- silence

- Algiers, 25 years later, a scent from France present forever in this 3 million-inhabitant urban area between the traditional Casbah and modern Algeria of the year 2000.

- Algeria of 1987 and its 23 million inhabitants want to open up to tourists,

- to exchanges and to show that they have moved on for real.

- From the 13th to the 19th of December, it hosts for the first time of its history a worldwide championship of a surprising sport, petanque, born in Provence.

- They are several dozens of thousands of players from a young age as in Algeria 66% of the population is under 20.

- Petanque, heritage from the French presence, requires little investments,

- so it has certain interest for the authorities as a social factor in the different districts.

- In 84, we were vice-champions, in 87 we were the third ones, plus the Africa championship,

- still they are honorable titles.

- So here and now there is an aim maybe to be the world champions this year?

- We hope so, we try to do our best.

- We work seriously for that.

- Here in Aïn Taya, the national team has gathered for several months and trains 8 hours a day.

- A young team, made by the best players, 24 years of age as an average,

- the juniors and the youngsters also participate to those trainings on this very delicate pitch.

- In Algeria, we sometimes forget the folklore we know about in Provence around petanque.

- At the level of the petanque discipline, we are about 25,000 license-holders.

- I think that with this worldwide championship our aim is to reach 60,000 license-holders.

- The wilaya of Boumerdès will host the championship in December.

- A first part was unlocked by the government, the wilaya will finance the rest.

- We also need to demonstrate our potentialities, as much on the economic level as on the cultural one,

- as on the education level as on the training level, and we have many potentialities

- and so why hide them if we could progress with this confrontation and other confrontations on every level.

- Meeting from September 13th to 19th for that 23rd world championship with the possibility for you to discover and find this country back,

- a trip dedicated to the championship being offered during a week on this occasion.