The first elite sport training camp in France: Manitot (1912–1924)

Abstract

On the eve of the First World War, a wealthy director of a company, Antoine-Lucien Boyer, has created at Manitot, a small village close to Paris on the riverside of the Seine opposite to Giverny, the first camp of coaching for athletes. Famous boxers like Billy Papke, Georges Carpentier, Eugène Criqui, and Bernard or runners like Jean Bouin have spent a while to prepare their competitions. Taking the opportunity of being at the countryside, these athletes did angling, rowing, and hunting in parallel to their specific sport preparation.Using different sources like newspapers (L'Auto, L'écho des sports), but also books and archives (public and privates), we aim at relating the history of this first sport camp of coaching and will try to understand the reasons of the landowner for launching this experience. Furthermore, we will review the methods of training and highlight a specifically French approach, based on an eclectic training method determined by health more than by performance.