Thirty-first episode: Togolese Benjamin Boukpeti, member of the athletes' commission of the Association of African National Olympic Committees (ACNOA)
FrancsJeux: What was your journey in the sports movement?
Benjamin Boukpeti: I ended my athletic career at the London Games in 2012 (he had been an Olympic bronze medalist in single-seater kayak slalom four years earlier in Beijing). In May 2013, I joined the ANOCA Athletes’ Commission. But my involvement in the sports movement dates back to my years in canoeing. In 2006, I began to get involved in the Amadonsa association, whose program consisted of bringing high-level athletes together with young people from the townships of South Africa. In 2008, I strengthened my commitment by getting involved in the development part, with the multisport camps in Togo. Finally, I am involved with the Shapers association, as a representative and then as president. In this capacity, I have supported high-level athletes, French and French-speaking, and their environment.
What is your role today?
I am a member of the ANOCA Athletes’ Commission. A commission chaired by Senegalese Amadou Dia Ba. I am responsible for zone 3, which includes half a dozen West African countries, including Ghana, Togo, Benin, Niger, etc. We ensure that all the African national Olympic committees are have an athletes' commission. And we run this network. It is important to give weight to athletes in the African Olympic movement, in particular by allowing them to vote. At the national level, I am currently working on the constitution of an athletes' commission at the Togo Olympic committee. We are in the process of drafting the statutes.
What does the sporting Francophonie represent in your eyes?
In Africa, it turns out that we regroup and organize more easily among French speakers. But I always had an approach to things that gave little importance to linguistic distinctions. For me, the common language remains that of sport.
What do you expect from the Rio 2016 Games?
Personally, I have high expectations because I am a candidate for the IOC Athletes' Commission. At the Rio Olympic Games, I hope to be elected by my peers who are all the athletes participating in the events of this event. I would like African athletes to be aware of the existence of an athletes' commission, especially at the ANOCA level. She is there to help them outside the Games. I would like them to realize how necessary it is for them to have a real presence in the Olympic movement, not just through their medals.
In your opinion, can the values and practice of sport promote “living together”?
I am by nature to speak positively: “respect the rules, the rules of the game, yourself and others”. These simple rules allow everyone to express themselves, free themselves and play as they are. The players, the athletes, find themselves between men and women, quite simply. This simplicity often allows us to create connections, find ourselves and discover others.
