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. If you feel, that you body need some sport exercises, Geneva affords a lot of opportunities for recreation. 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 Geneve (website: www.servettefc.ch) were Swiss champions in 1999 and won the Cup in 2001. A new stadium with a commercial and leisure centre is being built, which is planned to open towards the end of 2002
Tickets to sporting events can be purchased from the relevant venue.
Fitness Centres
Silhouette Eaux-Vives,
Route de Frontenex 39B
tel: (022) 786 1822
open Monday to Friday 0800-2200 and Saturday and Sunday 1000-1900.
Silhouette Wilson SA,
Rue J-A Gautier 12
tel: (022) 732 8050
open Monday to Friday 0900-2100 and Saturday and Sunday 1000-1700.
Golf
Le Golf Club de Geneve,
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;
website: www.scg.dpn.ch
open daily 0900-1430 and 1730-2300 and charges SFr15 per person for 45 minutes of play. A reservation is required.
Swimming
Piscine de Vernets
Rue Hans Wilsdorf 4-6
tel: (022) 418 4000
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 Geneve 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 Carre
Chemin des Bûcherons 14, 1234 Vessy
tel: (022) 784 3006
a 15-minute drive from Geneva and has 13 courts available for SFr20 for one hour in summer and SFr30 in winter.
