It is a return that was eagerly awaited. Nine years after its last edition, the International Convention on Sports in Africa (CISA) opens again on Wednesday, February 19. Already host in 2007 and 2013, Dakar is hosting the event for the third time. The Convention has established itself as a must-see on the sports calendar over the course of its first ten editions, organized in Nigeria (2008), Egypt (2009), South Africa (2010), Morocco (2011), Mali (2012), Cape Verde (2014), Rwanda (2015), and then Algeria (2016). With distinguished guests and a wide range of topics covered, this CISA version 2025 carries the promise of rich exchanges around the development of sport in Africa.
Youth Olympic Games on the horizon
The organization of this eleventh edition in Dakar is a strong symbol since the Senegalese capital will become, in a year and a half, the first city on the African continent to host the Youth Olympic Games, from October 31 to November 13, 2026. The YOG will logically be in the spotlight on the program on Friday. The focus will be on heritage and sports infrastructure, but also on the interweaving of these Games with the sports movement, school sports and youth. Ousmane Gueye, mayor of the city of Saly Portudal, which will host beach volleyball, beach handball, rowing, triathlon and beach wrestling, will be on hand to provide his perspective on these issues.
As a sign of the importance of the event, the Association of National Olympic Committees of Africa (ANOCA) is one of the partners. Its president Mustapha Berraf, who is also an IOC member, will speak on Thursday about artificial intelligence and the digital revolution. “Over the years, CISA has become an essential event that allows us to reflect together on the challenges we face and to find innovative solutions for the future of sport on our continent.”he insists. “The eleventh edition of CISA is a unique opportunity to strengthen our commitment to the development of sport on the continent and to share innovative ideas that can contribute to its transformation, supports Diamil Faye, president of the Organizing Committee. We are determined to make CISA a true space for dialogue and action for all those who believe in the power of sport.”
Talent management, eSports and inclusion
The focus will also be on eSports, which are increasingly present within the Olympic movement. A special workshop will take place on February 19, with demonstrations and an introduction on the management of this new universe. This will be supplemented by a round table on its socio-economic impact on Friday, February 21. Special guests will be present to discuss these issues, including the president of the Saudi eSports Federation, Prince Faisal bin Bandar bin Sultan Al Saud. His intervention will be closely scrutinized since Saudi Arabia will organize the first edition of the eSport Olympic Games in 2027The panel of experts will be completed by Abdul Aziz Baeshen (member of the IOC eSport Commission), Leandro Larrosa (Director of Digital Engagement and Marketing at the IOC), El Hadji Mansour Sagna (President of the Senegalese Electronic Sports Federation), as well as Kenyan gamer Brian Diang'a.
The program will also invite experts to share their experiences and their views on the management of African talent, sports diplomacy, the economics of sports in Africa and the development of disabled sports. A theme that will be attended by Santi Sene Hagne, President of the National Paralympic Committee of Senegal, and Rajah Sy, Director of the Senegalese branch of Special Olympics, which uses sport to support people with intellectual disabilities. International sports figures such as Ivo Ferriani, President of the International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation, Antonio Fernandez, President of World Triathlon, and Benjamin Cohen, Director General of the International Testing Agency (ITA), will enrich these three days of debates. The future starts now.
