Jeux Sans Frontières 1980

European International Series

Entrants 1980: Belgium (B) • Switzerland (CH) • West Germany (D) • France (F)
Great Britain (GB) • Italy (I) • Portugal (P) • Yugoslavia (YU)

Presenters / Commentators of International Competitions:
Paule Herreman and Mike Vendrengh (B)
Mascia Cantoni, Ezio Guidi,  Jan Hiermeyer and Georges Kleinmann (CH)
Hartmut Bruehl, Manfred Erdenberger, Heinz-Günther Pianka and Karl-Heinz Wocke (D)
Guy Lux, Simone Garnier and Claude Savarit (F)
Stuart Hall and Eddie Waring (GB)
Milly Calucci and Michele Gammino (I)
Elàdio Clímaco and Maria Margarida (P)
Mersiha Čolaković, Dunja Figenvald and Milan Sabota (YU)

International Referees:
Gennaro Olivieri
Guido Pancaldi

National Referees:
Arthur Ellis and Mike Swann (GB)

Production Credits:

National Games Designers: Stuart Furber (GB); Executive Producers: Barney Colehan (GB); National Producers: Geoff Wilson; National Directors: Tony Harrison

Produced by the European Broadcasting Union and
RTBF-BRT (B), SSR-SRG-TSI (CH), ARD-WDR (D), 
A2F (F), BBC Manchester (GB), RAI (I), RTP (P), JRT (YU)

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, Portugal and West Germany observed DST)

F

Jeux Sans Frontières 1980

Heat 1

Event Staged: Wednesday 21st May 1980
Venue: Stade du Fort-Carré, Antibes, France

European Transmissions (Local Timings):
SSR (CH): Wednesday 21st May 1980, 8.05-9.30pm (Live)
TSI (CH): Wednesday 21st May 1980, 8.05-9.30pm (Live)
JRT (YU): Wednesday 21st May 1980, 8.05-9.30pm (Live)
BRT (B): Wednesday 21st May 1980, 9.05-10.25pm (Live - DST)
RTBF (B): Wednesday 21st May 1980, 9.05-10.25pm (Live - DST)
SRG (CH): Wednesday 21st May 1980, 9.05-10.30pm
RAI Due (I): Wednesday 21st May 1980, 9.05-10.30pm (Live - DST)
RTP-1 (P): Wednesday 21st May 1980, 10.20-11.30pm
WDR 1 (D): Saturday 24th May 1980, 2.45-4.15pm

Antenne 2 (F): Sunday 20th July 1980
BBC1 (GB): Saturday 9th August 1980, 7.10-8.25pm

Theme: Bacchus and the Wine

Teams: Waremme (B) v. Bülach (CH) v. Bellheim (D) v. Antibes (F) v.
Rushcliffe (GB) v. Virgilio (I) v. Póvoa de Varzim (P) v. Titov Veles (YU)

Team Members (Full Squads):
Waremme (B) - Jean Moës (Team Coach), Will Libbrecht (Men's Team Captain), Andrée Mottet (Women's Team Captain), Jacques Ancion, Liliane Bonomi, Jean-Marie Courbois, Geneviève Evrard, Oswald Fenaux, Pol Lambin, Marie-Christine Marechal, Daniel Mottet, Marc Noel, Michelle Onrelinx, Jean-Pol Remacle, Roland Verlaine;

Bulach (CH) - Kurt Naegeli (Team Coach), Dominique Weber (Assistant Team Coach), Jürg Ineichen (Team Manager), Annemarie Auer, Enrico Bernasconi, Claudia Cotti, Claude Cornaz, Hansjörg Dolder, Hanspeter Egger, Doris Eisenring, Käthi Fassbind, Christian Frei, Marcel Hutter, Thomas Lehmann, Barbara Nafzger, Patrick Neuschwander, Jakob Stänz, Roland Stäuble;

Bellheim (D) - Kurt Adam, Norbert Adam, Robert Ehnes, Arnold Greichgauer, Michael Gschwind, Carmen Hauk, Elke Jöckle, Christa Kern, Klaus Kunze, Ursula Matkov, Petra Neubert, Ralf Radenberg, Norbert Rothhaas, Thomas Schlindwein, Edgar Schnell, Rudi Trapp;

Antibes (F) - Christian Soulier (Team Captain), Jean-François Blanquino, Eric Boucharin, André Calza, Joseph Casari, Joël Charpiot, Fabienne Christophe, Pascale Christophe, Kacem El Hariri, Sabi El Mokni, Sylvain Grzanka, Odile Iberti, Bernadette Malgoires, Eric Motti, Eric Parmigiani, Corinne Rollini, Annie Sarrasin, Evelyne Stevens, Marc Touchais;
Rushcliffe (GB) - Brian Hughes (Team Coach), Chris Perry (Team Captain), Wendy Henson (Assistant Team Captain), Chris Bukarzer, Danny Gayle, Brian Harney, David Hogg, Penny Howsen, Linda North, John Pepper, Christine Prokaza, Ian Reaston, Neil Reaston, Andy Rees, Josephine Ryan, Peter Trow, Geoff Wallace, Sarah Wreghitt;

Virgilio (I) - Onorio Marocchi (Men's Team Coach), Grazia Attene (Women's Team Coach), Nicola Ariosi, Marcello Bennani, Nicoletta Bertazzoni, Stefano Biacchi (replacement for Maurizio Segala), Anna Bodini, Marco Bonavia, Stefano Borgonovi, Fabio Campi, Bartolomeo Felice, Luca Leoni, Alessandra Scardovelli, Maurizio Segala (squad member but absent due to professional reasons), Daniela Valentini, Patrizia Varani;

Póvoa de Varzim (P) - Armindo Tomé M. Amorim, José Manuel A. Barros, Rui Leite Oliveira Campos, Maria Helena Rajão Cunha, António Fernando P. Ferreira, António Augusto S.C. Finisterra, Maria Conceição C. Finisterra, David Sérgio A. A. Gomes, Ivone Maria Fortes Neves, Nuno Manuel G. Bouça Nova, Joâo Fernandes Nunes, Julia Maria Oliveira Pereiram Adriano Maia Rodriguez, Joaquim D. G. Mesquita Ribeiro, Ermelinda Maria Mesquita Veira;
Titov Velez (YU) - no details available.

Games (Official Titles): On Trinque (A Toast), Pas de Vin sans Soleil (No Wine Without Sun), A Votre Sante (Cheers!), La Mise En Bouteille (Bottling), La Vigne est en Pente (The Vine Slopes), La Bonne Bouteille (The Good Bottle), Le Cachet (The Stamp), La Livraison (The Delivery);
Fil Rouge: Le Pressoir (The Press).

Game Results and Standings

Result

 Team

Points

Final Scoreboard

1st
2nd
3rd
4th
5th
6th
7th
8th

 CH • Bülach ●
 D • Bellheim
 F • Antibes
 GB • Rushcliffe
 I • Virgilio
 B • Waremme
 P • Póvoa de Varzim
 YU • Titov Veles

51
50
44
41
38
29
22
19

Additional Information

The participation of Yugoslavian team Titov Veles in this programme was in doubt following the death on Sunday 4th May 1980 of their country's president, Josip Broz Tito (indeed the printed programme issued at the venue did not carry any details for the Yugoslavian team as a result of this uncertainty). The city, previously called Veles after a Slavic god, had been renamed Titov Veles after World War II out of respect to Tito, then Yugoslavia's Prime Minister. During the post-Communist era, the name reverted to Veles and from September 1991 became part of the newly-independent Republic of Macedonia. However, as a result of a dispute with Greece over the name, the country did not become a member of the United Nations until April 1993 under the guise of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia or FYROM for short. In June 2018, Macedonia and Greece resolved the conflict with an agreement that the country be renamed the Republic of North Macedonia and this came into effect in February 2019. The Yugoslavs were ultimately able to take part in the Antibes heat, but one wonders whether the disruption and uncertainty surrounding their participation was a factor in their poor performance on the night.

The timings of Yugoslavian transmissions by JRT between 1978 and 1982 are local time. Unlike the rest of Europe, Yugoslavia did not introduce Daylight Savings time adjustments until 1983. This meant that when a live transmission started, it was 8.05pm Central European Time but 7.05pm in Yugoslavia.

On the day of the BBC1 transmission of this heat, Saturday 9th August 1980, Rushcliffe team captain Brian Hughes was interviewed in the national press. He commented that "the teams treat the event very professionally. The Germans wouldn't mix with anyone else staying at the hotel, and they held secret training sessions." He further revealed that the team's training schedule had not been universally popular: "All of us involved got terrific stick from our wives or husbands because training took up so much time. We had one divorce, and then two temporary separations when two team members decided to get together. Really it needed a lot of understanding on all sides, because the commitment has to be so great." Brian had set the whole thing going in November 1979, when he invited applications for team places. More than 350 people wanted to be considered, and selection tests, concentrating on agility, fitness, co-ordination, timing and balance, were held for more than 200 people in January 1980. The squad of 56 were chosen along with 39 year old captain Chris Perry, and the Rushcliffe hopefuls set about their preparations: "We were training three times a week on an assault course mocked up in an old RAF hangar. Then came a guest appearance playing Jeux Sans Frontières style games before a Nottingham Forest football match, to get us used to appearing in front of a large crowd." Soon after, the squad was whittled down to the 25 needed for the It's A Knockout heat, a close-run event which Rushcliffe won by a nose, after a tie-breaker.

Made in Colour • This programme exists in the BBC Archives

P

Jeux Sans Frontières 1980

Heat 2

Event Staged: Tuesday 27th May 1980
Venue: The Marina, Vilamoura, Portugal

European Transmissions (Local Timings):
RTP-1 (P): Tuesday 27th May 1980, 8.00-9.30pm (Live - DST)
TSI (CH): Tuesday 27th May 1980, 8.05-9.30pm (Live)
JRT (YU): Tuesday 27th May 1980, 8.05-9.30pm (Live - Unconfirmed)
BRT (B): Tuesday 27th May 1980, 9.05-10.25pm (Live - DST)
RTBF (B): Tuesday 27th May 1980, 9.05-10.25pm (Live - DST)
RAI Due (I): Wednesday 28th May 1980
SSR (CH): Wednesday 28th May 1980, 8.10-9.35pm
SRG (CH): Saturday 31st May 1980, 2.15-3.45pm
WDR 1 (D): Saturday 31st May 1980, 2.45-4.15pm
Antenne 2 (F): Sunday 27th July 1980
BBC1 (GB): Saturday 16th August 1980, 7.10-8.25pm

Theme: The Wonders of the Sea

Teams: Marche-en-Famenne (B) v. Cernier (CH) v. Todtnau (D) v. Périgueux (F) v.
Rhuddlan (GB) v. Teramo (I) v. Vilamoura (P) v. Kikinda (YU)

Team Members included:
Todtnau (D) - Linda Böhler, Harald Ebner, Fritz Ebser, Wolfgang Ebser, Angelika Fritz, Fritz Gnädinger, Edgar Iwertowski, Doris Lederle, Winfried Rotzinger, Heidi Strohmeier, Gerhard Thoma, Reiner Trojan, Andreas Walleser, Edgar Winterhalter and Hildegard Wurth;
Rhuddlan (GB) - Peter Roberts;
Kikinda (YU) - Prof. Mičurin Berar (Team Manager), Prof. Tomislav Blaće (Assistant Manager), Milan Balaban, Slobodan Bokanić, Slavko Borovnica, Dragoslav Bukurov, Darinka Cucić, Lidija Grifatong, Jolanda Janićijević, Zoran Karanović, Jovan Knežević, Mile Ljubičić, Olivera Petrović, Dara Ristić and Slavko Stojković.

Games: Rain-Clouds, Mermaids, Sardine Cans, Fat Lady on Skis, Chimneys, Octopuses, Walking Up Pole, Cats and Ribbons and Boats;
Fil Rouge: Oysters and Seagulls.

Game Results and Standings

Result

 Team

Points

Final Scoreboard

1st
2nd
2nd
4th
5th
5th
7th
8th

 D • Todtnau ● ●
 GB • Rhuddlan ●
 P • Vilamoura ●
 I • Teramo
 CH • Cernier
 YU • Kikinda
 B • Marche-en-Famenne
 F • Périgueux

44
40
40
38
33
33
32
31

Presenters, Officials and Production Team

Team doctor Cees Kloos and British presenter Stuart Hall took time out from their commitments in this Portuguese International Heat to help a badly injured nine year old boy from Stourbridge. Paul Spencer, who had fractured his skull in a fall from a 12 foot diving platform at a hotel near the marina venue, was tended to by Kloos and Hall, who kept him breathing until they had got him to hospital. The boy's heart stopped twice, but Kloos was able to revive him. Three weeks later Paul had recovered sufficiently to return home, and Hall invited him and his family to the Championship Knockout at Charnock Richard. Within seconds of meeting them, Hall revealed that he had arranged for the family to return to the Algarve in September for a week-long holiday at his expense. A remarkable gesture.

Additional Information

As had been the case for the Yugoslavian team from Titov Veles in the previous heat, there was some doubt that the Kikinda team would be unable to attend this event due to the recent death of President Tito.

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

YU

Jeux Sans Frontières 1980

Heat 3

Event Staged: Tuesday 10th June 1980
Venue: The Marina, Portorož, Yugoslavia

European Transmissions (Local Timings):
TSI (CH): Tuesday 10th June 1980, 8.05-9.30pm (Live)
RTP-1 (P): Tuesday 10th June 1980, 8.05-9.30pm (Live - DST)
JRT (YU): Tuesday 10th June 1980, 8.05-9.30pm (Live)
BRT (B): Tuesday 10th June 1980, 9.05-10.20pm (Live - DST)
RTBF (B): Tuesday 10th June 1980, 9.05-10.25pm (Live - DST)
SSR (CH): Wednesday 11th June 1980, 8.10-9.35pm
RAI Due (I): Wednesday 11th June 1980

SRG (CH): Saturday 14th June 1980, 2.00-3.45pm
WDR 1 (D): Saturday 14th June 1980, 2.45-4.15pm
Antenne 2 (F): Sunday 3rd August 1980
BBC1 (GB): Saturday 23rd August 1980, 7.05-8.20pm

Theme: The Navy

Teams: De Haan-Wenduine (B) v. Agno (CH) v. Bad Wurzach (D) v. Châteauroux (F) v.
Kettering (GB) v. Anagni (I) v. Coimbra (P) v. Portorož (YU)

Team Members included:
Kettering (GB) - Kate Blissett, Jeanette Butterfield, Roger Davies, Ian Dunns, Alan Fosbrook, Rowley Furness, Clive Hawkins, Peter Norton, Janet Smith, Jane Tight, Susan Wager, Chris Wilds.

Games: Baggage and Ship, Lifebelts and Slope, Sailors and Roses, Washing the Deck, Egg, Cup and Spoon, Sailors, Barrels and Bottles, Fruit Machine and Mermaids and Sails;
Fil Rouge: Salt and Horses.

Game Results and Standings

Result

 Team

Points

Final Scoreboard

1st
2nd
3rd
3rd
5th
6th
7th
8th

 YU • Portorož ● ●
 F • Châteauroux
 B • De Haan-Wenduine
 GB • Kettering
 CH • Agno
 D • Bad Wurzach
 P • Coimbra
 I • Anagni

46
41
39
39
37
32
29
25

Memories of Jeux Sans Frontières

When British team Kettering fell short of Rhuddlan's score of 40pts it wasn't to be the end of their odyssey. The following Sunday (15th June) they were to compete again in the It's A Knockout Domestic Final, a competition that they ended up winning, becoming the 1980 British Champions. Kettering team captain Kim Davis, a physical education teacher and player for Irthlingborough Diamonds Football Club, recalled the events of 40 years before when speaking to the Northamptonshire Telegraph in April 2020: "It was exciting at the time. I even got to switch on the Kettering Christmas lights. For a while, spectators would shout at me, 'Are you going to play the Joker on that?' It was all good natured. It was good for the town."

Additional Information

Yugoslavian team Portorož led this competition from start to finish, except after Game 7 (which it had to miss out), when the leader on the scoreboard was the British team from Kettering!

Made in Colour • This programme exists in the BBC Archives

CH

Jeux Sans Frontières 1980

Heat 4

Event Staged: Wednesday 25th June 1980
Venue: Planche-Supérieure (Superior Board), Fribourg, Switzerland

European Transmissions (Local Timings):
TSI (CH): Wednesday 25th June 1980, 8.05-9.30pm (Live)
SSR (CH): Wednesday 25th June 1980, 8.05-9.30pm (Live)
RTP-1 (P): Wednesday 25th June 1980, 8.05-9.30pm (Live - DST)
JRT (YU): Wednesday 25th June 1980, 8.05-9.30pm (Live)
BRT (B): Wednesday 25th June 1980, 9.05-10.25pm (Live - DST)
RTBF (B): Wednesday 25th June 1980, 9.05-10.25pm (Live - DST)
SRG (CH): Wednesday 25th June 1980, 9.05-10.30pm
RAI Due (I): Thursday 26th June 1980
WDR 1 (D): Saturday 28th June 1980, 2.45-4.15pm

Antenne 2 (F): Sunday 10th August 1980
BBC1 (GB): Friday 5th September 1980, 7.00-8.20pm

Theme: Sunday Pastimes in Switzerland

Teams: Charleroi (B) v. Fribourg (CH) v. Groß-Zimmern (D) v. Troyes (F) v.
Coleraine (GB) v. Grado (I) v. Lousã (P) v. Varaždin (YU)

Team Members included:
Charleroi (B) - Jean Landrain (Team Captain), Michel Michaux (Co-Assistant Team Captain), Lucette Michel (Co-Assistant Team Captain), Philippe Decoux, Marcel Delecaut, Jean-Claude Dieu, Jacques Dubuisson, Michèle Everard, Martine Filée, Patricia Giroul, Etienne Guilmin, Marie-Solange Harvengt, Marzia Herrewyn, Gérard Huygens, Christian Janssens, Alain Lambillon, Yves Lejong, Philippe Vandersteen;

Coleraine (NI) - David Blair, Helen Charteris, Linda Elliott, Trevor Gillan, Nicola Henry, John Mallows, Gary Moran, Renee Stewart;
Grado (Grado) (I) - Mauro Atturo, Claudio Bean, Laura Bressan, Loredana Cosatto, Antonio Casciaro, Cristina Filiput, Alessandro Gasparetti, Marino Gregoni, Fabio Persi, Aldo Piatto, Beniamino Ros, Francesca Rup, Leandro Tognon, Margherita Zacheli.

Games (Official Titles): The Bell Ringers, The Gruyère Cheese, Fishing in the Sarine, The Egg Thieves, The Organ of Saint-Nicolas, The Duke Berthold IV, The Boar and The Trees;
Reserve Game: The Sloping Sack Race;
Fil Rouge: Ship Down the Slope.

Game Results and Standings

Result

 Team

Points

Final Scoreboard

1st
2nd
3rd
4th
5th
6th
6th
8th

 B • Charleroi ●
 I • Grado
 CH • Fribourg
 GB • Coleraine
 D  • Groß-Zimmern
 F • Troyes
 YU • Varaždin
 P • Lousã

43
41
40
33
32
31
31
26

Associated Events

The seven foreign teams arrived in Fribourg on Sunday 22nd June 1980 and were greeted by the home team of Fribourg and the Swiss authorities. Small gifts were exchanged, but it was not really until the following Tuesday that the competitors of each team had a chance to properly relax and get to know their counterparts as part of what was loosely termed a cultural day. This was a regular part of a Jeux Sans Frontières schedule and in this case, a visit was arranged for the teams to the village of Gruyères, famous for the hard, yellow Gruyère cheese that originated in the region.

Team Selection and Training

The city of Charleroi announced in mid-March 1980, via advertisements in regional newspapers, that they were building a team that would participate in Jeux Sans Frontières. The qualifying criteria for registration was that candidates had to be between 18 and 36 years of age, be residents of Charleroi, be in good physical condition and could make themselves available for the period 22nd-26th June 1980 to go to Fribourg in Switzerland for the competition. The city received about one hundred applications and, on the evenings of 26th and 28th March, two team selection sessions were held at the Garenne gymnasium on the Rue du Fort to decide which of the applicants would form the Charleroi team. Intense training took place during the months of May and June, both at the Garenne and in the swimming pool of the Marcinelle leisure centre.

Prior to departure for Fribourg, the Charleroi team assembled outside the Charleroi l’Hôtel de Ville (Town Hall) on Sunday 22nd June 1980 and were photographed wearing smart outfits adorned with the official Jeux Sans Frontières logo. The team then flew from Zaventem airport to Geneva, a flight that took approximately one hour. From there they travelled the remaining 120km (75 miles) by coach.

The Rehearsals

It appears that the West German and Yugoslavian teams performed well during the rehearsals for this International Heat. These began at 10.30am on Monday 23rd June 1980 when, under the direction of international referee Gennaro Olivieri, a test team demonstrated the games for the competitors. The teams got the first chance to try out the games that same afternoon ahead of a general rehearsal between 7.30 and 10.00pm in the evening. A dress rehearsal was staged on the evening of Tuesday 24th June. A member of the Belgian team later recalled, "We were impressed by the good performance of the Yugoslav and German teams. The latter, comprising 21 team members, drank no alcoholic beverages and did not participate in the popular jubilation. Everyone was in bed by 11.00pm."

Media Attention

The Belgian team of Charleroi were accompanied to Fribourg by RTBF radio journalist Jean Fiévet, who made a series of reports and interviews which were broadcast at the time of this International Heat. The team's exploits also featured on Antenne-Soir (Evening Antenna), a television programme broadcast from RTBF's studios in Charleroi.

Additional Information

After three heats of the Fil Rouge, game failure prevented Portuguese team Lousã and Swiss team Fribourg from finishing. A reserve game - ‘The Sloping Sack Race’ - was held after the final game. If the original result had stood, Italian team Grado would have finished in 3rd place on the Fil Rouge. However, in the reserve game, they finished in 5th place, robbing the team of 2 points, an equal 1st place with Belgian team Charleroi and a qualifying place in the International Final!

The Silver Trophy award to the winning team of Charleroi was believed lost for several decades when it disappeared during the relocation of administration archives. This was a source of great upset to the members of the Charleroi team, who continued to meet up over the years, but the trophy was finally located in 2019 when graphic designers for the city, Jack Raes and Corrine Riet, came forward and revealed that the trophy had been a familiar object in their office for many years. Now restored, erroneously given a lick of gold paint (cheeky!) and integrated into the Charleroi Archives collections, the trophy will be protected in memory of the participants and their achievement.

An excellent selection of behind the scenes photographs from this International Heat can be found on the flickr website (erroneously listed as hailing from 1987).

Made in Colour • This programme exists in the BBC Archives

I

Jeux Sans Frontières 1980

Heat 5

Event Staged: Wednesday 9th July 1980
Venue: Martina Franca, Italy

European Transmissions (Local Timings):
TSI (CH): Wednesday 9th July 1980, 8.05-9.30pm (Live)
SSR (CH): Wednesday 9th July 1980, 8.05-9.30pm (Live)
RTP-1 (P): Wednesday 9th July 1980, 8.00-9.30pm (Live - DST)
JRT (YU): Wednesday 9th July 1980, 8.05-9.30pm (Live)
BRT (B): Wednesday 9th July 1980, 9.05-10.20pm (Live - DST)
RTBF (B): Wednesday 9th July 1980, 9.05-10.25pm (Live - DST)
SRG (CH): Wednesday 9th July 1980, 9.05-10.30pm
RAI Due (I): Friday 11th July 1980
WDR 1 (D): Saturday 12th July 1980, 2.45-4.15pm

Antenne 2 (F): Sunday 17th August 1980
BBC1 (GB): Friday 12th September 1980, 7.05-8.20pm

Theme: Return to Nature

Teams: Merksem (B) v. Lodrino (CH) v. Willingen (D) v. Rumilly (F) v.
Bridlington and North Wolds (GB) v. Martina Franca (I) v. Santarém (P) v. Budva (YU)

Team Members included:
Bridlington and North Wolds (GB) - Nigel Butterworth, Mark Fenton, Brian Gallagher, Caroline Gallagher, Dawn Holdsworth, Jean Hyde, Adrian Thompson, Valerie Wilkinson, Walter Wilkinson;
Martina Franca (I) - Elisabetta Bruno, Angelo Carbotti, Paolo Carrieri, Anna Maria de Ingeniis, Lucia Lodeserto, Martino Lodeserto, Patrizia Miola, Armando Pellegrini, Riccardo Ponte, Ester Russo, Giuseppe Schiavone (Team Captain), Rita Semeraro, Achille Tuzzi, Vito Zaino.

Games: Chickens, Sunflowers, Donkeys, Glow-Worms, Collecting Beans, Stingrays, Sheep and Giant Squirrels;
Fil Rouge: Frogs.

Game Results and Standings

Result

 Team

Points

Final Scoreboard

1st
2nd
3rd
4th
5th
5th
7th
8th

 B • Merksem ● ●
 I • Martina Franca ●
 YU • Budva
 CH • Lodrino
 D • Willingen
 F • Rumilly
 GB • Bridlington and North Wolds
 P • Santarém

54
44
41
32
31
31
30
20

Additional Information

As the theme for this heat was ‘Return to Nature’, it gave Italian games designer Adolfo 'Popi' Perani the usual ideal conditions to create some wonderfully coloured costumed games.

The Belgian team Merksem were so determined to win this heat, they had ensured victory before the final game. Leading the Italian team from Martina Franca by 9 points, Merksem increased their lead by winning the final game (gaining another 8 points), whilst Martina Franca came in 2nd, scoring 7 points.

Made in Colour • This programme exists in the BBC Archives

GB

Jeux Sans Frontières 1980

Heat 6

Event Staged: Wednesday 23rd July 1980, 8.00-10.30pm
Venue: Avisford Park, Walberton, Arundel, West Sussex, Great Britain

European Transmissions (Local Timings):

RAI Due (I): Saturday 26th July 1980
WDR 1 (D): Saturday 2nd August 1980, 3.10-4.35pm
RTP-1 (P): Sunday 3rd August 1980, 7.00-8.30pm
TSI (CH): Wednesday 6th August 1980, 8.05-9.30pm
SSR (CH): Wednesday 6th August 1980, 8.05-9.30pm
JRT (YU): Wednesday 6th August 1980, 8.05-9.30pm
SRG (CH): Wednesday 6th August 1980, 8.45-10.10pm

RTBF (B): Wednesday 6th August 1980, 9.05-10.25pm
BRT (B): Wednesday 6th August 1980, 9.10-10.35pm
Antenne 2 (F): Sunday 24th August 1980
BBC1 (GB): Friday 19th September 1980, 7.00-8.20pm

Theme: Magic

Teams: Saint-Ghislain (B) v. Meiringen-Hasliberg (CH) v. Groß-Umstadt (D) v.
Aurignac (F) v. Arun (GB) v. Monreale (Sicilia) (I) v. Machico (Madeira) (P) v. Tuzla (YU)

Team Members included:
Arun (GB) - Martin Eley (Team Captain), Jan Barnes, Brian Duffield, Erica Ellicot, Mike Fairs, Aileen Fletcher, Sally Groome, Penny McDougal, Graham Nicholson, Graham Oldrieve, Jennie Puttock, Peter Simmonds, Jeff Tidiman, Jeremy Tribe, Trevor Upton, Nigel Warr.

Games: The Disappearing Spots, Vanishing Act, Flying Carpets and Fakirs, Card Tricks, Rope Tricks, The Magic Box, The Magic Dice and Rabbits and Hats;
Fil Rouge: Budgies and Bells.

Game Results and Standings

Result

 Team

Points

Final Scoreboard

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

 CH • Meiringen-Hasliberg ● ●
 F • Aurignac
 D • Groß-Umstadt
 I • Monreale (Sicilia)
 GB • Arun
 B • Saint-Ghislain
 P • Machico (Madeira)
 YU • Tuzla

55
44
39
38
37
34
27
27

Looks Familiar?

The Fil Rouge in this heat involved giant budgerigars traveling along a perch and ringing a bell. Along with the giant rabbits (see note above), the budgerigars were to be a constant games feature in the 1981 season of It’s A Knockout.

Additional Information

This heat was unusual among Jeux Sans Frontières programmes of this era in that it was not transmitted live by any of the international broadcasters. In fact, in most cases it was not broadcast until over two weeks after it was staged. This was mainly due to the fact that the XXIInd Olympic Games were being held in Moscow from Sunday 19th July until Sunday 3rd August 1980, with most of the broadcasters concentrating their schedules on the event. This would also explain the 5-week staging difference between this and the following heat, and the reason that the next programmes were staged at one-week intervals instead of the normal fortnightly gaps, in order for the programme to spread into late autumnal stagings.

The Jeux Sans Frontières competition was staged as part of a four-day Summer Magic Festival at Avisford Park, starting on Sunday 20th July and culminating in the JSF heat between 8.00 and 10.30pm on Wednesday 23rd July 1980. Rehearsals were staged on Monday evening between 9.00 and 10.30pm and Tuesday between 8.00 and 10.30pm. The public were encouraged to attend both rehearsal nights, with Monday night tickets costing just 50p, Tuesday tickets £2.50 and the actual recording £3.50.

After Swiss team, Meiringen-Hasliberg’s win at Walberton, the BBC presented the team with one of the giant rabbit costumes which was used on the final game. The reason for the gesture was that Meiringen-Hasliberg lies in the Hasliberg valley, and the literal meaning of Hasliberg is ‘rabbit mountain’. The ‘rabbit’ made an appearance a year later when the Swiss heat was held at Meiringen-Hasliberg.

Swiss team Meiringen-Hasliberg was comprised of some very strong team members and was determined to win this heat. So much in fact that the team (like Belgian team Merksem in Heat 5) had already won the heat before the final game, and were 8 points clear of their nearest rival, French team Aurignac. But the team was not done yet and did not ‘lie on their laurels’ - whilst Aurignac was struggling on the game finishing in 5th place, Meiringen-Hasliberg had already come in 2nd on the game, securing another 7 points.

This heat was tragically marred by the death of co-organiser Jonathan Lewis, his body being found in the River Arun. Details can be found in Knockout TV.

Made in Colour • This programme exists in the BBC Archives

B

Jeux Sans Frontières 1980

Heat 7

Event Staged: Wednesday 27th August 1980
Venue: Stadspark, Diest, Belgium

European Transmissions (Local Timings):
TSI (CH): Wednesday 27th August 1980, 8.05-9.30pm (Live)
SSR (CH): Wednesday 27th August 1980, 8.05-9.30pm (Live)
JRT (YU): Wednesday 27th August 1980, 8.05-9.35pm (Live)
BRT (B): Wednesday 27th August 1980, 9.05-10.25pm (Live - DST)
RTBF (B): Wednesday 27th August 1980, 9.05-10.25pm (Live - DST)
SRG (CH): Wednesday 27th August 1980, 9.05-10.30pm
RTP-1 (P): Wednesday 27th August 1980, 9.55-11.25pm
WDR 1 (D): Saturday 30th August 1980, 3.10-4.35pm
RAI Due (I): Sunday 31st August 1980

Antenne 2 (F): Sunday 31st August 1980
BBC1 (GB): Friday 26th September 1980, 7.05-8.20pm

Theme: Conservation of the Earth

Teams: Diest (B) v. Airolo (CH) v. Baunatal (D) v. Coutances (F) v.
Bracknell (GB) v. Cortona (I) v. Figueira da Foz (P) v. Kraljevo (YU)

Team Members included:
Airolo (CH) - Edy Mottini (Team Captain), Ferruccio Aldighieri, Claudio Ardia, Gabriele Ceresa, Simona De Agostini, Massimo Filippini, Franz Gut, Sandro Pedretti, Simona Peverelli, Marinella Pezzoli, Ulisse Piccardi, Eliano Ramelli, Roberta Ramelli, Marcel Scheidegger;
Bracknell (GB) - Dennis Lansley (Team Captain), Michael Bond, Caroline Clarke, Terri Irvine, Martin Scarterfield.

Games: Collecting Banners, Collecting Food, Climbing on Globe, Water-Powered Cars (abandoned), Tug-o-War and Couples, Saving Energy at Home, Drilling for Oil and Irrigating the Desert;
Reserve Game: Sack Race;
Fil Rouge: Melting the Icebergs.

Game Results and Standings

Result

 Team

Points

Final Scoreboard

1st
2nd
3rd
4th
5th
6th
7th
8th

 CH • Airolo ●
 D • Baunatal
 YU • Kraljevo
 B • Diest
 GB • Bracknell
 F • Coutances
 I • Cortona
 P • Figueira da Foz

53
45
44
41
36
34
29
22

The Venue

Diest, Belgium

The Belgian city of Diest, playing host to this International Heat, were that year celebrating the 750th Anniversary of the founding of their settlement in 1230.

Made in Colour • This programme exists in the BBC Archives

D

Jeux Sans Frontières 1980

Heat 8

Event Staged: Wednesday 3rd September 1980
Venue: Schloßplatz, Coburg, West Germany

European Transmissions (Local Timings):
TSI (CH): Wednesday 3rd September 1980, 8.05-9.30pm (Live)
SSR (CH): Wednesday 3rd September 1980, 8.05-9.30pm (Live)
JRT (YU): Wednesday 3rd September 1980, 8.05-9.30pm (Live)

BRT (B): Wednesday 3rd September 1980, 9.05-10.25pm (Live - DST)
RTBF (B): Wednesday 3rd September 1980, 9.05-10.25pm (Live - DST)
RAI Due (I): Wednesday 3rd September 1980, 9.05-10.30pm (Live - DST)
SRG (CH): Wednesday 3rd September 1980, 9.05-10.30pm
RTP-1 (P): Wednesday 3rd September 1980, 10.05-11.30pm
WDR 1 (D): Saturday 6th September 1980, 2.45-4.15pm

Antenne 2 (F): Sunday 7th September 1980
BBC1 (GB): Friday 3rd October 1980, 7.00-8.20pm

Theme: The Distractions of Coburg

Teams: Sint-Genesius-Rode (B) v. Braunwald (CH) v. Coburg (D) v. Annecy (F) v.
Gateshead (GB) v. Orvieto (I) v. Angra do Heroísmo (Terceira) (P) v. Priština (YU)

Team Members included:
Gateshead (GB) - Jim Atkinson, David Aywin, Steve Barrett, Diane Bell, Angela Corbett, Ian Hornby, Terry Lewis, Dave Roberts, Debbie Ross, George Skidmore, Ian Westwood, Anne Wilson.

Games: Horses and Chariots, Marbles, Cleaning the Well, Quarrel at the Market, Sausages, Spearing the Eagle, Pigs and Farmers and Gymnasts;p
Fil Rouge: Bears.

Game Results and Standings

Result

 Team

Points

Final Scoreboard

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

 F • Annecy ● ●
 D • Coburg
 YU • Priština
 GB • Gateshead
 B • Sint-Genesius-Rode

 P • Angra do Heroísmo (Terceira)
 CH • Braunwald

 I • Orvieto

48
42
41
39
32
31
30
30

Additional Information

Gateshead were the only British team to win their Joker game this year!

Yugoslavian team Priština squandered the chance of winning this heat. Joint leaders with French team Annecy before the final game - ‘Gymnasts’ - the team came in 8th place on the game, whilst Annecy won the game and secured the ever-important 8 points. This poor Yugoslavian performance allowed West German team Coburg to sneak in and snatch 2nd place, after being 4 points behind both teams before the game!

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

B

Jeux Sans Frontières 1980

International Final

Event Staged: Wednesday 10th September 1980
Venue: La Citadelle de Namur, Namur, Belgium

European Transmissions (Local Timings):
TSI (CH): Wednesday 10th September 1980, 8.05-9.30pm (Live)
SSR (CH): Wednesday 10th September 1980, 8.05-9.30pm (Live)
JRT (YU): Wednesday 10th September 1980, 8.05-9.30pm (Live)
BRT (B): Wednesday 10th September 1980, 9.05-10.25pm (Live - DST)
RTBF (B): Wednesday 10th September 1980, 9.05-10.25pm (Live - DST)
RAI Due (I): Wednesday 10th September 1980, 9.05-10.30pm (Live - DST)

SRG (CH): Wednesday 10th September 1980, 9.45-11.10pm

RTP-1 (P): Friday 12th September 1980, 9.15-10.30pm

Antenne 2 (F): Sunday 14th September 1980
WDR 1 (D): Saturday 20th September 1980, 2.45-4.16pm
BBC1 (GB): Friday 10th October 1980, 7.00-8.20pm

Theme: The Marriage of the Young Bridegrooms

Teams: Merksem (B) v. Meiringen-Hasliberg (CH) v. Todtnau (D) v.
Annecy (F) v. Rhuddlan (GB) v. Martina Franca (I) v. Vilamoura (P) v. Portorož (YU)

Team Members included:
Todtnau (D) - Linda Böhler, Harald Ebner, Fritz Ebser, Wolfgang Ebser, Angelika Fritz, Fritz Gnädinger, Edgar Iwertowski, Doris Lederle, Winfried Rotzinger, Heidi Strohmeier, Gerhard Thoma, Reiner Trojan, Andreas Walleser, Edgar Winterhalter and Hildegard Wurth;
Martina Franca (I) - Giuseppe Schiavone (Team Captain), Elisabetta Bruno, Angelo Carbotti, Paolo Carrieri, Anna Maria d’Ingeniis, Lucia Lodeserto, Martino Lodeserto, Patrizia Miola, Armando Pellegrini, Riccardo Ponte, Ester Russo, Rita Semeraro, Achille Tuzzi, Vito Zaino.

Games: Honeymooners and Maze, Car Up Slope and Flowers, Finding the Girl, Finding the Rings, Mothers-in-Law, Finding the Garter, Registry Office and Beam and The Wedding Night;
Fil Rouge: The Bridge Over the Canal.

Game Results and Standings

Result

 Team

Points

Final Scoreboard

1st
2nd
3rd
4th
5th
6th
7th
8th

 P • Vilamoura ●
 GB • Rhuddlan ●
 B • Merksem ●
 D • Todtnau
 F • Annecy
 CH • Meiringen-Hasliberg
 YU • Portorož
 I • Martina Franca

44
41
39
37
36
34
32
29

Made in Colour • This programme exists in the BBC 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