These athletes from Guinea-Bissau say they have been abandoned by their federations

From one country to another, there can be great disparities in the support provided to Olympic athletes, particularly for African delegations.

“I advanced about 15,000 euros…” Judoka Baboukar Mané and taekwondo player Paivou Gomis are part of the Bissau-Guinean delegation for Paris 2024. And yet, just a few days before their entry into the Olympic Games, they are struggling to get news from their Olympic committee.

Baboukar Mane is one of the seven athletes in the Guinea-Bissau delegation that will participate in the Paris 2024 Games. However, just a few days before the start of the competition, this dual national, who lives in La Ciotat (Var) and is an insurance executive, says he feels abandoned by his Olympic committee. And, without the help of his loved ones, his own savings, or even an online kitty, he would not have been able to finance his preparation which cost him some 15,000 euros.There are the competitions, the training courses… Not forgetting the meals, the travel, the equipment too.” he says.

Baboukar Mané indicates that he did not touch the Olympic qualification bonus, which must nevertheless be paid for each athlete who participates in the Olympic Games by his federation.There is not enough transparency at the Olympic Committee level. We don’t necessarily have the information, we are forced to go and get it, to move forward by ourselves.“, he regrets.

“We must constantly relaunch…“, adds, from a distance, Paivou Gomis, who shares this feeling of being left to his own devices. Binational as Baboukar, Manehe is also part of the Bissau-Guinean delegation. The taekwondo champion, who competes in the over 80 kg category, deplores a lack of organization and resources.We have much less resources! When I compare the resources of Insep (National Institute of Sport, Expertise and Performance, editor’s note)there is no such thing in Africa. Here, they have cryotherapy, are entitled to massages, the possibility of having a cold or hot recovery bath, there is a sauna, a hammam… There is no such thing: the only sauna we have in Guinea is the sun” he smiled.

These disparities in resources, but also in infrastructure, are of course reflected on the podiums. And Africa is particularly concerned. At the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, the African continent won 37 medals. Only four more than France alone.

Karim Baldé knows this problem well. The journalist, a specialist in African sport, assures us: “In Africa, football is king. The resources allocated to sport therefore go to 90 %, 95 % in football. Guinea-Bissau is one example, but I could cite others.

“I was also in Congo recently, where there were infrastructure problems. We followed swimmers who are preparing for the Olympic Games and often they have to train in a river.”

Karim Balde

to franceinfo

The journalist, however, wants to temper this: no, this does not only happen in Africa. “It can happen in Francehe emphasizes. I think of athletes like Méba-Mickaël Zézé who had to raise money, for example. There are many Olympians, even in France, who have trouble financing their preparation. But unfortunately, in Africa, there is this bad habit of last-minute preparation and athletes who are often left to their own devices in the months or weeks before the competition.”he concluded.