Activity Details

The 12th edition of TOLAC

Wrestling: a sporting identity and a vehicle for regional integration Since its creation in 1975, ECOWAS’s vision has been to improve the well-being and prosperity of all citizens within the community. This vision has been realised through the implementation of socio-economic development, cooperation and regional integration. Given the close link between sport and the promotion of community identity, the ECOWAS Commission is committed to developing sporting activities that contribute to the promotion of regional integration and cohesion amongst populations. In her message on the occasion of the 12th edition of TOLAC, the ECOWAS Commissioner for Human Development and Social Affairs, Professor Fatou Sow SARR, acknowledged the value of sport in our region. In her view, the ECOWAS Vision 2050 can only be realised if it better integrates and harnesses the values embodied by wrestling. It brings states and communities together to achieve common goals. At a time when communities across the world are asserting themselves through a sporting identity, ECOWAS is committed to fostering the sharing of different forms of traditional wrestling within the Community. That is why we must commend the Centre for Youth and Sports Development (CDJS) which, as part of its efforts to promote sport – particularly wrestling – has established it as an official ECOWAS sport and codified it to make it a sport that embodies African identity, and indeed an Olympic sport. Thanks to its efforts, wrestling has been included in the programmes of the Francophonie Games and worldwide through the establishment of an African wrestling commission by the International Wrestling Federation. #cdjs #cedeao #ecowas Photo: ecowas-cedeao Show less