Christopher Mputu, African jiu-jitsu champion, feels overlooked
Christophe Mputu has won another African jiu-jitsu title, but he has complained about the Congolese government's lack of interest.
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Christophe Mputu has once again flown the DR Congo flag high at the African Jiu-Jitsu Championships, held in Morocco this December. The Congolese athlete retained his title (-94 kg) by beating Mauritius' Dookee Adil Rashwan in the final.
A mix of joy and sadness
World champion in 2022 and world runner-up in 2024 before this latest African title, Christophe Mputu is nonetheless not fully satisfied. In an interview with radio station Top Congo FM, he said he felt sad at the lack of interest shown in him by the Congolese government.
"I have a feeling of joy on one side and a feeling of sadness on the other. The joy is about the medal won for my country, and the sadness is about the conditions in which I work at every competition: no coaching staff and no medical staff. I play every role myself. Athlete, coach, doctor, federation president, I am on my own, and that is hard for a top-level athlete. It hurts me to see that, despite being the most decorated athlete in DR Congo's history, my country does not support me," he lamented.
Promises still not delivered
During his recent visit to Kinshasa as reigning world champion, Christopher Mputu was received by DR Congo's Prime Minister, Judith Suminwa, accompanied by the Sports Minister, Didier Budimbu. According to him, the Prime Minister had promised him government support, which, unfortunately, is still not in place.
"The authorities know everything. I had been promised support for the world championships held in Greece in October; I even won the silver medal, but so far nothing has been done. The Sports Minister told me he has done his job, the Prime Minister received me to encourage me and had promised me support, but so far nothing has been done. The file is reportedly stuck at the finance level. I fought on my own to find the means to represent the country at the latest World Championships and at these African Championships," he warned.
Christopher Mputu is now seeking a meeting with the President of the Republic, Félix Tshisekedi, to present all the titles he has won. A meeting that could, who knows, help move things in his favour.