water below. When the result was announced, West Germany had completed the game in 21 seconds whilst France were given 0:00.

The second and penultimate heat featured Great Britain and Italy and ended without mishap with Great Britain finishing in 23 seconds and Italy finishing in 25 seconds.

The third and final heat saw the participation of Belgium and Netherlands and this also ended without mishap with Netherlands finishing in 26 seconds and Belgium finishing in 30 seconds.

Running Scores and Positions: 1st Città di Castello (I) (4pts awarded / 28pts total) 2nd Rodenkirchen (D) (6pts / 23pts) 3rd Zelhem (NL) (3pts / 16pts) 4th Lincoln (GB) (5pts / 15pts) ▲ 5th Bouillon (B) (2pts / 13pts) ▼ =6th Thônex (CH) (--- / 10pts) ▼ =6th Nice (F) (1pt / 10pts) ▲

Fil Rouge, Round 5 - The Trapeze Artiste

The fifth round of the Fil Rouge featured Switzerland and they completed a flawless run in 1 minute 12 seconds.

Running Fil Rouge Standings: 1st Lincoln (GB) (1 minute 4 seconds) 2nd Thônex (CH) (1 minute 12 seconds) 3rd Bouillon (B) (1 minute 18 seconds) ▼ 4th Zelheim (NL) (1 minute 25 seconds) ▼ 5th Città di Castello (I) (1 minute 31 seconds) ▼

Game 6 - Grab the Chicken!

The sixth game - ‘Grab the Chicken!’ - was a game of tag played individually over six heats of one minute duration and witnessed France and Great Britain presenting their Jokers for play. The game featured a female competitor from each team carrying a large knife and fork, a male opposition member dressed in a giant plucked chicken costume and a small 20m (65ft 7½in) obstacle course comprising two small hurdles and four ski-slalom gates. On the whistle, the competitor had to chase the chicken (which would have a starting advantage of 15m (49ft 2½in)) down and around the course in order to pull the last remaining feather from its tail to finish the game. If the opposition knocked down any of the obstacles, they would be deemed as being caught at that point. The team removing the feather (or having the game stopped) in the faster time would be declared the winners.

The first heat of this straightforward game saw the participation of Netherlands, with Great Britain in opposition, and they completed the game in 21 seconds.

The second heat featured Great Britain, with Switzerland in opposition, and they completed the game without mishap in 23 seconds.

The third team to participate was Belgium, with France in opposition, and although their competitor was not as agile as those in the previous heats, fortunately for them the opposition knocked down the third of the slalom gates and they were given a time of 29 seconds.

The fourth of the six teams to participate was Switzerland, with Italy in opposition, and whilst their competitor was fast in her execution, the opposition handed them victory after knocking down the first of the slalom gates after just 10 seconds of elapsed time.

The fifth and penultimate heat saw the participation of Italy, with Netherlands in opposition, and although the opposition made it somewhat easier for their competitor to catch them, after falling down on two occasions, she appeared to have some difficulty in removing the feather. Nevertheless, they still completed the game in just 20 seconds.

The sixth and final heat featured France, with Belgium in opposition, and they were deemed to have completed the game in a time of exactly one minute.

Running Scores and Positions: 1st Città di Castello (I) (5pts awarded / 33pts total) 2nd Rodenkirchen (D) (--- / 23pts) 3rd Lincoln (GB) (6pts / Joker / 21pts) ▲ 4th Zelhem (NL) (4pts / 20pts) ▼ 5th Thônex (CH) (6pts / 16pts) ▲ 6th Bouillon (B) (2pts / 15pts) ▼ 7th Nice (F) (2pts / Joker / 12pts) ▼

Comments: In the final heat, France actually failed to catch their quarry within the prescribed time, but as the competitor was almost in the process of doing so when the whistle was sounded, the referees decided to award them a time of exactly one minute. However, this gesture made no difference to the outcome, as they would have still received the same amount of points even if they had been deemed out of time!

Fil Rouge, Round 6 - The Trapeze Artiste

The sixth and penultimate round of the Fil Rouge featured West Germany and they lost between seven and nine valuable seconds at the end of the game when their female competitor tried to be clever and pulled her male team-mate into the dinghy, instead of permitting him to lower into it sedately. This resulted in the dinghy overturning and, after they recomposed themselves, they completed the game in 1 minute 11 seconds.

Running Fil Rouge Standings: 1st Lincoln (GB) (1 minute 4 seconds) 2nd Rodenkirchen (D) (1 minute 11 seconds) 3rd Thônex (CH) (1 minute 12 seconds) ▼ 4th Bouillon (B) (1 minute 18 seconds) ▼ 5th Zelheim (NL) (1 minute 25 seconds) ▼ 6th Città di Castello (I) (1 minute 31 seconds) ▼

Comments: When the cameras returned to the Fil Rouge mini-scoreboard for the result, for some unknown reason, all the previous scores had been erased and re-written in different handwriting. West Germany's ‘lost’ seconds in this Fil Rouge round would prove to have far-reaching effects in terms of the result of the overall competition and qualification for the International Final. Without the seven to nine seconds delay, West Germany would have finished in a time better or equal to that of Great Britain (1 minute 4 seconds) which would have given them an extra 2pts at the end of the game and ultimately an outright victory after the final game. If this had been the case, Italian team Città di Castello would have been demoted to 2nd place with 40pts, which would have resulted in Terracina qualifying for the International Final (2nd place with 42pts) instead of them!

Game 7 - The Coin Collectors

The seventh and penultimate game - ‘The Coin Collectors’ - was played over three heats of 1 minute 30 seconds duration and witnessed Switzerland presenting their Joker for play. The game featured three competitors (one male and two females) from each team and a pontoon bridge comprising 16 floating podia trailing from a bank to the quayside. On the whistle, the competitors had to individually traverse the bridge whilst carrying four large coins and place them in a Perspex container on the other side. They then had to return to the bank via a stable floating podium and repeat the game throughout. Any competitor falling into the water would have to return to the bank to start a re-run and dropped coins could not be retrieved. The team collecting the greater number of coins would be declared the winners.

The first heat of this straightforward game saw the participation of Belgium and Great Britain and ended with Great Britain collecting 22 coins and Belgium collecting 13 coins.

The second and penultimate heat featured West Germany and Italy and ended without mishap with West Germany collecting 26 coins and Italy collecting 22 coins.

The third and final heat saw the participation of Switzerland and Netherlands and it was no surprise when Switzerland completed the game having collected 29 coins and Netherlands having collected 19 coins.

Running Scores and Positions: 1st Città di Castello (I) (4pts awarded / 37pts total) =2nd Thônex (CH) (12pts / Joker / 28pts) ▲ =2nd Rodenkirchen (D) (5pts / 28pts) 4th Lincoln (GB) (4pts / 25pts) ▼ 5th Zelhem (NL) (2pts / 22pts) ▼ 6th Bouillon (B) (1pt / 16pts) 7th Nice (F) (--- / 12pts)

Fil Rouge, Round 7 - The Trapeze Artiste

The seventh and final round of the Fil Rouge featured France and they completed the game in 1 minute 9 seconds which resulted in them finishing in 2nd place on the game.

Final Fil Rouge Standings: 1st Lincoln (GB) (1 minute 4 seconds) 2nd Nice (F) (1 minute 9 seconds) 3rd Rodenkirchen (D) (1 minute 11 seconds) ▼ 4th Thônex (CH) (1 minute 12 seconds) ▼ 5th Bouillon (B) (1 minute 18 seconds) ▼ 6th Zelheim (NL) (1 minute 25 seconds) ▼ 7th Città di Castello (I) (1 minute 31 seconds) ▼

Running Scores and Positions: 1st Città di Castello (I) (1pt awarded / 38pts total) 2nd Rodenkirchen (D) (5pts / 33pts) =3rd Thônex (CH) (4pts / 32pts) ▼ =3rd Lincoln (GB) (7pts / 32pts) ▲ 5th Zelhem (NL) (2pts / 24pts) 6th Bouillon (B) (3pts / 19pts) 7th Nice (F) (6pts / 18pts)

Comments: With the exception of Great Britain who had held 1st place in the Fil Rouge since the first round, all the other teams sequentially held 2nd place following their participation and consequently pushed the previous team(s) down the mini-scoreboard round-by-round!

Game 8 - Hoop-la Floats

The eighth and final game - ‘Hoop-la Floats’ - was played in unison over three minutes duration and featured two competitors (one male and one female) from each team standing at the top of an inclined platform in the quay. On the whistle, both of the competitors had to descend the platform and whilst the male dropped into the water, the female had to stop at the base. The male then had to swim to the quayside to collect a floating caricatured head with two small inflated life-saver rings on a pole attached to the top. He then had to swim back to the base of the platform and the female had to remove the rings and then ascend the podium and place them over a large pole. The game then had to be repeated twice with an additional small hat being transported on the pole on the final (third) journey which had to be placed over the pole, after the sixth ring, to end the game. The team completing the game in the faster time would be declared the winners.

This was a straightforward game which saw West Germany leading from the outset but they were almost deprived of victory by Switzerland on the final ascent of the platform. When the scores were revealed both Switzerland and West Germany had finished in 1st place in 2 minutes 9 seconds, followed by Great Britain in 3rd place in 2 minutes 23 seconds. The fourth team to finish were Belgium in 2 minutes 36 seconds, followed by Netherlands in 5th place in 2 minutes 38 seconds and Italy in 6th place in 2 minutes 49 seconds. Although the whistle was sounded after three minutes of elapsed time, the cameras remained on the game to witness France completing the game in 7th place in 3 minutes 11 seconds, but they were ultimately declared out of time.

Final Scores and Positions: =1st Rodenkirchen (D) (7pts awarded / 40pts total) =1st Città di Castello (I) (2pts / 40pts) 3rd Thônex (CH) (7pts / 39pts) 4th Lincoln (GB) (5pts / 37pts) ▼ 5th Zelhem (NL) (3pts / 27pts) 6th Bouillon (B) (4pts / 23pts) 7th Nice (F) (1pt / 19pts)

Comments: Italy went into this game with a 5pts lead over nearest rivals West Germany and it appeared likely that the competition would end with Italy having a clear victory. However, Italy did themselves no favours by finishing the game in 6th place whilst rivals West Germany finished in joint 1st place with Switzerland and the overall contest ended in a draw.

Returning Teams and Competitors

Città di Castello signorina Maria Luisa Balzelli participated again as a member of the Riccione team in 1975.

Additional Information

With the theme being ‘International Carnival’, the programme opened with a large float which had an enormous lifelike dragon atop it, bellowing smoke from its nostrils. Each of the first seven games was dedicated to one of the seven competing countries. Before the start of each game, a giant carnival float was towed onto the quayside (which already had a very limited space) with something depicting the game and the country it was related to. In order of presentation, the floats were Belgium - bicycles with a giant effigy of Edouard ‘Eddy’ Merckx; Netherlands - a windmill; Great Britain - a sailing ship; Italy - a gondola complete with gondolier; West Germany - a Baroque castle; France - a cooking pots with a chicken atop (representing the national animal); and Switzerland - giant caricatures of Swiss bankers.

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

GB

Jeux Sans Frontières 1972

Heat 6

Event Staged: Wednesday 2nd August 1972
Venue: Norfolk Park, Sheffield, Great Britain

European Transmissions (Local Timings):
BRT (B): Wednesday 2nd August 1972, 9.05-10.20pm (Live)
RTB (B): Wednesday 2nd August 1972, 9.05-10.20pm (Live)
SSR (CH): Wednesday 2nd August 1972, 9.05-10.30pm (Live)
TSI (CH): Wednesday 2nd August 1972, 9.05-10.20pm (Live)
SRG (CH): Wednesday 2nd August 1972, 9.05-10.35pm (Live)
WDR 1 (D): Wednesday 2nd August 1972, 9.05-10.30pm (Live)
Nederland 2 (NL): Wednesday 2nd August 1972, 9.05-10.20pm (Live)

RAI Due (I): Wednesday 2nd August 1972, 10.05-11.20pm (Live - DST)
ORTF 2 (F): Saturday 26th August 1972

BBC1 (GB): Friday 15th September 1972, 7.45-9.00pm

Weather Conditions: Warm and Dry

Winners' Trophy presented by: Martha Stafford, Lord Mayor of Sheffield

Theme: The Medieval Castle

Teams: Woluwe-Saint-Pierre / Sint-Pieters-Woluwe (B) v. Küsnacht (CH) v.
Bad Münstereifel (D) v. Gap (F) v. Congleton (GB) v. Pontedera (I) v. Lisse (NL)

Team Members included:
Woluwe-Saint-Pierre / Sint-Pieters-Woluwe (B) - André Boulevant;
Bad Münstereifel (D) - Horst Krumpholz (Team Manager), Apollo Zweifal (Team Coach), Volker Schwinn (Team Captain), Christoph Berter, Reinhard Krieger, Eduard Künte, Dieter Malberg, Arnold Schilling, Annamarie Schitzer;
Gap (F) - Frank Auelle, Alain Stutt, Patric Vidar;

Congleton (GB) - Robbie Brightwell (Men’s Team Captain), Ann Brightwell (Women's Team Captain), Glenys Baskerville, Kevin Cooper, Barry Cove, Fiona Dale, Robert Dale, Ivor Davies, Sandra Dyson, David Edwards, Tony Heath, Janice Holden, Paula Kennerley, Rona Livingstone, Colin McFadeine, Gordon Mellor, David Miller, Stephen Mulligan, Rita Powell, Eddie Pruden, Bob Roberts, Fiona Roberts, Richard Sawbridge, Peter Shufflebottom, Linda Swinyard, Leslie Taylor, Geoff Walker;
Lisse (NL) - J. Osephius (Team Manager), Kees Knetsch (Co-Team Coach), G. Kooreman (Co-Team Coach), P. van der Meer (Co-Team Coach), Fred Timmer (Team Captain), Ank van der Berg, Paul Boon, Wil Duivenvoorde, Jan Eichhorn, Rien Faas, Wilmy Hazelaar, Marjolein Heuseveld, Hans Hoogervorst, John van der Horst, Annemarie Kieviet, Lia Kortekaas, Marga Kortekaas, Peter Kortekaas, Piet Langelaan, Harry van Leecq, Ko van Leeuwen, Ria van Leeuwen, Frans Prins, Fred Prins, Hennie Randsdorp, Truus Randsdorp, John Remkes, Bas Rooyakkers, Michael Roux, Marian Snaar, Joke Tjoelker, Martien Tjoelker, Meindert Tjoelker, Ria Verdoes, Gerrit Verhaar, Alie Zuiderduin, Herman Zuiderduin.

Games: The Jousting Knights, The Wine Carriers, The Castle Slide, The Springing Ghosts, The Knights' Maces, Tossing the Pancakes, Robin Hood and The Castle Siege;
Fil Rouge: The Manacled Knights (replacing Delivering the Prisoners, due to prop failure);
Jokers: Joker Playing Cards.

Game Results and Standings

Result

 Team

Points

Final Scoreboard

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

 D • Bad Münstereifel ●
 GB • Congleton
 NL • Lisse
 CH • Küsnacht
 B • Woluwe-Saint-Pierre / Sint-Pieters-Woluwe
 F • Gap
 I • Pontedera

43
40
36
33
29
28
19

Running International Final Qualifiers

Belgium (B) - Zottegem (4th, 31pts)
Switzerland (CH) - La Chaux-de-Fonds (2nd, 44pts)
West Germany (D) - Westerland (Sylt) (1st, 47pts)
France (F) - Anglet (4th, 28pts)

Great Britain (GB) - Salisbury (1st, 48pts)
Italy (I) - Città di Castello (=1st, 40pts)
Netherlands (NL) - Venray (1st, 44pts)

The Host Town

Sheffield, Great Britain

Sheffield is a city with a population of around 565,000 inhabitants in the county of South Yorkshire. It is located 29 miles (47km) west of Gainsborough, 29 miles (47km) south of Leeds, 46 miles (74km) east of Warrington and 71 miles (114km) north of Rugby. It dates back to around the 8th century and is renowned for its steel industry.

By 1296, a market had been established at what is now known as Castle Square, and Sheffield subsequently grew into a small market town. In the 14th century, Sheffield was already noted for the production of knives, as mentioned in Geoffrey Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales, and, by the early 1600s, it had become the main centre of cutlery manufacture in England outside London.

During the 1740s, a form of the crucible steel process was discovered that allowed the manufacture of a better quality of steel than had previously been possible. In about the same period, a technique was developed for fusing a thin sheet of silver onto a copper ingot to produce silver plating, which became widely known as Sheffield plate. These innovations spurred Sheffield's growth as an industrial town, but the loss of some important export markets led to a recession in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. The resulting poor conditions culminated in a cholera epidemic that killed 402 people in 1832. The town was incorporated as a borough in 1842, and was granted a city charter in 1893. The influx of people led to demand for better water supplies, and a number of new reservoirs were constructed on the outskirts of the town. The collapse of the dam wall of one of these reservoirs in 1864, resulted in the Great Sheffield Flood, which killed 270 people and devastated large parts of the town.

In the 1950s and 1960s, many of the city's slums were demolished, and replaced with housing schemes such as the Park Hill Estate. Large parts of the city centre were also cleared to make way for a new system of roads. Increased automation and competition from abroad resulted in the closure of many steel mills. The 1980s saw the worst of this run-down of Sheffield's industries, along with those of many other areas of the United Kingdom. The building of the Meadowhall Centre on the site of a former steelworks in 1990 was a mixed blessing, creating much needed jobs but hastening the decline of the city centre.

One of the most prominent buildings in Sheffield is the Town Hall, which is an example of Victorian era Gothic revival architecture. It was constructed over a seven-year period from 1890 to 1897, opening on 21st May 1897. The current building is Sheffield's fourth town hall and was designed by the London-based architect Edward Mountford (1855-1908). The design of the exterior echoed the architecture of the adjacent St. Paul's Church of 1720 (now demolished). During construction, the building was criticised for its expensive embellishments. The exterior is built of Stoke stone from the Stoke Hall Quarry in Derbyshire and is decorated with carvings by sculptor Frederick Pomeroy (1856-1924). The friezes depict the industries of Sheffield, and the 210ft (64m) high clock-tower is surmounted by a statue of Vulcan.

Roughly a third of Sheffield lies in the Peak District National Park and is one of only two English cities which include parts of a National Park within its boundary. The other is Brighton and Hove with parts of its boundaries within the South Downs National Park - created in March 2010. Estimated to contain over two million trees, Sheffield has more trees per person than any other city in Europe, and according to Sheffield City Council it is England's greenest city, a claim that was reinforced when it won the 2005 Entente Florale competition.

The city has been home to several well-known bands and musicians which include The Human League, Heaven 17, ABC, Joe Cocker (1944-2014), Def Leppard, The Arctic Monkeys and Pulp. It even has its own Sheffield Walk of Fame in the city centre honouring famous Sheffield residents, past and present, in a similar way to the Hollywood version. Sheffield also has close ties with snooker, with the city's Crucible Theatre being the venue for the annual World Snooker Championships since 1977.

Although Sheffield has two professional football clubs - Sheffield United, known as The Blades, and Sheffield Wednesday, known as The Owls - the city has two other clubs. Sheffield F.C. is the world’s oldest club and was formed in 1857 by a collective of cricketers. Hallam F.C., which is the world’s second oldest football club, plays its home matches on the world's oldest football ground in the suburb of Crosspool. On 15th April 1989, Hillsborough Stadium, home to Sheffield Wednesday, was witness to what has become known as The Hillsborough Disaster. A human crush, which ultimately caused the deaths of 97 people and injured 766 others, at a match between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest resulted in the elimination of standing terraces at all major football stadiums in England, Wales and Scotland. It remains the worst stadium-related disaster in English sports history, and one of the world's worst football disasters.

At the time of transmission, Sheffield was located in the West Riding of Yorkshire. However, following the complete redistribution of county boundaries under the Local Government Act 1972 (which took effect on 1st April 1974), it became part of the newly-formed county of South Yorkshire.

The Visiting Towns

Woluwe-Saint-Pierre / Sint-Pieters-Woluwe is a francophonic / néerlandophonic (French / Dutch-speaking) municipality of Bruxelles / Brussels with a population of around 41,500 inhabitants and is located 307 miles (494km) south-east of Sheffield.

Küsnacht is a town with a population of around 15,000 inhabitants in the teutophonic (German-speaking) Swiss canton of Zürich and is located 609 miles (980km) south-east of Sheffield.

Bad Münstereifel is a town with a population of around 18,000 inhabitants in the German state of Nordrhein-Westfalen and is located 401 miles (645km) south-east of Sheffield.

Gap is a town with a population of around 41,000 inhabitants in the French region of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur and is located 699 miles (1,125km) south-east of Sheffield.

Congleton is a town with a population of around 28,000 inhabitants in the English county of Cheshire and is located 34 miles (55km) south-west of Sheffield.

Pontedera is a town with a population of around 30,000 inhabitants in the Italian region of Toscana and is located 869 miles (1,398km) south-east of Sheffield.

Lisse is a town with a population of around 23,000 inhabitants in the Dutch province of Zuid-Holland and is located 264 miles (425km) south-east of Sheffield.

The Venue

Norfolk Park

The games were played in the 28 hectare (280,000m²) Norfolk Park which is a wonderful mix of rolling grass areas, formal avenues and wild woodland. Known today as Norfolk Heritage Park, it takes its name from the residential suburb that encompasses it.

Located to the south of the city centre, the park opened to the public in 1848, with work laying out the park having commenced in 1841 initiated by the 12th Duke of Norfolk, Bernard Edward Howard (1745-1842), who owned the land. Upon opening, it was one of the first parks in Britain to have free entry to the general public, even though it was owned privately. The stone screen and entrance gates at Norfolk Park Road and Guildford Avenue were erected in 1851, with another added at Granville Road in 1876. The park soon became a popular location for walking, playing sport, and taking carriage rides.

Queen Victoria (1819-1901) visited the park on 21st May 1897, during her Diamond Jubilee year, whilst visiting Sheffield to open the new Town Hall. Fifty thousand schoolchildren sang patriotic songs and hymns to the Queen and a reported 200,000 people gathered to see her in the park (over two-thirds the population of the city at the time).

In 1909, Norfolk Park was given to the City of Sheffield as a gift from the 15th Duke of Norfolk, Henry Fitzalan-Howard (1847-1917). To commemorate this, a new refreshment pavilion was opened. In the years that followed, a number of sporting facilities were constructed including bowling greens and tennis courts. A children's playground opened in the 1950s and in 1959 football pitches were created in the north of the park by creating a flat area from the toppings of the slum clearance of the city. In 1956, the Jervis Lum woodland to the west was acquired by compulsory purchase from the 16th Duke of Norfolk, Bernard Marmaduke Fitzalan-Howard (1908-1975) and added to the park.

During the 1980s, the park went into decline and this downward trend continued until the early 1990s. In 1994, the park was added to the English Heritage Register of Historic Parks and Gardens (Grade II) and saw the establishment of the Friends of Norfolk Park group. In the same year, the park became more commonly known as Norfolk Heritage Park, reflecting its heritage and cultural significance. In 1995, the derelict refreshment pavilion was badly damaged by an arson attack and was demolished. The new refreshment pavilion, The Centre in the Park, a new community building with rooms available for hire, a community cafe and crèche, opened to the public in 2000 along with new children's play areas, thanks to funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund acquired to restore the park.

The Games in Detail

Game 1 - The Jousting Knights

The first game - ‘The Jousting Knights’ - was played individually over six rounds of 30 seconds duration and witnessed Belgium presenting their Joker for play. The game featured a male competitor from each team dressed as a knight, equipped with a lance, sitting on a bicycle (disguised as a horse). On the whistle, the competitor had to cycle down a 100ft (30.48m) inclined course which had ten target posts located at regular intervals down its length. He then had to use the lance to hit and knock down as many of the targets as possible within the permitted time. If he deviated off the course or fell from the cycle, he would be able to remount and continue from that point, but competitors had to keep their feet on the pedals at all times. The team knocking down the greater number of targets would be declared the winners.

The first heat of this straightforward game saw the participation of West Germany and, although they knocked down three targets, the third was executed whilst the competitor had his feet on the ground and they were declared as having knocked down 2 targets.

The second heat featured Netherlands and although they also knocked down three targets, the latter two were executed whilst the competitor had his feet on the ground and they were declared as having knocked down 1 target.

The third team to participate was Switzerland and they knocked down 9 targets, missing just the eighth of the ten.

The fourth of the six teams to participate was Great Britain and they knocked down 6 targets.

The fifth and penultimate heat saw the participation of France and, after falling from the bicycle after knocking down the first three targets, their competitor recomposed himself and went on to knock down a further four, giving the team a total of 7 targets.

The sixth and final heat featured Belgium and, after falling from the bicycle after knocking down two targets, their competitor recomposed himself and knocked down a further target before permitted time expired and they were declared as having knocked down 3 targets.

Running Scores and Positions: =1st Woluwe-Saint-Pierre / Sint-Pieters-Woluwe (B) (6pts awarded / Joker / 6pts total) =1st Küsnacht (CH) (6pts / 6pts) 3rd Gap (F) (5pts / 5pts) 4th Congleton (GB) (4pts / 4pts) 5th Bad Münstereifel (D) (2pts / 2pts) 6th Lisse (NL) (1pt / 1pt) 7th Pontedera (I) (--- / 0pts)

Fil Rouge, Round 1 - The Manacled Knights

The next game - ‘The Manacled Knights’ - was the Fil Rouge which was played over 1 minute 30 seconds duration and featured two male competitors manacled around the ankles and equipped with a 6ft (1.83m) diameter inflated beach ball. On the whistle, the first competitor had to push the ball up a 90ft (27.43m) straight course to the second competitor who then had to repeat the course in the opposite direction. The team completing the game in the faster time would be declared the winners.

The first round of this very simple game saw the participation of Italy and they completed the first run in 18 seconds and the second run in 15 seconds, giving them a total time of 33 seconds.

Running Fil Rouge Standings: 1st Pontedera (I) (33 seconds)

Comments: The Fil Rouge in this heat was not the one that should have been in the programme. Due to a carousel malfunctioning minutes before the programme began, the original game - ‘Delivering the Prisoners’ - was quickly replaced by the BBC with the reserve game - ‘The Manacled Knights’. Reserve games were designed to be introduced quickly and without the need of complex props and, as such, they were usually more simplistic than standard games. 'The Manacled Knights' was no exception, and it proved to be one of the closest-run games in the history of Jeux Sans Frontières, with all seven teams finishing within four seconds of each other.

Game 2 - The Wine Carriers

The second game - ‘The Wine Carriers’ - was played individually over six rounds of 1 minute 15 seconds duration and featured four female competitors from each team and a pool spanned by two 15ft (4.57m) long narrow beams which grew wider apart the further they stretched across the pool. On the whistle, two of the competitors stood opposite each other, face-to-face, on the two beams with their arms aloft and a large chalice held between their hands. They then had to edge their way across the beams and hand the chalice to a female team-mate to place on a podium. The game then had to be repeated. The team collecting two chalices in the faster time would be declared the winners.

The first heat of this straightforward game saw the participation of Belgium and they collected their first chalice in 16 seconds and their second in 26 seconds, giving them a total time of 42 seconds.

The second heat featured Italy and they failed to collect any chalices and were declared out of time and given 0:00.

The third team to participate was France and they collected their first chalice in 18 seconds and their second also in 18 seconds, giving them a total time of 36 seconds.

The fourth of the six teams to participate was Switzerland and they collected their first chalice in 12 seconds and their second also in 12 seconds, giving them a total time of 24 seconds.

The fifth and penultimate heat saw the participation of West Germany and they collected their first chalice in 17 seconds and their second in 33 seconds, giving them a total time of 50 seconds.

The sixth and final heat featured Great Britain and they collected their first chalice in 10 seconds and their second in 9 seconds, giving them a total time of 19 seconds.

Running Scores and Positions: 1st Küsnacht (CH) (5pts awarded / 11pts total) 2nd Congleton (GB) (6pts / 10pts) ▲ =3rd Woluwe-Saint-Pierre / Sint-Pieters-Woluwe (B) (3pts / 9pts) ▼ =3rd Gap (F) (4pts / 9pts) 5th Bad Münstereifel (D) (2pts / 4pts) =6th Pontedera (I) (1pt / 1pt) ▲ =6th Lisse (NL) (--- / 1pt)

Fil Rouge, Round 2 - The Manacled Knights

The second round of the Fil Rouge featured Netherlands and they completed the first run in 17 seconds and the second run in 18 seconds, giving them a total time of 35 seconds.

Running Fil Rouge Standings: 1st Pontedera (I) (33 seconds) 2nd Lisse (NL) (36 seconds)

Game 3 - The Castle Slide

The third game - ‘The Castle Slide’ - was played in two heats of two minutes duration and witnessed Switzerland, France, Great Britain and Italy presenting their Jokers for play. The game featured two male competitors from each team, equipped with two buckets, and a carpet slide stretched between the castle ramparts and the ground below. On the whistle, the competitors had to take it in turn to run up the slide and fill their buckets with water. They then had to slide down the carpet and run back to the start and empty the water (if any) into a Perspex container which was marked with a red ring at 12 inches (30.5cm) from the base. When the level of water reached this mark, a touch-judge would step in and cover the container and then one of the competitors had to run up the slide to the ramparts and set off a fire-cracker. 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 France, Italy and Netherlands with the latter getting the better start and leading throughout. Using just five buckets of water to reach the required mark, Netherlands completed the game in 1 minute 19 seconds. Whilst the other two teams had made two extra runs neither were able to reach the required mark and were both deemed out of time and given 0:00.

The second heat featured Switzerland, West Germany and Great Britain and saw all three teams completing the game without mishap. West Germany finished in 1 minute 15 seconds, Great Britain finished in 1 minute 30 seconds and Switzerland finished in 1 minute 43 seconds.

Running Scores and Positions: 1st Congleton (GB) (8pts awarded / Joker / 18pts total) ▲ 2nd Küsnacht (CH) (6pts / Joker / 17pts) ▼ 3rd Gap (F) (2pts / Joker / 11pts) 4th Bad Münstereifel (D) (6pts / 10pts) ▲ 5th Woluwe-Saint-Pierre / Sint-Pieters-Woluwe (B) (--- / 9pts) ▼ 6th Lisse (NL) (5pts / 6pts) 7th Pontedera (I) (2pts / Joker / 3pts) ▼

Fil Rouge, Round 3 - The Manacled Knights

The third round of the Fil Rouge featured Belgium and they completed each of the two runs in 17 seconds, giving them a total time of 34 seconds.

Running Fil Rouge Standings: 1st Pontedera (I) (33 seconds) 2nd Woluwe-Saint-Pierre / Sint-Pieters-Woluwe (B) (34 seconds) 3rd Lisse (NL) (36 seconds) ▼

Game 4 - The Springing Ghosts

The fourth game - ‘The Springing Ghosts’ - was a simple elimination game played in unison and witnessed West Germany presenting their Joker for play. The game featured a female competitor from each team dressed in a skeleton costume and a course comprising seven podia, each supported by a set of four industrial springs. On the whistle, the competitor had to jump from a static platform and then in turn onto each of the podia and at the end of the course onto another static platform. The last team to arrive on each run would be eliminated. The last team in play would be declared the winners.

This was a very fast and close game and the order of finish on the first run was Great Britain followed by West Germany, Netherlands, France and Italy. With Belgium finishing in 6th place they were eliminated from the game.

The finishing order of the second run was West Germany followed by Great Britain, Netherlands and France. With Italy finishing in 5th place they were eliminated from the game.

The third run saw France being eliminated in 4th place after finishing behind Netherlands, West Germany and Great Britain.

The fourth and penultimate run saw three teams competing for two places and ended with Netherlands being eliminated after finishing in 3rd place behind West Germany and Great Britain.

The fifth and final run was between West Germany and Great Britain and it ended in a dead heat with both competitors arriving at the exact same time. A re-run was arranged but had to be restarted after a false start. With all the hopes of the home crowd for a British victory, it was not to be, as West Germany reached the safety of the static podium ahead of Great Britain (2nd place).

Running Scores and Positions: 1st Congleton (GB) (5pts awarded / 23pts total) 2nd Bad Münstereifel (D) (12pts / Joker / 22pts) ▲ 3rd Küsnacht (CH) (--- / 17pts) ▼ 4th Gap (F) (3pts / 14pts) ▼ =5th Woluwe-Saint-Pierre / Sint-Pieters-Woluwe (B) (1pt / 10pts) =5th Lisse (NL) (4pts / 10pts) ▲ 7th Pontedera (I) (2pts / 5pts)

Fil Rouge, Round 4 - The Manacled Knights

The fourth round of the Fil Rouge featured Switzerland and they completed each of the two runs in 17 seconds, giving them a total time of 34 seconds.

Running Fil Rouge Standings: 1st Pontedera (I) (33 seconds) =2nd Woluwe-Saint-Pierre / Sint-Pieters-Woluwe (B) (34 seconds) =2nd Küsnacht (CH) (34 seconds) 4th Lisse (NL) (36 seconds) ▼

Game 5 - The Knights' Maces

The fifth game - ‘The Knights’ Maces’ - was played over three heats of 1 minute 15 seconds duration and featured a male competitor from each team, equipped with a giant mace weighing 100lbs (45.36kg), and a 100ft (30.48m) long course comprising two rows of three static wooden knights. On the whistle, the competitor had to lift the mace of the ground and swing it around his head whilst moving down the course to knock down the six knights. Only those knights knocked down whilst the ball of the mace was off the ground would be deemed to count. The team completing the game in the faster time would be declared the winners.

The first heat of this very straightforward game saw the participation of Belgium and France and ended with Belgium completing the game in 32 seconds and France doing likewise in 40 seconds.

The second and penultimate heat featured Italy and Netherlands and ended without mishap with Italy finishing in 21 seconds and Netherlands finishing in 25 seconds.

The third and final heat saw the participation of Switzerland and Great Britain and, apart from Switzerland missing the target and losing his foothold on a couple of occasions, this also ended without major mishap with Great Britain finishing in 22 seconds and Switzerland finishing in 29 seconds.

Running Scores and Positions: 1st Congleton (GB) (5pts awarded / 28pts total) 2nd Bad Münstereifel (D) (--- / 22pts) 3rd Küsnacht (CH) (3pts / 20pts) 4th Gap (F) (1pt / 15pts) 5th Lisse (NL) (4pts / 14pts) 6th Woluwe-Saint-Pierre / Sint-Pieters-Woluwe (B) (2pts / 12pts) ▼ 7th Pontedera (I) (6pts / 11pts)

Comments: A photograph of this game was featured on Page 32 of the It’s A Knockout Annual 1977, published by World Distributors (Manchester) Limited in the autumn of 1976.

Fil Rouge, Round 5 - The Manacled Knights

The fifth round of the Fil Rouge featured West Germany and they completed each of the two runs in 17 seconds, giving them a total time of 34 seconds.

Running Fil Rouge Standings: 1st Pontedera (I) (33 seconds) =2nd Woluwe-Saint-Pierre / Sint-Pieters-Woluwe (B) (34 seconds) =2nd Küsnacht (CH) (34 seconds) =2nd Bad Münstereifel (D) (34 seconds) 5th Lisse (NL) (36 seconds) ▼

Game 6 - Tossing the Pancakes

The sixth game - ‘Tossing the Pancakes’ - was played in two heats of two minutes duration and featured two female competitors from each team, equipped with giant skillets, and a course comprising three high hurdles with portcullis façades. On the whistle, the first competitor had to place a large foam-rubber pancake onto her skillet and move down the course and toss the pancake over the first hurdle and catch it on the other side. This process then had to be repeated at the second and third hurdles after which the pancake had to be placed on a podium. The second competitor then had to repeat the game. All pancakes had to be caught cleanly as they dropped but any that fell to the ground would have to be tossed again. The team completing the two runs in the faster time would be declared the winners.

The first heat of this straightforward game saw the participation of Switzerland, West Germany and Netherlands and it appeared to be a one-horse race with Netherlands storming the game. Netherlands completed their first run in 38 seconds and their second run in 36 seconds, giving them a total time of 1 minute 14 seconds. West Germany completed their first run in 53 seconds and the second in 45 seconds, giving them a total time of 1 minute 38 seconds. Switzerland were unable to complete any full runs, but were able to toss the pancake successfully over the first two hurdles and were given a score of 2 pancakes.

The second heat featured Belgium, Great Britain and Italy and it began with a false start by Great Britain. On the restart, all three teams struggled to negotiate the first hurdle with Belgium being the first to succeed after 51 seconds of elapsed time. Great Britain completed their first run in 1 minute 27 seconds and the second in 27 seconds, giving them a total time of 1 minute 54 seconds. Although Belgium completed their first run in 1 minute 23 seconds, the second competitor was only able to negotiate one hurdle, giving them a score of 4 pancakes. Although it appeared that Italy had completed their first run in 1 minute 58 seconds, two of the tosses were deemed invalid and were given a score of 1 pancake.

Running Scores and Positions: 1st Congleton (GB) (4pts awarded / 32pts total) 2nd Bad Münstereifel (D) (5pts / 27pts) 3rd Küsnacht (CH) (2pts / 22pts) 4th Lisse (NL) (6pts / 20pts) ▲ =5th Woluwe-Saint-Pierre / Sint-Pieters-Woluwe (B) (3pts / 15pts) ▲ =5th Gap (F) (--- / 15pts) ▼ 7th Pontedera (I) (1pt / 12pts)

Fil Rouge, Round 6 - The Manacled Knights

The sixth and penultimate round of the Fil Rouge featured France and they completed the first run in 15 seconds and the second run in 16 seconds, giving them a total time of 31 seconds.

Running Fil Rouge Standings: 1st Gap (F) (31 seconds) 2nd Pontedera (I) (33 seconds) ▼ =3rd Woluwe-Saint-Pierre / Sint-Pieters-Woluwe (B) (34 seconds) ▼ =3rd Küsnacht (CH) (34 seconds) ▼ =3rd Bad Münstereifel (D) (34 seconds) ▼ 6th Lisse (NL) (36 seconds) ▼

Game 7 - Robin Hood

The seventh and penultimate game - ‘Robin Hood’ - was played individually over six heats of 1 minute 15 seconds duration and witnessed Netherlands presenting their Joker for play. The game featured four male competitors from each team dressed as Robin Hood assisted by a female team-mate dressed as Maid Marian. On the whistle, the first competitor had to swing down from a platform by a rope trapeze and grab a bag of gold from the female and then drop onto a platform located 12ft (3.66m) behind her. Once accomplished, the second competitor had to run up a small flight of steps with the trapeze and repeat the game. This would be the case with the third and fourth competitors until all four were on the podium with their bags of gold. All competitors had to drop cleanly onto the platform with gold intact to count. The team completing all four runs in the faster time would be declared the winners.

The first heat of this straightforward game saw the participation of Switzerland and the first three competitors made clean drops after 4, 16 and 27 seconds of elapsed time, respectively. Unfortunately, their final competitor slipped from the trapeze and had to repeat his run. After running up the steps, he found that he had to descend them again as he had forgotten to take the trapeze with him. However, after recomposing himself, he duly completed his run and the game after 56 seconds.

The second heat featured Belgium and they made four cleanly executed runs after 4, 14, 27 and 37 seconds respectively.

The third team to participate was Italy and, although they made two clean drops after 4 and 21 seconds of elapsed time, the competitor on the third drop nudged the first competitor off the podium and had to repeat the game. After recomposing itself, the team completed the final two drops after 55 seconds and 1 minute 8 seconds respectively.

The fourth of the six teams to participate was France and they made four runs after 4, 15, 32 and 42 seconds respectively.

The fifth and penultimate heat saw the participation of West Germany they also made four runs after 4, 15, 26 and 37 seconds respectively.

The sixth and final heat featured Netherlands and they made four cleanly executed runs after 4, 14, 27 and 38 seconds respectively.

Running Scores and Positions: 1st Bad Münstereifel (D) (6pts awarded / 33pts total) ▲ 2nd Congleton (GB) (--- / 32pts) ▼ 3rd Lisse (NL) (8pts / Joker / 28pts) ▲ 4th Küsnacht (CH) (2pts / 24pts) ▼ 5th Woluwe-Saint-Pierre / Sint-Pieters-Woluwe (B) (6pts / 21pts) 6th Gap (F) (3pts / 18pts) ▼ 7th Pontedera (I) (1pt / 13pts)

Comments: The venue for this heat, Norfolk Park, was the perfect setting for this game, being adorned as it is with tall oak trees and grassy banks. This game was located in front of such and this gave it some well-defined gravity as actually being played in the trees of Sherwood Forest. However, this illusion was soon shattered by the appearance of members of the St. John Ambulance Brigade (a voluntary first aid and emergency medical services organisation formed in 1877) walking around in the background!

Fil Rouge, Round 7 - The Manacled Knights

The seventh and final round of the Fil Rouge featured Great Britain and they completed the first run in 15 seconds and the second run in 17 seconds, giving them a total time of 32 seconds and they finished in 2nd place on the game.

Final Fil Rouge Standings: 1st Gap (F) (31 seconds) 2nd Congleton (GB) (32 seconds) 3rd Pontedera (I) (33 seconds) ▼ =4th Woluwe-Saint-Pierre / Sint-Pieters-Woluwe (B) (34 seconds) ▼ =4th Küsnacht (CH) (34 seconds) ▼ =4th Bad Münstereifel (D) (34 seconds) ▼ 7th Lisse (NL) (36 seconds) ▼

Running Scores and Positions: 1st Congleton (GB) (6pts awarded / 38pts total) ▲ 2nd Bad Münstereifel (D) (4pts / 37pts) ▼ 3rd Lisse (NL) (1pt / 29pts) 4th Küsnacht (CH) (4pts / 28pts) =5th Woluwe-Saint-Pierre / Sint-Pieters-Woluwe (B) (4pts / 25pts) =5th Gap (F) (7pts / 25pts) ▲ 7th Pontedera (I) (5pts / 18pts)

Game 8 - The Castle Siege

The eighth and final game - ‘The Castle Siege’ - was played in unison over 2 minutes 30 seconds duration and featured five competitors (four males and one female) from each team, equipped with a large wooden cart weighing 220lbs (99.79kg) which had elongated handles. On the whistle, two of the male competitors had to push the cart up a 100ft (30.48m) course to the castle wall and, in doing so, pass through an arch on which an opposing male team member was standing, equipped with a high-powered water hose. After reaching the wall, the cart handles had to be raised 90° and then four small wooden boards had to be placed in hooks located along both the handles’ lengths to create a ladder. The other two males and the female, located on the ramparts, then had to descend the ladder onto the cart. The cart then had to be rotated back to its normal position and, whilst the three descending competitors remained on board, the four males had to pull the cart back through the arch and to the start line. The cart handles then had to be raised 90° once more in order for the female to climb the ladder and set off a firecracker. The team completing the game in the faster time would be declared the winners.

This was a very straightforward game which was at times obliterated from view by the spray from the seven water hoses. Although this made viewing difficult, it could be seen that Netherlands had complete control of the game and finished in 1st place in 1 minute 4 seconds, followed by West Germany in 2nd place in 1 minute 8 seconds and Switzerland in 3rd place in 1 minute 9 seconds. The fourth team to finish was Belgium in 1 minute 13 seconds, followed by France in 5th place in 1 minute 18 seconds, Great Britain in 6th place in 1 minute 20 seconds and Italy in 7th place in 1 minute 27 seconds.

Final Scores and Positions: 1st Bad Münstereifel (D) (6pts awarded / 43pts total) ▲ 2nd Congleton (GB) (2pts / 40pts) ▼ 3rd Lisse (NL) (7pts / 36pts) 4th Küsnacht (CH) (5pts / 33pts) 5th Woluwe-Saint-Pierre / Sint-Pieters-Woluwe (B) (4pts / 29pts) 6th Gap (F) (3pts / 28pts) ▼ 7th Pontedera (I) (1pt / 19pts)

Comments: A photograph of this game was featured on Page 31 of the It’s A Knockout Annual 1977 published by World Distributors (Manchester) Limited in the autumn of 1976.

Records and Statistics

In the wake of victories by Waldkraiburg (Heat 2), Westerland (Sylt) (Heat 3) and Rodenkirchen (Heat 5), Bad Munstereifel became the fourth team this year from West Germany to win their International Heat. Had it not been for an inadvertent error by the team of Ahrensburg in the following heat, this number would have increased to five. This record number of four heat victories in one series equalled that of the one that West Germany also achieved during the 1968 series and would remain intact for the remainder of the programme’s history. However, along the way it would be equalled by Portugal (1989, 1991, 1992 and 1998), Italy (1993) and Hungary (1994).

If International Finals are also taken into account, then Belgium (1966), West Germany (1967), Portugal (1988 and 1997) and Czech Republic (1995) would also be added to the list. However, in including International Finals, then West Germany (1968) and Portugal (1989) hold the record with five victories in one complete series.

Additional Information

This heat was riddled with false starts, with many of the competitors having to come back to the start of the course and prepare themselves again for the whistle. In one instance, the assembled crowd was making so much noise that some of the competitors didn’t even hear the whistle and a new start had to be arranged.

Despite the fact that the heat was made and broadcast in full colour, the scoreboard in this heat was shown in black and white. This is much stranger than it sounds, as all long shots during games of the scoreboard clearly show it in its normal blue colour.

At the end of the programme, the credits rolled to the music of Bean Bag by Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass, the theme music for the British Domestic series.

After the credits had rolled, the camera panned to a large display of fireworks which had been set off and was designed to say GOODNIGHT FROM SHEFFIELD - THE EXCITING CITY. However, some of the fireworks in the word ‘goodnight’ didn’t go off and the letters ‘GHT’ were not displayed!

This heat was transmitted in Great Britain three weeks after the previous one. This was due to the fact that the BBC transmitted the XXth Summer Olympic Games staged at München in West Germany between Saturday 26th August and Sunday 10th September 1972.

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

NL

Jeux Sans Frontières 1972

Heat 7

Event Staged: Wednesday 16th August 1972
Venue: Oude Markt (Old Market), Delft, Netherlands

European Transmissions (Local Timings):
BRT (B): Wednesday 16th August 1972, 9.05-10.20pm (Live)
RTB (B): Wednesday 16th August 1972, 9.05-10.20pm (Live)
SSR (CH): Wednesday 16th August 1972, 9.05-10.25pm (Live)
TSI (CH): Wednesday 16th August 1972, 9.05-10.20pm (Live)
SRG (CH): Wednesday 16th August 1972, 9.05-10.25pm (Live)
WDR 1 (D): Wednesday 16th August 1972, 9.05-10.30pm (Live)
Nederland 1 (NL): Wednesday 16th August 1972, 9.05-10.25pm (Live)

RAI Due (I): Wednesday 16th August 1972, 10.05-11.20pm (Live - DST)
ORTF 2 (F): Saturday 2nd September 1972

BBC1 (GB): Friday 22nd September 1972, 7.45-9.00pm

Weather Conditions: Warm and Dry

Winners' Trophy presented by: Dick Passchier

Theme: Netherlands and its People

Teams: Leuven (B) v. Giubiasco (CH) v. Ahrensburg (D) v.
Saintes (F) v. Luton (GB) v. Sermoneta (I) v. Bladel (NL)

Games Demonstration Team: Ridderkerk (NL)

Team Members included:
Leuven (B) - Willi van der Rijn, Vernon Vaalder;
Ahrensburg (D) - Rolf Stanisław (Team Coach), Dieter Tringel (Team Captain), Michael Anfeld, Heide Becker, Peter Breit, Ozil Dietrich, Kirsten Diets, Hans-Weiter Fischer, Hans Heinrich, Erika Köln, Mathias Mitterbei, Ulrich Schadt, Peter Springer, Peter Teppe, Lottar Winst, Harald Zelig, Peter Zollbricht;
Luton (GB) - John Riches (Team Manager), John Howells (Men’s Team Coach), Pam Lewis (Women’s Team Coach), Alan Baldock, Pat Barker, Janice Barton, Marilyn Borlase, Pamela Brebner, Geoffrey Brown, Peter Bruce, Linda Butler, Finlay Campbell, Patricia Cornes, Colin Curle, Stephanie Daniels, Sharon Dillette, Christopher Dunnington, Gary Dunnington, Barry Elliott, Douglas Fleming, Kevin Hanna, Michael Harrison, Brenda Howe, Ann Howells, Annette Hunter, Andrew Maddox, Colin Mayes, Valerie McDonough, Steve Mizsei, Thomas Murphy, Linda Nash, John O’Kane, Geoffrey Osborne, Barry Penning, Jeanette Purdy, John Randall, Raymond Roach, Sandra Rogers, Frederick Standard, Peter Sturgess, David Watkins, Diana Windle, Paul Woolford, David Worker, Jean Wright, Caroline Yates;
Sermoneta (I) - Mario Capfannia, Paolo Santamaria;
Bladel (NL) - Leo Schoots (Team Captain), Leo van Avendonk, Wim Bohncke, Frans Brecheisen, Ivon Brecheisen, Marietje Couwenberg, Jan van Elswijk, Jan van Gompel, Liesbeth Hermans, Tonnie Jansen, Harry Keizers, Alda van Korven, Cees Penson, Jenny Schoots, Coby Smets, Jan Tielemans, Kees Tielemans, Peter Tielemans, Henk Tijssen, Sjan van der Wijst.

Games: La Tour de Hollande, The Herring Eaters, The Cows and the Flowers, The Visiting Tourists, The Cheese Walk, The Jeux Sans Frontières Commentators, A Dutch Wedding, The Cortege of Flowers;
Fil Rouge: The Barrel-Organ;
Jokers: Foam-Rubber Cows.

Game Results and Standings