Coubanao (Ziguinchor), May 16 (APS) – The village of Coubanao, in the department of Bignona, hosted, on Wednesday, various activities organized as part of the project “Practice the sport of my choice in my locality”, to allow to popularize the practice of certain sporting disciplines among young people in view of the “Dakar 2026” Youth Olympic Games.
This project offered to the youth of Kalounayes “is a way for the CNOSS [Comité national olympique et sportif sénégalais]to connect young people from the most remote localities of the country to the next Youth Olympic Games Dakar 2026”, explains the body which represents Senegal to the International Olympic Committee (IOC).
Five hundred young people came from elementary and middle secondary schools in Coubanao and its surrounding areas to participate in sporting activities.
”We set up this project simply because we noticed that young people inside Senegal do not know certain sports. They can see them on television, but they have never practiced them,” explained Seydina Oumar Diagne, secretary general of the CNOSS.
Around ten sporting disciplines were on the menu for this activity, including wrestling, athletics, table tennis, karate, taekwondo and handball.
Chaired by the deputy sub-prefect of Tenghory in the presence of presidents of leagues and sports movements, this activity took place at School I of Coubanao. It is part of the promotion and preparation of the Dakar 2026 Olympic Games.
“We thought we had to go to all the most remote places in the country so that everyone understands what the Youth Olympic Games are, and so that everyone knows that these sports games are for the youth. “all Senegalese youth and Africa,” declared the secretary general of the CNOSS.
He explained that this is the reason why the initiators came to introduce certain sports to these young people. He indicates that the sports equipment used for the purposes of this activity will be left on site.
Technicians from the different targeted sporting disciplines were sent by their respective federations to follow up, so that young people can continue to practice the physical activities selected, he added.
The objective for the CNOSS is to discover “young talents who, perhaps, will be part of the national teams which will participate in the Dakar 2026 Olympic Games”.
“We started the project in December 2023 with the launching ceremony in Pambal, in the Thiès region, followed about a month ago by an activity in Podor and Coubanao today, the third stage,” said indicated Seydina Oumar Diagne.
In all these localities, he said, “the activity will continue since the technicians will continue the work”. He indicates that the CNOSS works ”in close collaboration with all the federations in Senegal”.
According to him, ”every three months, the federations themselves will return here in contact with the technicians to continue all the activities” started.
The CNOSS took advantage of this trip to magnify the work of Kéba Lamine Sonko, a former athlete, champion pole vaulter of French West Africa (AOF) and who is one of the first Olympic athletes from Senegal. The CNOSS thus wants to “show as an example the man who played the national anthem and raised the national flag very high all over the world”.
“We want these young people to take an example from him,” underlined Seydina Oumar Diagne.
IM/MNF/ADL/ASG
