This Tuesday, January 21, Banjul, the Gambian capital, is the location chosen to host the African interregional ministerial meeting of the COP9 office. This meeting, chaired by Gambian President Adama Barrow, has the main objective of strengthening the fight against doping in sport.
Matar Bâ, former Minister of Sports of Senegal and now president of COP9, took advantage of this meeting to emphasize the crucial importance of the campaign against doping. He explains: “The objective is to do everything to fight against doping in sport. We are campaigning for a clean sport, that is to say without cheating where integrity and loyalty will be essential. I think we are aiming for human education through this and it is important especially for young people. » Banjul thus becomes, for a few days, the center of the mobilization against this harmful practice.
According to information provided by our colleagues at Sud Quotidien, this edition of COP9 is of particular importance since it is led for the first time by an African country, marking a symbolic turning point for the continent. Sports ministers from across the African continent and around the world traveled for this cause.
-Responding to questions about the choice of The Gambia to host this meeting, Matar Bâ indicates that the country was particularly committed. “COP9 brings together 204 countries and The Gambia has committed to hosting this event. It is the 2nd African country to host this activity. » he declared. The recognition of this choice is accompanied by an appreciation of the Gambian Minister of Sports, Bakary Badjie, whom Matar Bâ describes as an “efficient and rigorous minister”.
Matar Bâ was elected president of the Conference of the Parties to the International Convention Against Doping in October 2023 in Paris, at UNESCO headquarters, after having been vice-president of COP7 and representative of the African continent from 2019 to 2021. This information, confirmed by Sud Quotidien, shows its determination to advance the cause of doping-free sport.
