Africa-Press – Senegal. The vice-president of the Senegalese Surfing Federation (FSS), El Hadji Oumar Sèye, candidate for the presidency of the African Surfing Confederation (CAS), says he wants to bet on this sporting discipline for ‘ ‘sell the Senegal destination’ and promote African surfing.
« We have over 700 km of coastline. Senegal is a good destination to promote surfing. Through this sport, we want to develop many things. Surfing is one of the few sports through which we can develop a country. Surf tourism is very powerful, » he told APS.
The elective General Assembly of the African Surfing Confederation is scheduled for Sunday in Dakar. The vice-president of the Senegalese Surfing Federation (FSS), El Hadji Oumar Sèye, will be opposed to the South African candidate, Johannes Bakker.
According to the 46-year-old former professional surfer, this sport “is not valued enough in Senegal. « All together, with a development program and training, we can sell the Senegal destination », argued Mr. Sèye, also coach of the national surfing team.
« Since 2017, Senegal has participated in the world championships and achieved very good results. At the last world championships, the country finished best African team. We are vice-champions of Africa, » he said, praising the « colossal » work carried out by the Federation.
For the native of Ngor (Dakar) and initiator of Ngor Soft Trophy and Africa Tour, Senegal « deserves its candidacy for the head of the confederation and is ready to assume its presidency ».
His ambitions for Africa
The vice-president of the Senegalese Surfing Federation (FSS), El Hadji Oumar Sèye, announced that his flagship project « is training-development which consists of detecting new talents, training them and developing African surfing ».
“Our African professional circuits will thus be valued,” said Mr. Sèye, who is also an economic operator.
The general manager of the World Surf League in West Africa has revealed that his ambition is to “promote the practice of surfing in schools, everywhere in Africa”. « To achieve this, we are in collaboration with the presidents of federations and once this is in place, we will be able to create sport and study centres, » he explained.
“The fact of having rubbed shoulders with the professional surfing world for 25 years made me mature and decide to be one of the people who will be the pillars of African surfing. Africa has always been perceived as the forgotten continent. I lived abroad and everything I saw good, I dreamed of transposing that to Africa, » he argued.
The current vice-president of the Confederation of African Surfing says he wants to “help African surfing become more professional” so that African technicians can obtain their diplomas and “coach appropriately” teams from the continent.
Towards a consensus around Senegal’s candidacy
About the GA scheduled for Sunday, he announced that the participants are working “around a consensus”. « They know that Senegal has all the arguments and advantages and is ready to defend it, » said El Hadji Oumar Sèye, one of the founding members of the Confederation of African Surfing in 2017 in Morocco and currently led by Moroccan Mohamed. Kadmiri.
A meeting is Saturday, on the eve of the election, « to find a consensus » so that Senegal can lead the confederation, he added. « I don’t want us to avoid the vote, but if we have to go, we are confident because our program is defensible, » said Mr. Seye.
« If however the consensus passes, we seek more support from the State of Senegal to find a seat in the confederation, » he pleaded.
He also requested support from the Ministries of Sports, Tourism, Environment and Foreign Affairs for the development of surfing in Senegal and Africa.
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