The French Sports Foundation (FSF) continues its commitment to the development of team sports in Africa through its HAVOBA program (Handball, Volleyball, Basketball). This project, which focuses on training, the feminization of sport, and the promotion of sport in schools, targets six African countries: Senegal, Morocco, Tunisia, Cameroon, Ivory Coast, and Benin.

Following its launch in Morocco in May 2024, the program took on a new dimension in Senegal with a series of training sessions organized in Dakar. Last Saturday, the French Cultural Center hosted the second phase of these sessions, dedicated to two major themes: the feminization of sport and better integration in schools.

The HAVOBA program is implemented in partnership with the national handball, volleyball, and basketball federations, hence its acronym. For the president of the Senegalese Handball Federation, Seydou Diouf, this initiative addresses pressing training needs.

"This program supports our technicians, who will then be able to train them in the regions. Senegal won its first continental trophies thanks to women's sport. In our three disciplines, women's sports are prioritized because that's where we have the best chance of winning medals," he emphasizes.

According to him, this strategy is part of a dynamic already underway within the federations, where women's sport is increasingly valued. Handball, volleyball, and women's basketball have, in fact, flown Senegal's flag high on the African scene.

School sport: a practice in difficulty

While the HAVOBA program aims to rehabilitate sport in schools, particularly at the elementary level, several obstacles still hinder its implementation. Amadou Sène, President of the Senegalese Volleyball Federation, pointed to the structural realities of the education system.

"Sports in primary schools is faced with overcrowded classes, a lack of suitable spaces, and an overload of work for teachers. This severely limits children's regular participation in sports," he lamented.

Faced with this observation, he recommends a concrete solution with the recruitment of specialized sports instructors in elementary schools, to lighten the workload of teachers and offer children an environment favorable to their physical and mental development.

Both officials emphasized the role of women in sport. For Amadou Sène, women have proven their ability to acquire and transmit sporting knowledge.

"There is no country in the world where sports are not practiced in schools. And in this area, women have their place. They have shown that they are ready and competent to be empowered," he said.