Sport
In Lorient, there are 80 sports infrastructures covering 55 230 m², 78 sports associations, 67 sports practiced and 14 000 members of sports clubs.
Sport at every age in all districts
In the heart of the town, 8 hectares are devoted to sport. Lorient prefers local amenities with a variety of easily accessible facilities : "A few steps are all you need to get from the Moustoir swimming pool to the Guyader gymnasium or from the Yves Allainmat stadium to the skate-park. All these facilities are well balanced between pro sports and sport for everyone, and part of a well thought out and structured project” (L’Équipe, 4 September 2010).
To develop sports in the districts, the town has signed agreements with 10 clubs.Thanks to a Local Educational Project, instructors with the town’s youth department are developing sports activities at school during the lunch break. In the districts
of Frébault, Kervénanec, Keryado, Bois du Château and Nouvelle Ville, the gyms are open after school.
The town doesn’t just manage the sports infrastructures, it also encourages the development of sports by supporting associations.
3 000 m² total surface, 1 000 m² water surface, 7 pools, a 70-m slide... The aquatic centre has something for all ages: paddling pool, deep dive pool (the only one in the department), recreational pool or spa area. By choosing Béatrice Hess, the disabled sports champion as the centre’s patron, the town is demonstrating its strong desire to cater for the disabled. Everyone is welcome
and this can be seen in the prices suited to all purses. This new centre also strictly meets the criteria of sustainable development: water savings, heating with wood, ozone water treatment, etc.
A base for every exploit ! Currently, there are 50 boats of all types (trimarans, monohulls, maxi multihulls, Figaro, Mumm 30’, mini 6.50) training in Lorient. The logistics here are ideal for preparing to beat records : 880 m of wharves for racing boats, opening directly onto a deep body of water, accessible at all hours; only 40 m away, huge hangars where boats can be dry-docked on the keel. These assets have not escaped the eagle eyes of the skippers based in Lorient or of the race organisers.
More informations about yacht race pole and nautical eventsSince reaching the 1st division in 2006, the Merlus (as they are known), are at ease. They proudly wear the colours of the town. The present of this professional football club is intimately linked to the history of the town.
The club Les Merlus was born in the fishing port. In 1925, Madame Cuissard, owner of a fish shop, started it all.
The club rapidly attracted amateurs to the quays, who dreamed of playing against corporate teams such as “Charbon sports” or “Gargantua sports”. Faced with the success of this new sports structure, the directors changed the status of the club from a “corporate” to an amateur team on 2 April 1926 thus creating the Lorient Football Club. Since this date, the club has seen numerous
successes and trophies, including winning the Coupe de France in 2002.