A multi-sport desert: Why Senegalese sport is lagging behind football, according to Mbaye Jacques Diop

Senegal continues to shine internationally thanks to the performances of its football. But behind this triumphant media showcase, many other sports are experiencing a profound crisis. Invited on the program "Le Jury du Dimanche" (JDD) on e-Radio, journalist and former sports leader Mbaye Jacques Diop offered a stark assessment of the current situation, while proposing several avenues for reform to overcome this predicament. While football currently captures all the attention and the lion's share of funding, many federations are struggling to survive day-to-day.

For Mbaye Jacques Diop, the primary obstacle to the development of multisport remains the glaring lack of adequate infrastructure. A striking paradox: the capital, Dakar, has long been without a proper, regulation-size athletics track, the national Olympic swimming pool has been unavailable for several years, while some specialized facilities dedicated to combat sports or indoor sports have simply disappeared from the urban landscape. As a direct consequence of this disinvestment, young local talents have fewer and fewer regulation-sized spaces to train and develop.

The challenge of training and the model of Ivorian "agoras"

This logistical failure is compounded by a glaring deficiency in the training of technical coaches. According to the analyst, national technical diplomas are awarded far too quickly compared to international standards. To raise the bar, he calls on the authorities to send Senegal's best coaches abroad for advanced training, bringing back the most modern training methods to the country. The other absolute priority is to decentralize the sport by establishing local facilities throughout Senegal. In this regard, Mbaye Jacques Diop cites the Ivorian model of "agoras"—decentralized socio-sports complexes that offer an ideal alternative for bringing sport closer to local communities.

Finally, Sunday's guest argued for the emergence of a genuine sports economy in Senegal. According to him, the state can no longer finance everything alone. It is essential to massively integrate the national private sector through a suitable legal framework and the creation of a future National Sports Agency. This independent body would diversify funding sources and finally provide neglected sports with the resources to achieve their Olympic ambitions.