Lyon cuts ribbon on EURO countdown

Lyon launched its countdown to UEFA EURO 2016 under sunny skies today. Gérard Collomb, the mayor of the city, led the celebrations on Consulate Day, which has been a tradition in Lyon for over a decade.

Lyon is the second-biggest city in France and has the eighth-highest number of consulates in Europe, hosting almost 60. They all run a stand on Consulate Day and parade in the streets of Lyon for two days, in a blast of colours and culture.

Collomb and his two assistants Georges Kepenekian, in charge of major cultural events, and Yann Cucherat, head of the sports department, went on stage in the early afternoon in front of the Louis XIV statue. They were soon followed by Pascal Parent, head of the regional football association, and UEFA EURO 2016 mascot Super Victor, who came into being in the Tour de Salvagny, 21km north of Lyon.

Children were at the centre of the event. An egg hunt took place at both the Place des Terreaux and the Parc de la Tête d'Or. Most significantly, 11 teams from the Rhone district – AS Bellecour-Perrache, MDA Chasselay, CASCOL Oullins, Meyzieu, Chassieu-Décines, FC Croix-Roussien, Entente Saint-Priest, Francheville, Vaulx-en-Velin, ASUL and Genas – comprising 108 players in total, joined the officials on stage.

"It's important that the entire local football community embraces the EURO and that kids can approach and engage with Super Victor," Parent said. A photo call brought smiles all round before children departed for the Sonny Anderson Stadium, in the Confluence neighborhood, for a snack and a tournament.

Collomb also reminded his audience of the need to sign up on UEFA.com before 10 July to apply for tickets and that the Lyon fan zone will be located at Place Bellecour. He also applauded Patrick Iliou, representing Olympique Lyonnais as chief executive in charge of the Stade des Lumières. "It's fantastic for us to host six matches at EURO and show the world the quality of our venue," Iliou said. "We look forward to it."

Public figures then stopped at the UEFA EURO 2016 stand to be presented with the official game of the event and cut the ribbon of the 'One year to go' countdown.