The kick-off of the 9th edition of the Francophonie Games, which combine sporting events and cultural events, was given on Friday in Kinshasa, in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
This edition of the Francophonie Games, which continues until August 6, brings together nearly 2,500 young people aged 18 to 35 representing 88 countries, including Morocco, involved in the various sports disciplines and cultural activities on the program of this event.
Morocco will take part in the athletics, judo, cycling, wrestling and handisport events, as well as in the cultural activities planned for these games.
The opening ceremony took place in the presence of the President of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Félix Tshisekedi, as well as the President of Togo, Faure Gnassingbé, and the Prime Ministers of Senegal, Côte d’Ivoire and Congo- Brazzaville.
It was marked by a parade of the various delegations of the countries participating in this event at the Martyrs stadium, in front of a crowd of nearly 80,000 spectators, before giving way to a light show highlighting the culture and history of the Democratic Republic of Congo.
In a speech on this occasion, the administrator of the International Organization of La Francophonie (OIF), Caroline St-Hilaire, expressed “her deep gratitude to the French-speaking countries, in particular to the Democratic Republic of Congo, which have deployed their passion and dedication to give birth” to this edition.
These games strengthen the unity of the 90 member states of the International Organization of La Francophonie and “transcend borders, cultures and languages to unite us under the same banner, which is La Francophonie”, she added. .
This sporting and cultural event represents above all a crossroads of exchange between French-speaking countries and allows the rapprochement of States and governments having French in common, but also including other non-French-speaking countries.
Awarded in 2019 to the DRC, these games should have taken place in 2021, four years after those of Abidjan, but they were postponed for the first time due to the Covid-19 pandemic, then again in 2022, given that the necessary equipment was not ready.
2023-07-29 12:33:30
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