The idea of the show came from the General Charles de Gaulle, whose wish was that French and German youth would meet in a series of funny games to reinforce the friendship between France and Germany. The games were inspired by the matches between French cities. Some games were played in swimming pools.
cf. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeux_Sans_Fronti%C3%A8res
I've never known that this was the inspiration for Peter Gabriel's song!