Benin/Premier regroupement des sélections départementales : Un nouveau jalon décisif pour un avenir radisieux du sport béninois

Benin is entering a new phase in its policy of detecting and training young sporting talent. From February 26 to 28, 2025, the country's twelve departments will host the first gathering of U15 departmental sports selections, an important event in the process of structuring sport at grassroots level. The official ceremony, presided over by Mr Crépin OKOUOLOU, Cabinet Director of the Minister of Sports, took place on Wednesday February 26 at the Aplahoué sports stadium, in the Couffo department.

The event was attended by various political and administrative authorities, including the Secretary General of the Aplahoué Prefecture, Mr Jean Comlan HOUETOGNON, the Second Deputy Mayor of Aplahoué, Mr Bernard GBESSO, the Departmental Sports Director for Couffo, Ms Solange GBESSIN, and representatives of the Departmental Health and Secondary, Technical and Vocational Education Directorates.Mr Bernard GBESSO, the Departmental Director of Sports Couffo, Mrs Solange GBESSIN and representatives of the Departmental Directorates of Health and Secondary, Technical and Vocational Education.

Proceeding to the official opening of this first grouping, Mr. Crépin OKOUOLOU, Cabinet Director of the Minister of Sports, encouraged the young athletes to excel, stressing that this program offers them an opportunity for development, with quality coaching.

"Since 2018, the government has been running an ambitious program to promote and develop grassroots sport(...) Dear young people, you have everything you need to progress: the mental and sporting balance to make your dreams come true. Modern infrastructures, equipment, supervisors and international experts are at your disposal to support you. We look forward to seeing you join our regional academies >>.

In addition to sporting performance, the training program includes an educational approach, as Mr. Ahmed TAOFIK, Technical Advisor for Youth, Leisure and Handisports, explained: "We get these young people to combine Study-Sport for schoolchildren and Learning-Sport for non-schoolchildren, enabling them to have two strings to their bow. If sport doesn't work out, they can always bounce back thanks to their training or studies. "

Mr. Pamphile MEWANOU, Director of the Programme de Promotion et de Développement des Activités Sportives (PPDAS) underlined the importance of this grouping in the policy of talent detection: "These departmental selections by the Ministry of Sports are part of the dynamic of detection and training. We have selected 196 young boys and girls in each department, making a total of 2,352 young athletes nationwide, following the school and inter-communal championships initiated by the Ministry".

The aim of the initiative is to monitor the progress of these talented youngsters through regular training sessions. The best players will join the regional academies as soon as they open, a project already underway with the launch of the girls' soccer academy in Lokossa.

The Office Béninois du Sport Scolaire et Universitaire (OBSSU) plays an excellent role in this process, organizing the school and university competitions which are the main breeding ground for these selections. This first gathering of departmental selections marks a significant step forward in the structuring of Beninese sport. It illustrates the determination of President Patrice TALON's government to lay the foundations for a solid next generation, and the desire to make sport a genuine lever for development.

Five disciplines are featured in the U15 category, for both boys and girls: Volleyball, Athletics, Basketball, Handball and Football.

Source: www.gouv.bj/article/