Dangerous games of petanque

The police suspect Ilnur Sharapov, an employee of the Agora human rights center, and Nikolai Pomeschenko, an employee of the Agora human rights center, and surveyor Nikolai Pomeschenko, who, in a company of 12 people, were playing petanque in the center of Moscow on Bolotnaya Square, of drug use. The police did not touch the rest of the petanque players.

The detainees were taken to the Yakimanka police station, and then taken to doctors to check for drug use. After the examination, Sharapova and Pomeschenko were taken back to the police department to write explanatory notes. Sharapova was released quite quickly. The protocol stated that the human rights activist was detained for drug use. However, it is too early to say anything, since the results of the medical examination will be ready in 10 days. “We took @ilnur_sharapov to the Yakimanka police station and are taking him to a drug treatment center for a doping test,” lawyer Nikolai Polozov said on his microblog . Pomeschenko remained at the police station.

Ilnur Sharapov and Nikolai Pomeschenko. Photo Twitter

Agora said that the detention of Sharapov and the accusation of drug use is a provocation. According to Agora, Sharapov was not found to have any prohibited substances on him, and in addition, an alcohol test gave a negative result.

Sharapov and Pomeschenko face 15 days in prison. The Moscow City Internal Affairs Directorate does not comment on this situation.

Media manager Pavel Pryanikov, who took part in the petanque game, wrote on Facebook that the police came for Sharapov and Pomeschenko purposefully. Pomeschenko was previously the first to count the number of protest participants during the December rallies. In June, Sharapov appealed the court's decision to disperse the civilian camp on Chistye Prudy. In addition, Sharapov had previously received death threats in connection with the case of an attack on Novaya Gazeta journalist and gay pride parade participant Elena Kostyuchenko.

Historical background

The name of the French game pétanque literally translates as “legs together” - from “ped tanco”. Typically, the game is played by two teams of two or three players. However, you can play together. To play you need balls - metal, 70.5-80.0 millimeters in volume, weighing 650-800 grams, and a jack - 30 millimeters.

The goal of the game is to knock as many of your team's balls as possible to the jack. The main thing is that the jack has as few balls as possible from the opposing team.

Anyone can play petanque. “Neither rheumatism nor any other disease can prevent anyone from playing petanque. Petanque is suitable for all ages, both young and old,” the writer Francois Rabelais once said.

It is for these reasons that the popularity of petanque was great. But one day - in 1629 - the inventors of the game that was the predecessor of tennis achieved a ban on the game of petanque. Interestingly, the ban was not taken seriously by the priests who played in closed areas in monasteries.

In 1792, it turned out that petanque was not a very safe game. In Marseille, 38 people died on the territory of a convent where players decided to use cannonballs as petanque balls.

Bloggers' reaction

Those who were concerned on microblogs instantly raised the “petanque” tag to the trends of Russian-language Twitter.

Alexey Sharnenkov ‏@lenix1991 Take a break for 15 days!) Play #petanque .

Cho ‏@ChoShto Russians are for the legalization of short-barreled petanque! #petanque

Nikolai Polozov ‏@Moscow_advokat A migrant worker from France was detained at Sheremetyevo airport for trying to smuggle eight #petanque balls in his stomach.

iris ‏@santairis The newest entertainment of the opposition is the game #petanque .

@dokmlove01 Drop false modesty, Vladimir Vladimirovich... Try #petanque .

@vovansvn According to one version of the investigation, the money seized from @xenia_sobchak could have been used to purchase a large batch of #petanque .

Grandfather Edros ‏@ded_edros #Petanque helps us build and live / Petanque, like a friend, calls and leads. / And whoever has petanque balls / will never be lost anywhere.

Timur Khorev ‏@TimurKhorev As the inventor of curling said: “The main thing is not to wander around the entrances.” #petanque

Konstantin Sdobnov ‏@Sdobnoff Information has arrived that the Russian Orthodox Church saw “demonic jerking” in the game of #petanque . Chaplin is already preparing a corresponding statement!

@cancer_gaudium The #petanque players somehow threw the balls madly, no less.

Dasha Boo @bovduy Real men play #petanque ! A coward doesn't play petanque !

Olga Romanova , journalist and civil activist I know Ilnur. He helped us competently write appeals against the dispersal of Occupy Abay to the Basmanny Court of Moscow. The other day I interviewed applicants: no one bothered to answer. But Ilnur, therefore, played petanque on Saturday. It's time to go out into the parks and play petanque en masse.