Pétanque player, 68, dies after being hit in head with metal boule in France
A 68-year-old pétanque player died in the French Atlantic resort of Mimizan after a dispute with a rival team escalated, resulting in him being struck with a metal boule. An 81-year-old man has been arrested.
Fatal clash over pétanque court
A 68-year-old pétanque player has died after allegedly being hit with a metal boule during a dispute with a rival team in the French Atlantic resort of Mimizan. The incident occurred on June 17 at a local boulodrome.
The argument began when the beach team asked to play in the town's court seeking shade during a heatwave, witnesses told local media. The situation escalated into a physical confrontation.
According to the Mont-de-Marsan prosecutor's office, an 81-year-old man has been arrested and is in custody. Prosecutor Alexa Dubourg told local paper Sud Ouest: "According to the evidence … it seems that it is the 81-year-old man who struck the victim, who is deceased, with a pétanque boule." She described the incident as "an argument which degenerated into a physical [confrontation]".
The victim did not die immediately from the blow but collapsed minutes later after suffering a heart attack. A local resident told AFP: "There is a mega rivalry between the beach pétanque players and those in the town but I didn't think it was at that level."
Pétanque is a French game in which players roll hollow steel balls as close as possible to a small wooden ball. Investigations are ongoing to determine the role of each person present.
