Burkina Faso: 2022, a year of highs and lows

It all started well in January 2022 at the Africa Cup of Nations, where Burkina Faso made a real impression. Back at the tournament after missing the 2019 AFCON in Egypt, then-coach Kamou Malo's side finished fourth behind hosts Cameroon, Egypt and eventual winners Senegal. In the wake of that fine run, the senior Stallions were invited to Belgium in March 2022 for an international friendly against the Red Devils. It was a first, and it ended in a 3-0 defeat for the Burkinabè. On the women's side, the senior team qualified for the AFCON for the first time in their history. Despite going out in the first round, they acquitted themselves well. Some players secured contracts, such as Juliette Nana (Hatayspor) and Madinatou Rouamba (Fatih Karagümrük of Istanbul), who now play in the Turkish women's Super League, and Adama Congo, who signed for Malabo Kings in Equatorial Guinea.

After 12 years away, Burkina Faso's U17s have booked their place in the finals of the 2023 AFCON, which will be played in Algeria. Their last appearance was in 2011 in Rwanda, a tournament that Bertrand Traoré and his team-mates won. In October 2022, Lazare Banssé, president of the Burkinabè Football Federation (FBF) and a member of the finance committee of the Confederation of African Football (CAF), was elected second vice-president of the UFOA Zone West B.

Individual sports also in the spotlight

In athletics, Hugues-Fabrice Zango won silver at the 2022 World Championships in Oregon. Burkina Faso's first Olympic medallist jumped 17m55, finishing second behind Olympic champion Pedro Pichardo (17m95) and ahead of China's Zhu Yaming (17.31m). The triple jumper had earlier taken gold at the African Championships with a jump of 17m34. His compatriot Marthe Koala was also crowned African long jump champion with a leap of 6m43. Koala won gold at the Islamic Solidarity Games, held in Konya, Turkey.

In MMA, Israël Mano won his first title against Mohamed Ashoor, in the 120 kg category, at the Khalid bin Hammad MMA Open Championship 2022 on 22 July in Manama, Bahrain. It took just three rounds for the Burkinabé to dispatch his opponent. In October, Israël Mano confirmed the high regard in which he is held by beating Frenchman Rémy Serge in the 93 kg light-heavyweight division at the Brave 64 African All stars international event, again staged in Bahrain. Besides MMA, taekwondo also gave fans of the sport something to smile about.

Burkinabé champion Fayçal Sawadogo won silver in July 2022, flying the Burkina Faso flag high at this prestigious competition. At the same championship, Ibrahim Maïga also took silver and Ali Coulibaly bronze, placing Burkina Faso 6th out of the 36 nations present. In tennis, Meda Joël won the international Open of the Togolese Tennis Federation (FTT). The Burkinabé beat Benin's Monnou Sylvestre in the final in straight sets (6-4, 6-3). The win earned him 1524 euros and a trophy. In boxing, Mathias Napaongo retained his WPBF belt in the super lightweight division. He got the better of Togo's Roger Tundé with a knockout in the 3rd round on Monday 26 December in Ouagadougou.

In log lift, Iron Biby retained his world title on 2 April in Leeds, England. The Burkinabé giant claimed his fourth world title, lifting 218 kg. The 30-year-old nevertheless missed his goal of breaking his own world record. He had set the event's best mark by lifting 229 kg and wanted to move up to 230 kg. But the Burkinabé remains the strongest man in the world.

The Tour du Faso and other competitions hit by insecurity

2022 was not all rosy. The sociopolitical situation in Burkina Faso inevitably disrupted sport. Faced with the security crisis, organisers of major sporting events had to postpone, and even cancel, competitions. After last year's success, there was no international Tour du Faso cycle race. The 2022 edition, scheduled for 11 to 20 November, fell victim to the security situation linked to terrorist attacks.

The first Kouritenga Grand Marathon, scheduled for 7 to 8 October 2022 with nearly 400 athletes over 42.195 km on an out-and-back course between Koupèla and Pouytenga, was also cancelled. The day after the coup d'état of 30 September, the Professional Football League (LFP) of Burkina Faso was forced to announce that, because of the sociopolitical situation, six of the eight matches in round 3 of Ligue 1 were postponed to a later date. The 27th edition of the Nuit des champions, an awards evening for the year's best sportspeople and personalities, originally set for 22 October, was put back to 3 November for the same reasons.

In football, clubs and youth teams struggling

At African level, Burkinabè clubs are still struggling. They all fell in the preliminary rounds of the 2022-2023 CAF interclub competitions. That was the case for AS Douanes against Mali's Real Bamako in the Confederation Cup, and for Rail Club du Kadiogo (RCK) in the Champions League against DR Congo's FC Saint-Eloi Lupopo. In the youth categories, too, things are not looking up. The U20s will not be at the 2023 AFCON in Egypt. Neither will the U23s. As for the local Stallions, they were knocked out by Ivory Coast in qualifying for the 2022 CHAN, which will take place in Algeria.

Here's hoping this new year of 2023 will be one of joy and, above all, better results for Burkinabé sport.

Ablam GNAMESSO