Jeux Sans Frontières 1977

European International Series

Entrants 1977: Belgium (B) • Switzerland (CH) • West Germany (D) •
France (F) • Great Britain (GB) • Italy (I) • Netherlands (NL) 

Presenters / Commentators of International Competitions:
Ann Michel and Mike Vendrengh (B)
 Ezio Guidi, Jacques Huwyer and Georges Kleinmann (CH)
Manfred Erdenberger and Erhard Keller (D)
Simone Garnier and Guy Lux (F)
Stuart Hall and Eddie Waring (GB)
Giulio Marchetti and Rosanna Vaudetti (I)
Barend Barendse and Dick Passchier (NL)
Fialho Gouveia (RTP - P)

International Referees:
Gennaro Olivieri
Guido Pancaldi

National Referees:
Arthur Ellis (Heat 5) and Mike Swann (GB)

Production Credits:

National Games Designers: Stuart Furber (GB); National Producers: Cecil Korer (GB); National Directors: Geoff Wilson (GB)

Produced by the European Broadcasting Union and
RTBF-BRT (B), SSR-SRG-TSI (CH), ARD-WDR (D), 
ANTENNE 2 (F), BBC Manchester (GB), RAI (I), NCRV (NL)

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

I

Jeux Sans Frontières 1977

Heat 1

Event Staged: Wednesday 1st June 1977
Venue: Marina di Carrara, Italy

European Transmissions (Local Timings):
 

SSR (CH): Wednesday 1st June 1977, 8.05-9.25pm (Live)

BRT (B): Wednesday 1st June 1977, 9.05-10.25pm (Live - DST)
RTBF (B): Wednesday 1st June 1977, 9.05-10.40pm (Live - DST)
TSI (CH): Wednesday 1st June 1977, 9.05-10.25pm (Live - DST)
SRG (CH): Wednesday 1st June 1977, 9.05-10.25pm (Live - DST)
RAI Due (I): Wednesday 1st June 1977, 9.05-10.25pm (Live - DST)

WDR 1 (D): Wednesday 1st June 1977, 10.05-11.30pm
RTP (P): Thursday 9th June 1977, 9.50-10.45pm
Nederland 1 (NL): Friday 10th June 1977, 8.00-9.35pm
Antenne 2 (F): Sunday 31st July 1977
BBC1 (GB exc. Wales): Wednesday 14th September 1977, 6.50-8.05pm

BBC1 Wales (CYM): Sunday 18th September 1977, 1.55-3.10pm

Theme: Greek Mythology

Teams: Alken (B) v. Freienbach (CH) v. Schliersee (D) v. Ambarès (F) v.
Beverley (GB) v. Marina di Carrara (I) v. Dalfsen (NL)

Team Members included:
Beverley - Dave Gibson (Team Captain), Debra Windass;
Marina di Carrara (I) - Massimo Bedini (Team Captain), Giorgio Andrei, Patrizio Arata, Graziana Arcolini, Patrizia Baccioli, Pietro Baruzzo, Elisabetta Buracchioli, Alessandro Lambruschi, Luca Leati, Stefano Menconi, Cleta Montefiore, Silvano Santucci, Massimo Tedeschi

Games: Cupid, Collecting Nectar, Jupiter, Feast of the Gods, The Twelve Labours of Hercules, Discovery of Fire, Girl in Polystyrene Box and Maze;
Fil Rouge: Greek Temple.

Game Results and Standings

Result

 Team

Points

Final Scoreboard

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

 I • Marina di Carrara ● ●
 D • Schliersee ●
 NL • Dalfsen
 B • Alken
 CH • Freienbach
 GB • Beverley
 F • Ambarès

50
38
31
30
30
29
19

Presenters, Officials and Production Team

Italian games designer Adolfo 'Popi' Perani once again produced a spectacular heat. With the theme of Greek Mythology, one of the games was based around 'The Twelve Labours of Hercules’. The game involved one male member of each team trying to knock over each of the twelve ‘labours’ - two opposing members from each side and two from his own team - so a score of at least two was guaranteed. These ‘labours’ included the Nemean Lion, the Hydra of Lemae, the Augean Stables, the Stymphalian Birds, the Cretean Bull, the Apples of Hesperides and Cerberus the guardian dog of Hades. All wonderfully costumed, it was one of those games that caused the BBC commentator, Stuart Hall, to descend into in fits of laughter.

Additional Information

French broadcaster Antenne 2 played around with the schedule for the first three heats, starting with Heat 3 and then following with 1 and 2. They had intended to start with Heat 2, their home heat - and indeed Guy Lux made a point of welcoming viewers and the live audience to the first event of Jeux Sans Frontières 1977 in his opening announcement at the Évry heat. However, plans quickly changed as Antenne 2 wanted to start the series with a strong French performance, something that neither Heat 1 or 2 provided (Ambarès 7th in Heat 1 and Évry 5th in Heat 2). Heat 3 saw a 4th place finish for Blanzac-Porcheresse and that heat was duly promoted to first in sequence. Quite why they didn't head the schedule with Fontainebleau's victory in Heat 4, which was available at the time of the first Antenne 2 transmission of 1977, is open to conjecture.

Made in Colour • This programme exists in the BBC Archives

F

Jeux Sans Frontières 1977

Heat 2

Event Staged: Wednesday 15th June 1977
Venue: Parc du Safari de Saint-Vrain, Évry, France

European Transmissions (Local Timings):
SSR (CH): Wednesday 15th June 1977, 8.05-9.25pm (Live)
TSI (CH): Wednesday 15th June 1977, 9.00-10.20pm
SRG (CH): Wednesday 15th June 1977, 9.05-10.25pm
BRT (B): Wednesday 15th June 1977, 9.05-10.25pm (Live - DST)
RTBF (B): Wednesday 15th June 1977, 9.05-10.25pm (Live - DST)
RAI Due (I): Wednesday 15th June 1977, 9.05-10.25pm (Live - DST)
Nederland 1 (NL): Wednesday 15th June 1977, 9.00-10.30pm (Live - DST)
WDR 1 (D): Wednesday 15th June 1977, 10.05-11.30pm
RTP (P): Thursday 23rd June 1977, 9.35-10.40pm
Antenne 2 (F): Sunday 7th August 1977
BBC1 (GB exc. Wales): Wednesday 21st September 1977, 6.50-8.05pm

BBC1 Wales (CYM): Sunday 25th September 1977, 1.55-3.10pm

Theme: Science Fiction and Horror Films

Teams: Frameries (B) v. Olivone (CH) v. Dahn (D) v. Évry (F) v.
Oldham (GB) v. Solofra (I) v. Buren (Betuwe) (NL)

Team Members included:
Olivone (CH) - Dino Solari (Men's Team Captain), Barbara Cima (Women's Team Captain), Ortensio Bassi, Lauro Beffa, Edy Beretta, Ortensia Genucchi, Vincenzo Giuliani, Rolande Hirter, Renzo Jacomett, Lucia Poglia, Loris Solari, Fernando Vini, Renzo Zanetti, Roberto Zanetti;
Évry (F) - Michelle Villeau;
Oldham (GB) - Derek Smallwood (Team Manager), Dorothy Emerson (Women's Team Manager), Tom Hill (Assistant Team Coach), Diane Cook (Assistant Team Coach), Stephen Andrews, Sheila Antrobus, Lynne Bowden, Johnathon Boyce, Michael Cannon, Frank Collinson, Carol Driver, Nadia Duda, Tony Edwards, Don Errock, Eric Fitzsimmons, Barry Gordon, Karen Halliwell, Ian Hamilton, Warren Hilton, Syd Jolley, Steve Kenney, Alex Kerrigan, Ruth Lawson, Michael Maloney, Nicholas Marrington, Mark McLoughlin, Tony Nanyn, Fiona Nicholl, Brian Parkinson, Christine Silk, Bob Tait, Alison Turner, Jane Welton;
Solofra (I) - Rita Dembastro.

Games: Barbarella, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Frankenstein’s Monster, Phantom of the Opera, Moby Dick, Dracula, Superman and Godzilla;
Fil Rouge: King Kong.
Jokers: Bananas.

Game Results and Standings

Result

 Team

Points

Final Scoreboard

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

 CH • Olivone ● ●
 GB • Oldham ●
 B • Frameries
 D • Dahn
 F • Évry
 I • Solofra
 NL • Buren (Betuwe)

40
37
35
34
33
32
27

The Host Town

Évry, France

Évry, located in the southern suburbs of Paris, is classified as a ‘new town’ and was created in the 1960s. It lies 26km (16 miles) south of the city centre, 73km (45¼ miles) east of Chartres and 31km (19¼ miles) north-west of Fontainebleau. Évry is demographically the second youngest town in France with the average age of the population being only 26 years old (recently being beaten by Mulhouse with an average age of 24 years).

In 1881, the name of the commune, originally called Évry-sur-Seine, was changed to Évry-Petit-Bourg at the request of entrepreneur Paul Decauville (1846-1922), owner of Ateliers de Petit-Bourg, a large boiler works located in Évry and at the time the largest employer in the area. The factory owed its name to the hamlet of Petit-Bourg (one of the three hamlets on the territory of Évry) where it was built. On 29th June 1965, after it had been chosen to become a ‘new town’, its name was shortened to Évry, and was destined to host tens of thousands of suburbanites from the overflowing Paris. The name Petit-Bourg (literally meaning little borough or small town) was deemed too old fashioned and improper for the new large suburban town of Évry.

The Cathedral of the Resurrection, dedicated to Saint Corbinien, was designed by Swiss architect Mario Botta and is one of the few 20th century cathedrals built in a truly modern style. It was completed in 1995 and is 34m (111ft 6½in) high and comprises 840,000 handmade red bricks crowned by a ring of trees around the edge of the roof. It had a total cost of €13.72 million (£10.93 million) and covers a total surface of 1,600m² (17,222ft²) and can accommodate up to 1,400 people. Pope John-Paul II (Karol Józef Wojtyła) (1920-2005) made a visit on 22nd August 1997, and although car parks were requisitioned as far away as Corbeil-Essonnes, fewer than 500 people turned out for the event. This has resulted in Évry holding the unwanted world record for the smallest crowd at a papal appearance. Some people consider the modern cathedral as an architectural beauty while others liken the design to that of a blast furnace.

The Pagoda Khan-Anh, covering an area of 3,287m² (35,381ft²) is the largest pagoda in Europe and accommodates 1,500 people. The initial cost was estimated at €7.6 million (£6.57 million) but was expected to have doubled by the end of its construction. Work began in 1996 and was finally completed in 2012. The statue of Buddha, 4m (13ft 1½in) tall and weighing 4,535kg (5 tons), arrived from Thailand on 20th October 2002.

Although Évry is a modern ‘new town’, which is generally synonymous with being a ‘concrete jungle’, 50% of its surface area is parkland and open space. The main thoroughfares are very wide avenues and trees are to be found everywhere. In the nationwide inter-communal competition Ville Fleurie (floral town), Évry has been awarded the high status of ‘three flowers’, usually only won by country villages. To encourage this aspect of the town an annual Balcon Fleuri (floral balcony) competition is held. A similar balcony competition is held each December for the best exterior Christmas decorations.

When Évry was built, Orly was the largest international airport of France and many international companies such as Digital, Hewlett Packard, and Alsthom established their head offices in Évry. However, with the expansion of Charles de Gaulle Roissy airport, all the larger companies have moved out causing the downfall of the many smaller service companies which catered to the lunchtime needs of the thousands of staff which were either displaced or made redundant. Amongst the few international companies remaining is the supermarket chain of Carrefour.

The Venue

Parc du Safari de Saint-Vrain

The games were played in the grounds of the Saint-Vrain Safari Park which was located within the grounds of the medieval Château of Saint-Vrain.

Originally owned by Jeanne Bécu de Cantigny (1743-1793), the Countess du Barry between 1774 and 1776, the château came into the ownership of Jacques Alexandre Gourlade (1735-1803), an owner at the port of Lorient and who had held several positions within the French East India Company. It then became subject of a reconstruction in the 19th century after which it moved into the ownership of the Mortemart family and remains in private ownership today.

Towards the end of the 1960s, Charles-René de Mortemart (1929-1984) decided to transform the exotic landscape park into a safari park, with its design modelled on Woburn Safari Park located at Woburn Abbey in Bedfordshire.

Construction of the 140 hectare site began in early 1971 and required considerable work to create artificial ponds connected by a system of channels for it to become one of the most visited sites in Île-de-France. It offered an area which could be traversed by car over a 9km (5½ miles) drive with more than a thousand animals on view roaming in semi-freedom. The park, which included a menagerie of monkeys, elephants, large mammals, sea lions and giraffes, was officially opened to the public on 14th March 1974.

The park continued to develop even after the public opening and before the tourist summer season began, it integrated several big cats. At the same time, a floating aviary was established on the lake, the first of its kind in the world. To ensure that visitors could enjoy this and other bestial attractions, a boat safari was established.

In 1981, a funfair was installed in the grounds with automaton theatres which told the story of the chateau, the rich Borghese and Mortemart families in the early 19th century and the fables of Jean de La Fontaine (1621-1695). However, following a misunderstanding and disagreements with the park’s owner between 1982 and 1984, the funfair decamped at the end of 1984.

To replace the funfair, the park opened a section dedicated to prehistoric times for the 1985 season, where animated dinosaurs and humans were exhibited. The whole area was supplemented by information boards and sound systems were installed to recreate the sounds of the giant beasts. This all resulted in visitors being able to admire the first reconstructions of prehistoric animals in natural size and, with the participation of the Musée de l'Homme (Museum of Man), a chronology of the evolution of mankind. To coincide with this, a prehistoric boat safari (independent of the boat safari) was introduced which navigated the small rivers in the middle of prehistoric park and would take approximately 30 minutes.

In 1986, a high monorail circuit was constructed which enabled visitors to traverse the whole park in just 18 minutes for 45 Francs (approx £4.15). The park continued to have great success throughout the 1980s, but despite enjoying more than 600,000 visitors a year it continually found itself in competition with the Parc Zoologique de Thoiry (Zoological Park at Thoiry), located 53km to the north-west.

During 1996, an unknown epidemic decimated a lot of animals and following animal rights campaigns, it was decided to turn the grounds into a floral park with a small zoo. Ironically, this had been the original wish of the first owner. In 1998, thousands of plants were planted and the surviving animals moved into small prefabricated enclosures. However, with heavy rain throughout the autumn of that year, and not to mention the fact that the zoo was built on marshy ground, the area became flooded. Visitor numbers, already being reduced drastically due to the lack of animals, dwindled further. The saturated ground claimed most of the bulbs which had been planted and, having invested so much money in the project, the owner decided to close the park at the end of 1998. Today, although the château still remains, the safari park site lies abandoned with only the outlines of the enclosure and public entrance visible from the air.

The Games in Detail

Game 3 - Frankenstein's Monster

Game 3 was based on the horror film Frankenstein, and involved a girl (again with tied ankles) having to negotiate a winding course, planting giant flowers into vases with very small mouths. After ten seconds start, the girl's pusuer was released and out from behind closed doors appeared Frankenstein's monster, an 8ft giant with huge square boots (which hindered the movement of the opposing team member inside). The monster had to catch the girl by ‘tagging’ her. Not surprisingly, each of the six heats of this game did not last very long and none lasted more than thirty seconds.

Game 5 - Moby Dick

Oldham team member Fiona Nicholl played a blinder on Game 5, based on the film Moby Dick, in which she was dressed as a mermaid and had to jump around a carousel-shaped course with her ankles tied together, chased by a 15ft open-mouthed whale, which was operated by two opposing team members. The five other competing girls could only manage to keep going for about 10-33 seconds before being engulfed by the whale, but Fiona kept going and was finally caught after 92 seconds, surviving 59 seconds longer than her nearest rival. She was delighted (and somewhat fatigued) to win six points for the team.

Game 6 - Dracula

At the start of Game 6 - ‘Dracula’ - a loose King Charles spaniel ran into the arena and across the game set. Astonished scene hands desperately tried to catch the loose animal, but to no avail. However, eventually it ran back into the crowd as fast as it had appeared!

Presenters, Officials and Production Team

It just goes to show that you cannot believe everything that your own national commentator tells you. At the start of Game 5, BBC commentator Stuart Hall clearly stated that the game was based on the film Jaws and then went on to describe the film in his florid style, but the props did not fit in with his description of the game’s theme. However in the A2 (France) transmission, presenter Guy Lux stated that the game is based on the film Moby Dick, which clearly fitted in with the game’s theme!

Additional Information

This French heat was originally to have been held in Lyon, as evidenced by a promotional sticker produced by the Frameries team which denoted Lyon as the venue.

Following on from the Italian heat, came a very well costumed French heat. Games were based on famous science fiction and horror films, and included games based on Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, Dracula and Godzilla.

The Fil Rouge that featured in this International Heat consisted of a male competitor in a gorilla outfit negotiating an obstacle course. In his hand, he was carrying a banana which had to be delivered into the hand of a forty-foot high, three ton King Kong figure. The construction had mechanical grab mechanisms in its arms which were strong enough to support two people standing in the creature's left hand. It could also be made to roar.

It would appear that after its construction for the Évry JSF programme, the giant gorilla prop - unfortunately rechristened Big Mong - was sold to the French Carrefour hypermarket chain, who used it for publicity purposes. As a result, this jaw-dropping creation later made an unexpected appearance at the sixth anniversary celebrations of Carrefour's hypermarket in Caerphilly, South Wales, in 1978. One wonders just how awkward it was to transport from France to Great Britain!

BBC Wales reporter, Jennifer Murray contributed a short report to Wales Today. No mention was made of Jeux Sans Frontières, just that the giant-sized prop had been built by French engineers. At the end of the report she did a 'Fay Wray' by being hoisted up in its giant hand! The courageous lady pictured here with the jungle beast is beauty queen Cheryl Perry of Bargoed, then the reigning Miss Caerphilly.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the erection of the politically correctly named giant outside the Carrefour attracted the interest of local councillors including one Howard Edwards who complained to the local press that "I realise this monstrosity will have a lot of appeal for children, but I believe planning permission is needed to put it up. Big Mong is 40ft high and can be seen from a wide area of the town. The roar of the gorilla can be quite startling to someone with a nervous disposition." Mr Edwards' concerns came to nought and the prop stood outside the Carrefour shop for five days.

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

CH

Jeux Sans Frontières 1977

Heat 3

Event Staged: Wednesday 29th June 1977
Venue: Carré du Marche, La Place de Sardaigne, Carouge, Switzerland

European Transmissions (Local Timings):
SSR (CH): Wednesday 29th June 1977, 8.05-9.25pm (Live)
SRG (CH): Wednesday 29th June 1977, 9.00-10.20pm
TSI (CH): Wednesday 29th June 1977, 9.00-10.20pm
RAI Due (I): Wednesday 29th June 1977, 9.05-10.25pm (Live - DST)
Nederland 1 (NL): Wednesday 29th June 1977, 9.00-10.30pm (Live - DST)
BRT (B): Wednesday 29th June 1977, 9.05-10.25pm (Live - DST)
RTBF (B): Wednesday 29th June 1977, 9.05-10.25pm (Live - DST)
WDR 1 (D): Wednesday 29th June 1977, 10.05-11.30pm
RTP (P): Thursday 7th July 1977, 9.50-11.15pm
Antenne 2 (F): Sunday 24th July 1977
BBC1 (GB exc. Wales): Wednesday 28th September 1977, 6.50-8.05pm

BBC1 Wales (CYM): Sunday 2nd October 1977, 1.55-3.10pm

Theme: Courtship and Marriage Tasks

Teams: Zwevegem (B) v. Carouge (CH) v. Schwäbisch Gmünd (D) v.
Blanzac-Porcheresse (F) v. Macclesfield (GB) v. Moena (I) v. Nieuwegein (NL)

Games Demonstration Team: Roche (CH)

Team Members included:
Carouge (CH) - Michel Albert, Daniel Chappuis, Serge Desbiolles, Pia Hauri, Joëlle Hermann, Marianne Julita, Evelyne Lachat, Roland Mage, Charles Moret, Divina Pastor, Bernard Poussin, Bertrand Raval, Jacques Rosset, Didier Zanone;
Blanzac-Porcheresse (F) - Michel Roy (Team Coach), Jean-Marie Brunelière, Pascal Durand, Jeanine Egreteau;

Macclesfield (GB) - Alec Collins (Team Manager), Steve Midgelow (Co-Team Coach), Steve Smith (Co-Team Coach), Keith Goalen (Co-Team Coach), Robbie Brightwell (Team Advisor), Elaine Banner, Ann Birtwistle, Ian Booth, Richard Collins, Jen Culshaw, Julie Cunningham, Jennifer Goodwin, Alison Hague, Monica Hanson, Beverley Nolan, Dianne Perrit, Niki Seddon, Shirley Willdig;
Nieuwegein (NL) - Jaap Verwey (Team Co-ordinator), Lenie Lens (Co-Team Coach), Henk Vonk (Co-Team Coach), Maarten Omen, Jaap Ruizeveld.

Games: Balloon Bursting, Shoeing the Horses, Smashing Vases, Puppets, Banging the Hammer, Balloons on Carts, The Ugly Woman and Climbing Up Carpet;
Fil Rouge: Witches in Bed.

Game Results and Standings

Result

 Team

Points

Final Scoreboard

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

 NL • Nieuwegein ● ●
 I • Moena
 D • Schwäbisch Gmünd
 F • Blanzac-Porcheresse
 B • Zwevegem
 CH • Carouge
 GB • Macclesfield

47
38
36
32
32
20
19

The Venue

Carouge, Switzerland

The 1977 Swiss heat was originally planned to be held in Vevey at an amphitheatre that was being built for the 1977 Fêtes des Vingerons (Winegrowers' Festival). Unfortunately, these plans had to be changed as the construction work in Vevey was running behind schedule. The SSR then considered two alternative sites for their 1977 Jeux Sans Frontières heat, these being La Chaux-de-Fonds and the eventual choice, Carouge. The cost of staging JSF in Carouge was reported as being 200,000 Swiss francs.

The Rehearsals

As the competing teams were not allowed to see the games prior to rehearsals, SSR called in the team from Roche who had won at Milano in 1976 to test the games. This also served as a technical run-through, giving the director an opportunity to check camera angles and other requirements for the transmission.

Reunions

Nieuwegein (NL)

The triumphant Dutch team from Nieuwegein held a reunion event on Saturday 31st October 2009 which was covered by the national media including RTV9 television news. The team members convened in Nieuwegein's 't Veerhuis (Ferry House), where they watched their 1977 exploits on the big screen. Afterwards, team members shared reminiscences and spoke to reporters. One of the Nieuwegein team members, Jaap Ruizeveld recalled how Nieuwegein was then a new municipality joining the towns of Jutphaas and Vreeswijk and that it was the Jeux Sans Frontières entry that really brought these two towns together: "Everyone accepted and watched, because Nieuwegein was on TV... Nieuwegein saw it as an enormous festival. All the papers were represented. It was a gigantic happening at the time. Everybody participated in it, everybody knew each other and because of that there was a community to stand behind it. The enthusiasm was incredible - and buses full of people followed the team on their travels abroad and celebrated their achievements. For me and my family it was a great thing to do. I was on holiday when it was held in Carouge. We were in Italy with the family and flew over by plane from Milan to Carouge, that was possible at that time! It was too crazy to tell."

Jaap Verwey, who in 1977 was Nieuwegein's team co-ordinator, remembered it as a joyous experience: "Spel zonder Grenzen was very popular at that time, not just in the Netherlands, but also in the six other participating countries there was an enormous audience. It was broadcast by the NCRV and it had an enormous impact. I was in charge of sports in the municipality, so for something like this, it was down to me. 'That is your business,' they said. And in those years, it took hours, but it was a pleasure to do, with so many others participating as well. The youngest one was Maarten Omen, who was at the marina and was a really happy guy. But sometimes we had to keep him under control! Another memory is that team members could sometimes get stressed under pressure, especially when we were getting near to another contest, but there always was a great, sportive mood! That's also an advantage from the technical viewpoint of a team like that, because not only do you select on the sportive mood, but also the personality they have."

Husband and wife Henk Vonk and Lenie Lens had acted as co-team coaches to the team in 1977. Henk recalled, "We had to see what games we were expected to compete in, so that we were well prepared for what we had to do in them. I enjoyed the team spirit and the training - because I was responsible for the training - and the next day, the men always had muscle pain everywhere! They thought they could do it as if they were playing football! And I enjoyed that of course! However, working with everyone was the best thing."

Lenie enjoyed the training sessions more than anything else: "We had a gym available at 8.00am and also at 10.00pm and we used those hours to prepare. When we found out about the games we would be playing, we came together and said, 'Guys, we're gonna try it!'. It was all very creative, but my husband Henk would always say, 'I'm going to try it first and then we're going to do it!'"

All those present agreed that the reunion was a great idea and a success and that their time on Jeux Sans Frontières was well worth celebrating.

Additional Information

Macclesfield went to this heat just a week after being crowned British Champions, and had strong convictions that they would also win this heat. During rehearsals, they faired well, but on the night of the recording, torrential rain brought about a night of disappointment for the team. Their Joker game - in which the team had to lift a 25-foot hammer 180 degrees on a pivot - was a complete disaster. Macclesfield won the game on both occasions in the rehearsals, but on the night they went first, tried too hard and lifted the hammer out of the pivot. The other five countries seeing this got their girl member to sit on the hammer at the pivot to counterbalance it. Macclesfield finished last with just 2 points from their Joker. Two more last places followed and the team set the record for the lowest score by any British team in Jeux Sans Frontières. However, Rotherham would eventually take this unwanted record away from Macclesfield in 1982.

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

D

Jeux Sans Frontières 1977

Heat 4

Event Staged: Wednesday 13th July 1977
Venue: Marktplatz, Ludwigsburg, West Germany

European Transmissions (Local Timings):
SSR (CH): Wednesday 13th July 1977, 8.05-9.25pm (Live)
SRG (CH): Wednesday 13th July 1977, 9.00-10.20pm
TSI (CH): Wednesday 13th July 1977, 9.00-10.20pm
Nederland 1 (NL): Wednesday 13th July 1977, 9.00-10.30pm (Live - DST)
BRT (B): Wednesday 13th July 1977, 9.05-10.25pm (Live - DST)
RTBF (B): Wednesday 13th July 1977, 9.05-10.25pm (Live - DST)
RAI Due (I): Wednesday 13th July 1977, 9.05-10.25pm (Live - DST)
WDR 1 (D): Wednesday 13th July 1977, 10.05-11.30pm
RTP (P): Thursday 21st July 1977, 9.40-11.00pm
Antenne 2 (F): Sunday 14th August 1977
BBC1 (GB exc. Wales): Wednesday 5th October 1977, 6.50-8.05pm

BBC1 Wales (CYM): Sunday 9th October 1977, 1.55-3.10pm

Theme: The Characters of Walt Disney

Teams: Spa (B) v. Zurzach (CH) v. Ludwigsburg (D) v. Fontainebleau (F) v.
Cwmbran (GB) v. Lagonegro (I) v. Gilze en Rijen (NL)

Team Members included:
Cwmbran - Geoff Whiston (Team Manager / Team Captain), Susan Brimble (Women's Team Captain), David Ball, Julie Barrett, Alan Chorlton, Peter Davies, Amanda Ellis, Michael Gould, Jan Jenner, Caron Jones, Paula Middle, John Price, Philip Ramsey, David Smith, Alan Tinsley, Keith Wells, Alan Wilmott.

Games: Pluto, Donald Duck, Mickey Mouse, Goofy, King Louie, The Three Little Pigs, Baloo and Mowgli and Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs;
Fil Rouge: The Vultures.

Game Results and Standings

Result

 Team

Points

Final Scoreboard

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

 F • Fontainebleau ●
 NL • Gilze en Rijen ●
 CH • Zurzach
 B • Spa
 D  • Ludwigsburg
 GB • Cwmbran
 I • Lagonegro

40
40
38
34
32
32
23

Additional Information

Games in this heat were based on Walt Disney’s characters and included games based on Pluto, Goofy and Baloo and Mowgli (The Jungle Book).  The Fil Rouge involved team members costumed as giant vultures (again from The Jungle Book) having to cross a pool on a wooden beam, to deposit a giant egg (hidden inside the costume and released as a normal egg would be laid!) into a basket on the other side. However, if a competitor fell in the pool, their vulture costume became slippery and heavy with water, making it even harder to negotiate the beam.

Just as in 1974, when many of the British teams took the names of their local authority, Dutch team Gilze en Rijen became the first of many Dutch teams to take its name from its local municipality. Comprised of competitors from the villages of Gilze, Hulten, Molenschot and Rijen, the team proved more than a match for the rest of Europe (except for France). Leading three times in the competition, the team found itself in 3rd place before the final game, two points behind the French and Swiss teams. However, a convincing win on the final game gave the team seven points and only the French team, Fontainebleau, finishing 3rd on the game, could equal its performance.

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

GB

Jeux Sans Frontières 1977

Heat 5

Event Staged: Tuesday 26th July 1977
Venue: Home Park, Windsor, Great Britain

European Transmissions (Local Timings):
BRT (B): Tuesday 26th July 1977, 9.05-10.25pm (Live - DST)
RTBF (B): Tuesday 26th July 1977, 9.05-10.25pm (Live - DST)
RAI Due (I): Tuesday 26th July 1977, 9.05-10.25pm (Live - DST)
SSR (CH): Wednesday 27th July 1977, 8.05-10.10pm
TSI (CH): Wednesday 27th July 1977, 9.00-10.30pm
Nederland 1 (NL): Wednesday 27th July 1977, 9.00-10.35pm
SRG (CH): Wednesday 27th July 1977, 9.05-10.25pm
WDR 1 (D): Wednesday 27th July 1977, 10.05-11.30pm
RTP (P): Thursday 28th July 1977, 9.35-11.15pm
Antenne 2 (F): Sunday 21st August 1977
BBC1 Scotland (GB/SCOT): Wednesday 12th October 1977, 6.10-7.25pm
BBC1 (GB exc. Scotland/Wales): Wednesday 12th October 1977, 6.50-8.05pm

BBC1 Wales (CYM): Sunday 16th October 1977, 1.55-3.10pm

Theme: A Tour of Merrie England

Teams: Uccle (B) v. Tesserete (CH) v. Bebra (D) v. Toulon (F) v.
Windsor and Maidenhead (GB) v. Gubbio (I) v. Landsmeer-Watergang (NL)

Games Demonstration Team: St. Albans (GB)

Team Members included:
Tesserete (CH) - Kiki Stampononi (Team Captain), Anna Baruffaldi, Daniele Besomi, Margherita Cattanbo, Mirto de Martini, Adriana d’Onofrio, Patrizia Fraschina, Ferruccio Landis, Claudio Martinenghi, Giorgio Menghetti, Ettore Mini, Graziano Morosoli, Jasmine Rinaldi, Raffaele Quadri;
Windsor and Maidenhead (GB) - Mike Revill (Team Captain), Anne Divall (Women's Team Captain), Dave Barlow, Roger Bowden, Debbie Cronshaw, Jackie Eaton, Jane Finlan, Michelle Greene, Tony Greene, Emma James, Barry Mason, Chris Morrell, John Mumford, Jo Oakley, Jean-Pierre Poissonet, John Randell, Nigel Smith, Suk Sohal, Christine Sturrock and Mike Wakefield.

Games: Sedan Chairs, The Water Mill, The Highwaymen, Barrels (Tar and Feathers), Maypole Dancing, Loading the Coach, Stabling the Horses and Penny-Farthing Race;
Fil Rouge: The Innkeeper.

Game Results and Standings

Result

 Team

Points

Final Scoreboard

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

 B • Uccle ● ●
 F • Toulon
 NL • Landsmeer-Watergang
 GB • Windsor and Maidenhead
 CH • Tesserete
 D • Bebra
 I • Gubbio

43
40
40
38
31
30
14

The Venue

Windsor, Great Britain

This heat in Windsor was set against the backdrop of Windsor Castle, one of the residences of the British Royal Family. On the night of recording, shadows could be seen at some of the windows. Was Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II possibly overseeing the event?

The Rehearsals

As was more than often the case in the International Heats, a local team not involved in the year's JSF competition would be drafted in by the host broadcaster to demonstrate the games during the lead-in to the big night. The demonstrations would be attended by all team members and officials and would be the first sight that teams were afforded of the games prior to their own rehearsals with the equipment, which were usually held on the day before recording. For this International Heat in Windsor's Home Park, the team of St. Albans (who had narrowly missed out on qualification, losing a tie-breaker to Southend-on-Sea in their It's A Knockout heat) were called in by the BBC to demonstrate the games to all teams. The picture shows St. Albans team members Steve Mizsei, William McKenna, Judi Nardi and Tony Smith at the Windsor venue with presenters Eddie Waring and Stuart Hall.

Additional Information

This was the only time BBC1 Scotland had broadcast Jeux Sans Frontières at a different time to the rest of the country. Although only 40 minutes earlier, it was moved in the evening schedule to finish in time for the channel to carry the World Cup qualifying match between Scotland and Wales being shown live at 7.30 pm that evening.

The French team Toulon were very strong and wanted desperately to win this heat. They won four consecutive games (Games 3, 4, 5 and 7 - they missed Game 6), one of which was their Joker game, and it seemed nothing could stop them. However, a very disappointing 7th place on the Fil Rouge and only 5th place on the last game enabled Belgian team, Uccle, to win the heat.

Made in Colour • This programme exists in the BBC Archives

B

Jeux Sans Frontières 1977

Heat 6

Event Staged: Wednesday 10th August 1977
Venue: Grote Markt (Great Market Square) and Schoenmakersstraat, Antwerpen, Belgium

European Transmissions (Local Timings):
SSR (CH): Wednesday 10th August 1977, 8.05-9.25pm (Live)
TSI (CH): Wednesday 10th August 1977, 9.00-10.30pm
SRG (CH): Wednesday 10th August 1977, 9.05-10.25pm
Nederland 1 (NL): Wednesday 10th August 1977, 9.00-10.30pm (Live - DST)
BRT (B): Wednesday 10th August 1977, 9.05-10.25pm (Live - DST)
RTBF (B): Wednesday 10th August 1977, 9.05-10.25pm (Live - DST)
RAI Due (I): Wednesday 10th August 1977, 9.05-10.25pm (Live - DST)
WDR 1 (D): Wednesday 10th August 1977, 10.05-11.30pm
RTP (P): Saturday 20th August 1977, 5.00-6.30pm
Antenne 2 (F): Sunday 28th August 1977
BBC1 (GB exc. Wales): Wednesday 19th October 1977, 6.50-8.05pm

BBC1 Wales (CYM): Sunday 23rd October 1977, 1.55-3.10pm

Theme: Reubens the Painter

Teams: Antwerpen (B) v. Sion (CH) v. Seelze (D) v. Quimper (F) v.
Southend-on-Sea (GB) v. Vignola (I) v. Ooststellingwerf (NL)

Team Members included:
Southend-on-Sea (GB) - Peter Bailey, Mike Davison, Lois Gill, Andrew Lagden, Irene Millington, Debbie Newton, Leonard Todge, Alistair West and Martin Wilcox;

Games: Keys of the City, Painting the Squares, Big Shoes, Bowls of Fruit, Horses and Scrolls, Throwing the Dolls, The Artist’s Palettes and Finding the Hand;
Fil Rouge: Angel of St. Nicholas.

Game Results and Standings

Result

 Team

Points

Final Scoreboard

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

 NL • Ooststellingwerf ●
 B • Antwerpen
 D • Seelze
 I • Vignola
 GB • Southend-on-Sea
 F • Quimper
 CH • Sion

41
38
36
35
27
26
20

The Venue

Antwerpen, Belgium

This memorable JSF heat was staged in the beautiful Grote Markt of Antwerpen, with the Fil Rouge being held at the entrance to the adjoining Schoenmakersstraat (see photograph below for the games and camera layout). Antwerpen, with a population of over half a million is the largest municipality in Flanders and Belgium and is an economic and cultural hub of the Low Countries with a rich history which can be dated back to the 2nd Century AD. It was named Antwerpen in the 4th Century when settled by the Germanic Franks. The Grote Markt itself contains a striking array of old buildings, many dating back to the 16th Century, including the guildhouses and City Hall, built in the Renaissance style and completed in 1565. The original building was gutted by fire in The Spanish Fury (also known as the Sack of Antwerpen) of November 1576, a terrible three-day assault upon the city (then a part of the Netherlands) by the Spanish which left 7000 inhabitants dead and much property in the city razed to the ground. The outrages were instigated by militant Spanish tercios angry at heavy delays to receiving payment from their King, Philip II in reward for their long struggles against the Dutch rebels. Spain had recently declared bankruptcy and the 400,000 florins payment due the soldiers had been intercepted by agents of the English monarchy. The incident triggered a decline in Antwerpen's economic and cultural fortunes and paved the way for the rise of Amsterdam. The City Hall was repaired and reconstructed over the following three years and remained substantially unchanged until the late 19th Century when Pierre Bruno Bourla drastically modified the interior. Much of the stately decor dates from this period, as does a roof over what was once an open-air inner courtyard.

Additional Information

The Dutch team of Ooststellingwerf became the second Dutch team this year to take its name from its local municipality. Made up of competitors from the villages of Appelscha, Elsloo, Oosterwolde and numerous other hamlets, the team proved more than a match for the rest of Europe. After winning the first two games, and finishing 3rd on their Joker game (Game 3), the team streaked to the top of the standings early on and never looked back after that.

The funniest game of the night was a game where team members dressed as pieces of fruit - an apple, a banana, a cherry, a bunch of grapes and an orange - and had to climb into a huge fruit bowl. This game would become familiar in subsequent events, as it was re-used on many occasions. On the night, the Belgian, West German and Italian teams seemed to have no trouble, but the Swiss (playing its Joker), French and Dutch teams did not have a clue how to get its fruit into the bowl, and hilarious results ensued. Not only was BBC commentator Stuart Hall in fits of hysterics, but the crowd could clearly be heard laughing. Incidentally, Switzerland scored 2 pts on the Joker.

Made in Colour • This programme exists in the BBC Archives

NL

Jeux Sans Frontières 1977

Heat 7

Event Staged: Wednesday 24th August 1977
Venue: De Bleek, Doetinchem, Netherlands

European Transmissions (Local Timings):
SSR (CH): Wednesday 24th August 1977, 8.05-9.30pm (Live)
SRG (CH): Wednesday 24th August 1977, 8.05-9.35pm (Live)
TSI (CH): Wednesday 24th August 1977, 9.00-10.20pm
Nederland 2 (NL): Wednesday 24th August 1977, 9.00-10.30pm (Live - DST)
BRT (B): Wednesday 24th August 1977, 9.05-10.25pm (Live - DST)
RTBF (B): Wednesday 24th August 1977, 9.05-10.25pm (Live - DST)
RAI Due (I): Wednesday 24th August 1977, 9.05-10.30pm (Live - DST)
WDR 1 (D): Wednesday 24th August 1977, 10.05-11.30pm
RTP (P): Saturday 3rd September 1977, 5.05-6.35pm
Antenne 2 (F): Sunday 4th September 1977
BBC1 (GB exc. Wales): Wednesday 26th October 1977, 6.50-8.05pm

BBC1 Wales (CYM): Sunday 30th October 1977, 1.55-3.10pm

Theme: Dutch Agriculture

Teams: La Calamine (B) v. Scuol (CH) v. Limburg an der Lahn (D) v.
Bourgoin-Jallieu (F) v. Crawley (GB) v. Viterbo (I) v. Doetinchem (NL)

Team Members included:
La Calamine (B) - Marianne Ubachs, Erben Lamour;
Crawley (GB - Full Squad) - Ron Brooks (Co-Team Manager), Jack Chapman (Co-Team Manager), Lee Creasey (Team Coach), Margaret Salter (Women's Team Coach), Aideen Brooks, Malcolm Calloway, Nick Cannon, John Cave, David Clifton, Shirley Cook, Lesley Davison, Jackie Dawson, Kathleen Howells, Barry Hyslop, Penelope Lewis, Paul Norris, Roger Pitts, Ian Prebble, Patricia Quinlan, Anthony Rea, Paul Roberts, Ann Rye, Margaret Salter, David Smith, Martin Smith, Simon Taylor, Simon Tubb, Maurice Ward, Jeffrey Young;
Viterbo (I) - Laura Rosetti;
Doetinchem (NL) - Hermien Weening (Team Captain), Francis Bles, Hans Bloem, Gerard ter Horst, Joop Keijzer, Aukje Vollema.

Games: The Cheese Trip, The Miller and the Mill, The Drawbridge, The Tractor Race, Acrobats, Cat and Mice, Barrow of Cheese Race and Pigs and Farmers;
Fil Rouge: Marrying the Miller's Daughter;
Jokers: Mills.

Game Results and Standings

Result

 Team

Points

Final Scoreboard

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

 F • Bourgoin-Jallieu ● ●
 NL • Doetinchem
 CH • Scuol
 GB • Crawley
 B • La Calamine
 D • Limburg an der Lahn
 I • Viterbo

43
40
39
36
26
26
22

The Host Town

Doetinchem, Gelderland

Doetinchem is a town of around 57,000 inhabitants in the province of Gelderland. It is located 105km (65¼ miles) south-east of Amsterdam, 122km (75¾ miles) north of Heerlen in the far south, 141km (87½ miles) south of Groningen in the far north and, given the obscure shape of the country, it lies just 12km (7½ miles) north of the German border town of Emmerich am Rhein. The town’s boundaries straddle the Oude IJssel (Old Ijssel) river, in a part of the province called the Achterhoek, at an elevation of just 14m (45ft 11in) above sea level.

The first reference to the name of Doetinchem is around AD 838 in a document which mentions ‘Duetinghem’, a settlement with a small church. In AD 887, there is another mention of ‘Deutinkem’, a fortress with a church which had been given to the then Bishop of Utrecht. For a long time, Doetinchem remained a small place but around 1100 it started to grow and in 1236, Doetinchem was granted city rights by Count Otto II of Gelre and Zutphen, and in return the town provided taxes and soldiers for the Count’s army. In 1226, after suffering from several attempts by plunderers, the town’s wall was raised by a metre (3ft 3in). There were four barriers in the wall which, being weak points, were replaced over time by four large city-gates known as the Hamburgerpoort, the Waterpoort, the Gruitpoort and the Hezenpoort. Later a moat was dug around the wall and a rampart was built in front. The town’s central windmill, De Walmolen (Dutch ‘wal’ = wall and ‘molen’ = mill), stands on the remains of this rampart. Despite these defences, Doetinchem was besieged many times and during the Eighty Years' War (1568-1648) was besieged and conquered twice. However, eventually the walls became seen as redundant (or perhaps ineffective) and in 1672, they were torn down. However, it was not until the second half of the 19th century that the city-gates and most of the ramparts were removed.

From its early years, Doetinchem had been an important market-place for farmers to sell their wares with a market held in the central square, Simonsplein, right up until the Second World War. The town also has three windmills. In the town centre, there is the already mentioned De Walmolen (built 1851) with a sail span of 23m (75ft 5½in), Aurora (1870) with a sail span of 20.66m (67ft 9½in) and Benninkmolen (1921), the largest of the three with a sail span of 23.1m (75ft 9¾in). All these mills are open to visitors, usually on one weekday morning and at other times by appointment.

An interesting and fascinating point about the town’s museum, De Stadmuseum, is that it has had quite a colourful history since it first opened in the early part of the 19th century. Starting off in the cellar of the town’s castle, it was moved to a former prison building in Nieuwstadstraat. Another move followed to 27 Grutstraat, the site of a former hairdressing salon. A final move in 2011 to its present home, was to 2 Nispenstraat, the site of the former post office.

The Games in Detail

Game 2 - The Miller and the Mill

In the second game of this competition - 'The Miller and the Mill' - contestants had to throw sacks of flour to a miller, who in turn had to throw them into the windmill. The team with the greatest weight of flour delivered into their mill would win the game. However, the French team from Bourgoin-Jallieu encountered a problem: a mechanism inside their mill broke and the mill became blocked with sacks. The team were granted a second run and their score in this rerun was good enough for second place on the game.

Game 4 - The Tractor Race

The fourth game in this heat - 'The Tractor Race' - resulted in a very unusual outcome. It featured six tractors which were pulled mechanically down the course towards a row of milk cans. Behind the tractors, there were six 'farmers' wearing gigantic clogs and the winner would be the player who held their nerve longest and stopped the tractor closest to the milk cans before the tractor hit them. The game was planned to be played out over three heats, with the last placed team eliminated in the first and the fourth and fifth placed teams decided in the second heat. Three teams would have played out the final. However, it did not go to plan! In the first heat, two teams - the Swiss and the Dutch - failed to stop the tractors in time, and their milk cans were both knocked over. It was decided to eliminate both teams, leaving them tied in 6th place with 1pt each and run the second heat with four teams instead of the planned five, eliminating one instead of two. However, the second heat didn't run to plan either and as a result, the third heat was abandoned... This was because in the second run, none of the four teams stopped their tractor in time and all the remaining milk cans were tipped over. Referees Gennaro Olivieri and Guido Pancaldi announced that this meant that all teams were eliminated and would be awarded 3pts each for a joint 4th place finish. This is the first and only time this happened in the history of Jeux Sans Frontières.

Fil Rouge - Marrying the Miller's Daughter

In this heat's Fil Rouge - 'Marrying the Miller's Daughter' - the German and Italian team were disqualified and as a result, were placed in a joint 7th position and received 1pt each.

Presenters, Officials and Production Team

In this International Heat, referees Guido Pancaldi and Gennaro Olivieri were shown being weighed on a balance that was designed for weighing cheese. The weight of the two referees turned out to be 190 kilogram.

Additional Information

This Dutch International Heat, the Netherlands last prior to their withdrawal from Jeux Sans Frontières, was originally set to be held in Scheveningen. This proved to be too difficult a location for technical reasons - the low sunset there would have proved difficult in terms of lighting for the cameras. Additionally, it proved impossible to shut the boulevard venue for the period needed to construct the games and grandstands - reputedly three weeks.

Props and equipment used in this International Heat included 4,000 square metres of firewood, 275 kilograms of glue (and 40 brushes), 180,000 litres of water for the pools, 320 metres of reinforced steel, 133 metres of jute, 25 packages of utility knives, 300 metres of agricultural plastic, 875 kilograms of flame-retardent paper, 225 foam rubber balls, 570 metres of round pipe, 90 rolls of tape and metres of corrugated fibreboard, wrapping paper and chipboard.

The three of the four competitors that the Swiss team of Scuol fielded to tackle the Fil Rouge had a common bond - they were brothers. Their spirit of camaraderie was obviously valuable, as they along with their female colleague, won the Fil Rouge for Switzerland and scored the maximum seven points.

Made in Colour • This programme exists in the BBC Archives

D

Jeux Sans Frontières 1977

International Final

Event Staged: Wednesday 7th September 1977
Venue: Residenzschloß (Royal Palace), Ludwigsburg, West Germany

European Transmissions (Local Timings):
SSR (CH): Wednesday 7th September 1977, 8.05-9.30pm (Live)
TSI (CH): Wednesday 7th September 1977, 8.05-9.20pm (Live)
Nederland 1 (NL): Wednesday 7th September 1977, 9.00-10.30pm (Live - DST)
BRT (B): Wednesday 7th September 1977, 9.05-10.25pm (Live - DST)
RTBF (B): Wednesday 7th September 1977, 9.05-10.25pm (Live - DST)
RAI Due (I): Wednesday 7th September 1977, 9.05-10.30pm (Live - DST)
SRG (CH): Wednesday 7th September 1977, 9.10-10.30pm
WDR 1 (D): Wednesday 7th September 1977, 10.05-11.30pm
Antenne 2 (F): Sunday 11th September 1977
RTP (P): Saturday 17th September 1977, 5.00-6.30pm
BBC1 (GB exc. Wales): Wednesday 2nd November 1977, 6.50-8.05pm

BBC1 Wales (CYM): Sunday 6th November 1977, 1.55-3.10pm

Theme: Baroque Splendour

Teams: Uccle (B) v. Olivone (CH) v. Schliersee (D) v. Bourgoin-Jallieu (F) v.
Oldham (GB) v. Marina di Carrara (I) v. Nieuwegein (NL)

Team Members included:
Olivone (CH) - Dino Solari (Team Captain), Ortensio Bassi, Lauro Beffa, Edy Beretta, Barbara Cima, Ortensia Genucchi, Vincenzo Giuliani, Rolande Hirter, Renzo Jacomett, Lucia Poglia, Loris Solari, Fernando Vini, Renzo Zanetti, Roberto Zanetti;
Oldham (GB) - Derek Smallwood (Team Manager), Dorothy Emerson (Women's Team Manager), Tom Hill (Assistant Team Coach), Diane Cook (Assistant Team Coach), Stephen Andrews, Sheila Antrobus, Lynne Bowden, Johnathon Boyce, Michael Cannon, Frank Collinson, Carol Driver, Nadia Duda, Tony Edwards, Don Errock, Eric Fitzsimmons, Barry Gordon, Karen Halliwell, Ian Hamilton, Warren Hilton, Syd Jolley, Steve Kenney, Alex Kerrigan, Ruth Lawson, Michael Maloney, Nicholas Marrington, Mark McLoughlin, Tony Nanyn, Fiona Nicholl, Brian Parkinson, Christine Silk, Bob Tait, Alison Turner, Jane Welton;
Marina di Carrara (I) - Massimo Bedini (Team Captain), Giorgio Andrei, Patrizio Arata, Graziana Arcolini, Patrizia Baccioli, Pietro Baruzzo, Elisabetta Buracchioli, Alessandro Lambruschi, Luca Leati, Stefano Menconi, Cleta Montefiore, Silvano Santucci, Massimo Tedeschi.

Games: Planting the Flowers, Sedan Chairs, Ballet Dancers, Hobby Horses, Football, Snuff Box, Watering the Flowers and Changing the Guard;
Fil Rouge: Coachmen and Horses.

Game Results and Standings

Result

 Team

Points

Final Scoreboard

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

 D • Schliersee ●
 B • Uccle ●
 CH • Olivone ●
 F • Bourgoin-Jallieu
 GB • Oldham
 NL • Nieuwegein
 I • Marina di Carrara

47
36
35
32
32
31
27

Additional Information

This edition saw the last appearance of the blue electronic scoreboard which listed the countries in fixed alphabetical order. From 1978, a new scoreboard was introduced which could list the countries in order of points scored.

For only the second time in the history of Jeux Sans Frontières, five teams played their Jokers on the same game. This occurred in Game 4, which involved six male team members traversing the course on hobby-horses. Employing nails protruding from their headgear, competitors had to jump to burst balloons which had been placed at regular intervals and increasing heights along the course. The West German team romped home and won the game, but the Dutch player was in tears, because he had won convincingly throughout rehearsals and was furious that he was unable to burst the balloons on the night. The final result of the game was West Germany 12 points, Belgium 10 points, Switzerland 8 points, Great Britain 6 points, Netherlands 4 points and France (without the Joker) 1 point. Incidentally, this was the third consecutive game that the West German team had won. They also won the subsequent game and recorded a fifth victory on the final game.

As they had acquired sufficient points, and their nearest rivals had performed poorly in the Fil Rouge, the West German team of Schliersee had actually won the Final after the conclusion of Game 7. Even if they had finished 7th on both the Fil Rouge and the last game, the team would still have won, albeit maybe with a tied heat.

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

JSFnetGB Series Guide pages researched by
Neil Storer and Alan Hayes
with Ischa Bijl, Julien Dessy, Sébastien Dias, David Hamilton, Denis Kirsanov, Paul Leaver, Philippe Minet,
Christos Moustakas, David Laich Ruiz, Marko Voštan and JSFnet Websites