Helsinki (Olympic Games)

Helsinki

Location: Finland
Village type: Tents
Year opened: July 19, 1952
Year closed: August 3, 1952

Independently of the normal operation of its holiday villages in the Mediterranean, the Club will install an exceptional canvas village in Helsinki, Finland, in July-August 1952, on the occasion of the XV Olympiad.
It was essential that the Club BE PRESENT at the largest world rally in sport.

Trident No. 6 Olympic Edition.

 

For the record: Allowing GMs to attend the 1952 Summer Olympics in Finland was Gérard BLITZ's idea. He therefore asked his sister Judith (Didy) to go prospecting around Helsinki to allow the construction of a "temporary" village for the duration of the games.
The site that was found was located in the southern part of the island of Seurasaari. (Island located in the bay of Seurasaarenselkä and which is part of the Helsinki archipelago). The place is on the edge of a small lake, among the fir trees, and is not very far from the Olympic sites.

With the help of Finnish soldiers, Dimitri Philippoff began work before he fell ill. Maurice Blitz, who arrived at the emergency stage, replaced him and continued setting up the tents and bringing in the equipment.

A special registration form for the stay in Helsinki accompanies Trident No. 6. Given the limited number of places granted by the Olympic Committee to Club Méditerranée, each person must indicate the event they wish to attend. 25 days on site, for 39,300 Francs to go and support the French and Belgian athletic teams. (Note that, even if the Club was able to negotiate attractive prices with the OC, participation in the Olympic events is extra and must in principle be paid upon return at the Club's request, but there seem to have been some forgotten payments or payment claims). 

Marcel Hansenne is the chef of this temporary village.
Jo Bouillon is the head chef.

The journey

The GMs boarded a "special Club Méditerranée Olympic train" on the evening of July 15, 1952, at Paris's Gare du Nord station. After a stop in Liège for the Belgian GMs, the convoy arrived in Stockholm early on the morning of July 17, where each GM had 24 hours to visit the Swedish capital. They boarded on July 18 for a night on a boat to Helsinki. 

Everyone left in the other direction on August 4, 1952.

Personalities who have marked the history of Helsinki and Club Méditerranée

Marcel HANSENNE: Born on January 24, 1917, Marcel HANSENNE obtained his first French 800 meter championship title at the age of 22, 11 others followed with the achievement and the French record for the distance in 1'48″3 in 1949. He also participated 22 times in international competitions between 1940 and 1950, obtaining 3 podiums in major championships (2 times in the European championship and 3rd at the London Olympic Games in 1948).

Marcel Hansenne then became a sports journalist for the newspaper L'Equipe. He became its editor-in-chief a few years later.

In 1950, he supported Gérard BLITZ during the creation of Club Méditerranée, and signed the editorial of the first trident.