The Palais des Sports was inaugurated in 1977. It is named after René Bougnol, a former fencer from Montpellier who won three Olympic medals in the team foil event (1932, 1936 and 1948).
On December 13, 1979, the Australian band AC/DC gave a concert at Bougnol as part of their Highway to Hell tour.
In 1986, the Palais des Sports hosted World Volleyball Championship matches. In 2001, it hosted men's World Handball Championship matches.
In 2003, the MHB won the prestigious Champions League against the club from Pamplona, where Jackson Richardson was playing at the time, by a score of 31-19 after the heavy defeat in the first leg of the final (27-19).
A veritable "cauldron", led by its famous "Bluefox" supporters, Bougnol is the venue for MHB's great victories against the best European teams, even though, from 2010 onwards, the club will be playing its fixtures at the Sud de France Arena.
From March 22 to 24, 2024, the arena will host the French Table Tennis Championships 2024.[3]
