The first ever international regional canoe sprint and paracanoe competition to be held for West African Federations has been adjudged to be a huge success.
The inaugural Confederation of Africa Admiral Porbeni Canoe Race Championships attracted athletes from five West African nations at the Jabi Boat Club in Abuja, Nigeria. The event was a valuable lead-up to African Olympic qualifiers, to be held at the same venue in November.
More than 100 athletes competed in canoe sprint and paracanoe races over four days of competition, with host nation Nigeria finishing on top of the medal table with 21 gold, 11 silver and two bronze.
Sao Tome and Principe finished second with 20 medals, including 11 gold, while Senegal had one gold among its 16 medals. Ghana finished with three bronze and Togo two bronze.
International Canoe Federation (ICF) President, Thomas Konietzko, was at the event and was thrilled with how the event was organised and run.
“I think we have so many talented athletes here in Nigeria and this competition has proven that African organisers are able to organise canoe competitions on a very professional level,” Mr Konietzko said.
“We have to develop canoeing in Africa and as a first important step, we need more regional competitions here. The lack of equipment is also another important issue and we have had meaningful discussions with the Federation on how we can help to engage more kids in the sport.”
The 1st vice president of the Association of National Olympic Committees of Africa (ANOCA), Joao Afonso, said the event was a valuable first step in the development of canoe sports in Africa.
“We have to change our African mentality because here we believe that the only sport existing is football,” he said.
“So, there is a need to change the narrative. We have a total of 42 sports at the Olympics, of which football is just one out of so many others.”
The president of the Nigeria Olympic Committee, Habu Gumel, said his country has the natural resources to support canoe activities, but need more support in other areas.
“It is very important to develop the sport at the grassroots and we have a lot of waterways and talents scattered everywhere in the country,” he said.
“We are in discussion with both the ICF president as well as other international organisations to provide the federation with more equipment.
“We from the NOC will continue to give them all the necessary support so they can be able to excel,” he said.
Nigeria will host the Continental Olympic Qualification in November 2023.
