Paris 2024: lack of funding the biggest obstacle for Cissé and Gbagbi

Ruth Gbagbi has just won gold at the Riga Open in Latvia, but her joy is tinged with sadness. The Ivorian champion and her fellow athlete are upset about a blunder by the Ivorian Taekwondo Federation. They will not take part in the Grand Prix scheduled for this month of October. Cissé Cheick Salah and Ruth Gbagbi are therefore furious with the Ivorian Taekwondo Federation. Never in their careers have they been so irritated by the governing body's inability to deliver. Their frustration was expressed in posts made public on their various social media accounts a few days ago.

Gbagbi's heartfelt plea

"Under World Taekwondo rules, the Ivorian Taekwondo Federation must accept our invitation to the Grand Prix and confirm our participation. Yet despite numerous reminders and attempts to make sure the federation confirmed my participation, it failed in its duty, and so I find myself, along with Cheick Cissé, excluded from the Taiyuan Grand Prix in October," Gbagbi lashed out. "I am upset by this situation. Could you give me the reasons for this exclusion? Because World Taekwondo informed me that the list was sent and received by the Ivorian Taekwondo Federation. As world number one, a year out from the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, it is vital for me to take part in all the major competitions, not only to maintain my ranking but above all to qualify directly in the top 5," Cissé added, almost beside himself.

Normally, for an athlete to enter a competition, the Federation registers them and pays the entry costs. It often pre-funds the event before being reimbursed by the State of Côte d'Ivoire through the Ministry of Sports. "The two athletes could well miss a few more competitions, because pre-funding does not mean being automatically reimbursed. President Yacé, the current head of the Fitkd, served on the executive board of outgoing president Me Bamba Cheick. So he knows how things work. Several pre-funded amounts still haven't been repaid two, even three years later. And Yacé has just come out of an election in which he spent a lot. He looks after Cissé and Gbagbi, but he is not going to throw his money away," said a source in the former federal executive committee.

Lack of funding and communication

To understand the situation, SNA contacted the Ivorian Taekwondo Federation. Its communications manager, Mme Diouf, and the secretary general of the Fitkd, Me Niava, set out how competitions are funded for the athletes.

"Athletes' participation in the Olympic Games is funded from various sources, notably the National Olympic Committee (CNO), which is responsible for preparing and organising the Olympic delegation of our athletes, not just those in taekwondo. The State of Côte d'Ivoire also contributes. The Ivorian Taekwondo Federation provides support with technical equipment specific to the discipline, which is not insignificant," explained Mme Diouf. She then found it hard to say plainly that financial resources are lacking at the moment. That could cost Gbagbi points in particular, as she needs only about ten points to secure a place at Paris 2024.

"90% of the competitions sanctioned by World Taekwondo take place in Europe and Asia. Getting there costs us African countries an enormous amount of money. The State only covers plane tickets, which is a significant part of the sums allocated to us. For the rest (accommodation, accreditation, meals) we have to find the means ourselves. I'll leave you to draw your own conclusions on that," Me Niava explained.

Sanh Séverin