World City Guide

Sport

Sport is an integral part of Genevois life, especially skiing, due to the city’s location near the Alps. The famous Swiss resorts, such as Gstaad, Crans-Montana and Zermatt, or the French towns of Chamonix and Val d’Isère, are just a couple of hours away. Lake Geneva is used for sailing, rowing, water-skiing and swimming, while the Rhône and Arve rivers allow canoeing and rafting. Horseriding is popular and the Jura Mountains are good terrain for hiking and biking. Major events include the International Triathlon Competition in September and a string of international regattas on the lake, which includes the Bol d’Or in June, Europe’s largest inland-water sailing race, attracting over 600 boats from all over the world. December is the month for popular local sports events, such as the Escalade Run, a seven-kilometre (four-mile) run through the Old Town, and the Coupe de Noël, a swimming competition in the icy lake.

It is only in the last few years that Geneva has become a force to be reckoned with in Swiss football. Servette FC Genève (website: www.servettefc.ch) were Swiss champions in 1998/1999 and won the Cup in 2000/2001, however, only finished fifth in the League and fourth in the 2001/2002 Cup. A new stadium, Stadt de Genève (e-mail: info@stade.ch; website: www.stade.ch), with a commercial and leisure centre is being built south of the city centre, in the Route de Jeunes, near Avenue Vibert (just before the entrance to Autoroute 1a). The first phase, the business and leisure centre, will open 13 November, while Servette FC will play its first game at this 30,000-seat stadium on 4 March 2003. The official opening is slated for June 2003. Meanwhile, Servette FC continues to play at the Stade de Charmilles, Chemin des Sports (tel: (022) 340 2717).

Tickets to sporting events are available for purchase from the relevant venues.

Fitness Centres: Silhouette Eaux-Vives, Route de Frontenex 39B (tel: (022) 786 1822), is open Monday to Friday 0800-2200 and Saturday and Sunday 1000-1900. Silhouette Wilson SA, Rue J-A Gautier 12 (tel: (022) 732 8050), is open Monday to Friday 0900-2100 and Saturday and Sunday 1000-1700.

Golf: Le Golf Club de Genève, Route de La-Capite 70, Cologny (tel: (022) 707 4800), allows non-members to play for SFr100.

Squash: The Squash Club de Genève, Chemin du Joli-Bois 3, Chambésy (tel: (022) 758 2207; e-mail: geneva-squash@bluewin.ch; website: www.geneva-squash.ch), is open daily 0900-1430 and 1730-2300 and charges SFr15 per person for 45 minutes of play. A reservation is required.

Swimming: The centrally located Piscine de Vernets, Rue Hans Wilsdorf 4-6 (tel: (022) 418 4000), is open Tuesday and Friday 0900-2000, Wednesday 0900-2100, Thursday 0900-1700, Saturday 0900-1800 and Sunday 0900-1700.

Tennis: Tennis Club Genève Eaux-Vives, Parc des Eaux-Vives, Quai Gustave-Ador 82 (tel: (022) 735 5350), has 17 tennis courts for members only. Tennis Club Genève Champel, Route de Vessy 41 (tel: (022) 784 2566), has 11 tennis courts and charges SFr25 in summer for one hour and SFr40 in winter (reservations are required). Both of the above clubs can be contacted at the website: www.tc-geneve.ch. Le Tennis du Bois Carré, Chemin des Bûcherons 14, 1234 Vessy (tel: (022) 784 3006), is a 15-minute drive from Geneva and has 13 courts available for SFr20 for one hour in summer and SFr30 in winter.