Jeux sans frontières season 17

No. of teams7 countries

Winners Lisbon
Dartmouth

Head referees

• Gennaro Olivieri
• Guido Pancaldi [it]

No. of episodes8

Jeux sans frontières
Season 17
No. of teams	7 countries
Winners	Lisbon Dartmouth
Head referees	Gennaro Olivieri Guido Pancaldi [it]
No. of episodes	8
Release
Original network	RTBF1 TV1 Antenne 2 Rete 2 RTP1 TV DRS TSR TSI BBC1 TV Belgrade 1 TV Zagreb 1
Original release	26 May (1981-05-26) – 8 September 1981 (1981-09-08)
Season chronology
← Previous Season 16 Next → Season 18

The 17th season of the international television game show Jeux sans frontières was held in the summer of 1981. Broadcasters from Belgium, France, Italy, Portugal, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and Yugoslavia participated in the competition coordinated by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), while West Germany withdrew due to low viewing figures.^[1] The different heats were hosted by each of the participant broadcasters in locations in their countries such as Lignano Sabbiadoro (Italy), Pula (Yugoslavia), Annecy (France), Meiringen-Hasliberg (Switzerland), Lisbon (Portugal), Sunderland (United Kingdom), and Charleroi (Belgium). The grand final was held in Belgrade (Yugoslavia). The head international referees in charge of supervising the competition were Gennaro Olivieri and Guido Pancaldi [it].^[2]

For each heat, each broadcaster sent a mixed team from a city or town from its country that competed against each other in a series of games –funny physical games played in outlandish costumes, though none-the-less technically difficult– themed in the specific topic of the episode. After the seven heats, the most successful team from each country competed in the grand final. Each of the episodes was presented by the host broadcaster in its own language. Each of the participating broadcasters had their own presenters who did some on-site presentations for their audience and commented on the competition in their language.^[3]

The season was won by the teams from Lisbon, Portugal, and Dartmouth, United Kingdom.^[4]