Gymnase du Grand Coudret

The Gymnase du Grand Coudret sits at the end of rue du Docteur Jean. It is managed by the City of Saintes.

Inside, the space is flexible. The 1,800 places are not fixed; they transform depending on the sport being played. On some days, the floor is cleared for handball, with US Saintes Handball or SHSJ Handball setting up their nets. On others, the same space hosts combat sports—boxing, kickboxing, muaythai, karate, wrestling—or the rhythmic movement of roller dance. The Bassins Cathos Handball Committee uses the venue for competitions.

The capacity has not changed over time. The figure is stated consistently across city records and the Sport en France directory, though the latter occasionally cites 1,872 places as a maximum tribune count. There is no record of a previous, smaller capacity. The venue has never carried a sponsor’s name; it has remained Gymnase du Grand Coudret in every local reference and directory listing.

There is no website of its own. Visitors find information through the City of Saintes’ general equipment page, where the gymnase appears alongside other municipal facilities. No former names were recorded, no renaming ceremonies took place. It is simply a room that changes shape to fit whatever sport arrives that day.

The 1,800 seats are rarely filled to capacity.

For handball, the floor is marked twice. The same room does all three.