Sport plays an important role on the African continent. Beyond performance and entertainment, sport is also a vehicle for economic and social development for young people, a vehicle for inclusion, cultural influence, and diplomacy. For a continent with a young population, sport can be a real lever for change, if it is structured and professionalized.
Even though there is a brain drain of local talent, sporting events are flourishing and stakeholders are multiplying initiatives, thus contributing to the construction of a sports ecosystem on the continent and the gradual emergence of an African sports market capable of reaching out internationally.
Beyond the African Cup of Nations (CAN) in soccer, the Francophonie Games, and the UCI Africa Tour cycling competitions, the African continent will soon be the new playground for basketball.
Basketball, a new playing field
Just a few months after the creation of the first NBA Academy Africa in Dakar, aimed at identifying talent and structuring African basketball, the NBA announced the launch of the Basketball Africa League, the first professional basketball league created outside the United States. The new league will bring together 12 teams from the continent, which will be determined shortly after a selection period. Nine African countries, including Senegal, will host the competition's matches.
This new initiative marks a crucial step for the NBA, which is seeking opportunities for international development, but also for the future of basketball, a sport that is very popular in Africa after soccer.
TENNIS: Development, training, talent identification…
Tennis is also set to gain ground on the continent. On the sidelines of the latest edition of Roland Garros, the French Tennis Federation announced its intention to bring together French-speaking tennis federations into a single association, the Association des Fédérations Francophones de Tennis (A2FT), with the aim of developing tennis on the African continent. The main areas of development will focus on creating tennis clubs in French-speaking countries, training managers and coaches, identifying talent, and organizing tournaments and competitions across the continent.
Combat sports: MMA at the forefront
Beyond team sports, Vivendi Sports decided to launch the Ares Fighting Championship, the world's leading Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) league, in Africa at the end of 2019. As an organizer of cycling and boxing competitions on the African continent, Vivendi Sports aims to develop MMA on the continent, where the sport is becoming increasingly popular in certain countries.
Africa has many internationally renowned talents, but due to the slow professionalization of the sector and a lack of infrastructure, many choose to move to Europe in search of better opportunities. Beyond entertainment, these new competitions and sporting initiatives will help to stem this brain drain. Young prodigies will be able to train, develop, and become professionals in their discipline, but also in their own country.
OM School sets up in
ABIDJAN
Today, sport is seen as a lever for socio-economic development, but also as an educational tool. In line with this dynamic, Olympique de Marseille has announced the upcoming opening of a new training school in Abidjan, the economic capital of Côte d'Ivoire. This new facility, called "OM School," will train players aged 5 to 16 using the methods of the Marseille club. It should be noted that the football club has already opened similar facilities in Tunis and Algiers.
In the media sphere, the impact of major sporting competitions already existing in Africa is undeniable. They are followed by the majority of the population and contribute to the international reputation of the talents and host countries. There is no doubt that these new initiatives, which promote the development of sport on the continent, will generate social excitement and give rise to media events that are unmissable for the local audiovisual landscape.
Read also: Sports rights in French-speaking Africa