Sports activities in Biarritz, France

Rugby in Biarritz

You can’t stroll very far in Biarritz without realising that the locals are very passionate about rugby - as well as players, there are shops and pubs honouring the game everywhere!

Formed in 1913, Biarritz Olympique Pays Basque (also known as Biarritz Olympique and abbreviated as BOPB) is a professional rugby union team who are regular national champions – quite a feat for a town of 30,000 inhabitants! They play at the Parc des Sports Aguiléra, which is a multi-use stadium in Biarritz with a capacity of 13,500. For games requiring a larger capacity, Biarritz may play at the Estadio Anoeta in Donostia/San Sebastián, Spain.

So if you happen to find yourself in Biarritz and the weather isn’t conducive to the beach or a round of golf, you might have an opportunity to watch Biarritz’s finest rugby players in action!

Biarritz Olypique Pays Basque
The French professional rugby team, Biarritz Olympique Pays Basque (often shortened to BOPB or Biarritz Olympique) regularly participates in the Top 14 Rugby French Competition and the Heineken Cup. Home games of the Biarritz Olympique are played at the Parc Des Sports Aguilera, a stadium in Biarritz, and the team is instantly recognisable by their red and white uniforms.

The French rugby team of Biarritz

Biarritz Olympique was formally established in 1913 through a merger of the Biarritz Stade (established 1902) and the Biarritz Sporting Club (established 1909) rugby teams, but it wasn’t until 1934 when the team played in the final of the French Premiership at the Stade des Ponts in Toulouse, to a loss of 13 points to 8. The home ground of the triumphant team, Aviron Bayonnais, were situated only three miles from the Biarritz Olympique’s own home grounds, and to this day, that all Basque final still holds the records for the closest neighbouring opponent teams.

In 1935, Biarritz Olympique again found themselves in the national champions and this time emerged victorious against the Union Sportive des Arlequins Perpignanais (also known as USA Perpignan), a team from the French Pyrenees-Orientales, securing themselves their first ever French national championship. This victory heralded the beginning of a winning streak for Biarritz Olympique, until they once again clashed with USA Perpignan in 1938. USA Perpignan won this epic game at a score of 11 points to 6.

Dispiritingly, it wasn’t until the 1989 when Biarritz Olympique gained their place once again in the final of the French Challenge Yves des Manoir, enduring an 18 points to 12 defeat to Racing Club de Narbonne Mediterannee (also known as RC Narbonne).

The rest of the decade and into the 1990’s saw Biarritz Olympique repeatedly reach the finals of competitions, but never quite securing the victory they were so desperately after.