How Senegalese “fighting spirit” shines through wushu

Senegalese people are obsessed about sports, modern and traditional.

They are also known for their fighting spirit, which dates back to the 13th century.

The deep appreciation for the historic national sport of wrestling or ‘la lutte’ has driven many to "Chinese kung fu" or modern-day wushu.

Wushu will make its first appearance on an Olympic competition programme at the Dakar 2026 Summer Youth Olympics and excitement is building in Senegal’s capital.

“The Dakar Youth Olympics is a good chance for us to not only organise the wushu competition but also a chance to give to the Senegalese and athletes from other countries in Africa an opportunity to improve in the sport,” El Hadji Ndiogou Guèye, the president of the Fédération Sénégalaise de Kung Fu Wushu told Olympics.com in an interview.

“The fighting spirit is deep in the mind of every Senegalese, sometimes it’s good to awaken that spirit."

Wushu and Baseball5 were added to the programme in January 2020.

Obsession with wrestling stirs wushu interest

In one of the multipurpose gyms at the Stade Léopold Sédar Senghor in Dakar, a group of Senegalese youngsters are engaged in an intense combat sport.

The young girls and boys are training in different forms of wushu: changquan and taijiquan, with the hope of competing at the highest level.

Wushu is not the typical sport for the locals, where the more traditional and mythical wrestling reigns supreme, while football is the king.

But the Senegalese passion for combat sports, which dates back to the ancient times when the country’s famed Serer warriors would wrestle as part of their training for war, has stirred their interest in the Chinese martial art.

Obsession for La Lutte persists, but many youngsters are hooked to wushu, famed for elegantly uniting the body, mind, and spirit.

Unlike traditional wrestling, the sport’s styles mainly feature hand and leg techniques, something the teenagers appreciate a lot. Half of the country's total population of 16 million people is aged under 15.

“Senegal has his own kind of wrestling, and we are used to wrestling since we are young. So, for the young people kung fu is easier,” Guèye, the president of the Fédération Sénégalaise de Kung Fu Wushu, said in an interview to promote the Games, which were pushed from 2022 to 2026 due to the pandemic.

The wushu wave sweeping across Dakar

Among the local wushu stars in Senegal is Abdoul Latlat Ngom, who was introduced to the sport eight years ago after watching Chinese films.

“I used to watch a lot of Jackie Chan movies and then I discovered that there were some people doing the sport in Senegal. I would go and watch them admiringly, and I even offered to help the coach when he prepared for training.

“Then one day the coach invited me to train with the team and I was hooked” said the 18-year-old.

“I did basketball at first, but I didn’t like it, but when I tried wushu, I loved everything about it. Wushu is harmony and fun. Sport makes you disciplined, but I like how wushu has not only helped me be morally upright but strengthened my spiritual connection.”

He shares the gym with Maimouna Ndong, whose first hurdle was not in the gym but at home. She had to convince her parents for weeks to allow her train in the ‘strange sport.’

“It took a lot of pleading with my mum to come here. When she finally agreed, the coach helped me with the training kits,” Ndong, who is also 18 recalled of her earlier days in 2014.

“I used to like fighting aimlessly on the streets, but this changed when I started practicing wushu. I became calmer and I have become a better person. I am now among the best females in wushu, but I want to be among the best in Africa,” added Ndong who is “excited at the chance of watching wushu at the [Youth] Olympics in Senegal for the first time.”

“Wushu’s inclusion came at the right time, we always thought that Senegal’s time has come…” added Mamadou Fall, the sports technical director in Senegal, and the country’s most medalled athlete in the sport with a gold and silver from the 2009 and 2010 African championships.

“I think that we can make our dream comes true (by winning gold for Senegal) at the Games.”

IWUF excited about the exposure Dakar 2026 will give wushu

The IWUF is also looking to maximise on the opportunity to develop the game in Africa. Currently, the IWUF has 40 national federations in Africa.

“We will not miss our opportunity to help wushu connect youth from different countries and regions, cultures, and beliefs, and help promote friendship and understanding through the power of sport and the Olympic spirit, the IWUF President Gou Zhongwen told Olympics.com.

Senegal was one of the first African nations to practice wushu, a history that influenced the inclusion of the sport at the fourth Summer Youth Olympic Games in Dakar.

Wushu first appeared as special exhibition event at the Berlin 1936 Games where a Chinese wushu delegation performed a demonstration.

After holding its first International Invitational Wushu Tournament in Xi’an, China in 1985, five years before the International Wushu Federation (IWUF) was established, the sport again returned to the Games as part of the culture and education program at both Beijing 2008 Olympics and the 2014 Nanjing Youth Olympics.

At Dakar 2026, wushu will make its debut as an official sport where 48 athletes from some of the 156 national associations will compete.

IWUF believes the inclusion of wushu in the Dakar 2026 programme will greatly encourage more young people to explore wushu.

“I believe the Dakar 2026 YOG competition will present a passionate, brilliant, and united wushu event for the world, with a potentially bigger audience than ever,” said President Gou.

“Wushu is tremendously popular among young athletes, who have utilized social media to help promote it around the globe, and I expect the excitement for Dakar’s YOG will grow rapidly as the event gets closer. These young athletes are the future of wushu, and their success at the world’s foremost youth sport event will be an inspiration for their generation like no other.”