Exclusive: "We are working to develop winter sport in Africa," says ANOCA President

By Nick Butler

Developing special centres throughout the continent will help raise the level of African performances at the Winter Olympics, Association of the National Olympic Committees of Africa (ANOCA) President Lassana Palenfo has told insidethegames.

This comes after only five African athletes across three countries competed at Sochi 2014, half the number of countries present four years earlier in Vancouver, and none managed to finish in the top 40 in their events.

All five athletes also live and compete in either Europe or North America, as Africa continues to struggle to produce either the facilities or opportunities necessary for top-level competition.

But Palenfo, 73, ANOCA President since 2005 and an International Olympic Committee (IOC) member from 2000 until he exceeded the age limit of 70 in 2012, claimed measures are being taken to help correct the problem.

This includes in his own country of Ivory Coast, which remains yet to compete in a Winter Olympics.

"The Ivory Coast is currently looking to invest in creating facilities for ice relating sports such as skating and curling," Palenfo, now an honorary IOC member, told insidethegames.

"They are talking to the International Federations to see how they can help with infrastructure and material required to develop these sports and centres.

"They won't develop any other sports as they rely heavily on snow which is in short supply on the continent."

Moroccan Adam Lamhamedi competed at Sochi 2014 after winning a historic gold medal at the Innsbruck 2012 Winter Youth Olympics ©Getty Images

At Sochi 2014, Moroccan Adam Lamhamedi, the first African winner of any Winter Olympic event when he took a shock gold at the inaugural Winter Youth Olympics in Innsbruck in 2012, finished 47th in the giant slalom in Sochi, while Luke Steyn of Zimbabwe came 57th in the same event.

Another Morrocan skier, Kenza Tazi, competed in the women's giant slalom and slalom events, with a best finish of 45th in the latter, while Alessia Afi Dipol of Togo came 55th in the giant slalom.

Mathilde-Amivi Petitjean of Togo was the only African athlete to compete in a sport other than Alpine skiing when she finished 68th in the 10 kilometres classical cross country event.

Algeria, Ethiopia, Ghana, South Africa and Senegal, as well as Morocco, all competed at Vancouver 2010, while Cameroon, Kenya and Madagascar have featured at previous editions.

All five Sochi 2014 participants have lived and competed outside Africa, with Lamhamedi born in Canada, Steyn moving to Switzerland at the age of two, Tazi born in the United States, Dipol born in Italy and Petitjean based in France.

Palenfo admitted that at the moment African athletes are being trained elsewhere, but revealed plans to roll out winter sport centres, such as that envisaged in Ivory Coast, across the continent.

"Other large countries such as Morocco, Zimbabwe and Algeria will also look to develop these centres," he said.

"It needs to be the larger countries who have the space and the financial support to develop these centres.

"With this new centre, they will be able to identify key athletes on the continent and start their development programme in the Ivory Coast and then send them for their final training to Korea and Canada.

"The centres on their own continent will act as a good grounding training programme and will be key to the development of African athletes in winter sports."

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