Meet Sedia Sanogo: The pioneer of Côte d'Ivoire's first female Olympic boxing team
The 33-year-old boxer is competing in welterweight at the Paris 2024 Boxing Africa Qualifier in Dakar. She hopes to become the first female boxer representing Côte d'Ivoire at the Olympic Games.
Boxing
Watching the Olympics on TV can be a powerful experience. Just ask Sedia Sanogo.
The 33-year old boxer won four French titles as a teenager but it was watching the Rio 2016 Games that made all the difference. It sparked a dream.
Sanogo wanted to go to the Olympics representing Côte d'Ivoire, the country of her parents who had emigrated to France before she was born.
"When I watched the Rio Olympic Games in 2016, there were many people from many countries, including my (former) teammates from the French team, but (Côte d'Ivoire) was not represented," Sanogo told Reuters ahead of the African Boxing Qualifier for Paris 2024 this week in Dakar. "I asked myself: Where are they?"
The welterweight wants to change that. She is hoping to secure one of the two quota spots on offer in the Senegalese capital.
Sedia Sanogo: A sudden comeback to boxing
Sanogo grew up in Seine-Saint-Denis, the second-most-populated suburb of Paris, which suffers from high crime rates. Initially, her parents signed her up for boxing classes at 13 so that she could defend herself in this tough neighbourhood.
Despite her early success in the sport, Sanogo took a ten-year break from boxing.
Fast forward to Rio 2016. Sanogo realised that she could make a big difference competing under the flag of Côte d'Ivoire and boost women’s access to boxing in the country of her ancestors.
And before she knew it, she was back in the boxing gym.
"In (Côte d'Ivoire), many have a traditional way of thinking. We say boxing is a men's sport, it's not for women," Sanogo explained to Reuters.
"I'm lucky to have dual citizenship - there must be many women who have to hide, who can't practise the sport, because of the closed-mindedness."
Sedia Sanogo, 33, captain of the Ivory Coast women's boxing team who dreams to compete at the Paris 2024 Olympics and Paralympics Games, practices in the ring with her trainer Abadila Hallab during a training session in Guerville, France, August 25, 2023. REUTERS/Benoit Tessier
Sedia Sanogo on showing the way
Now, Sanogo has taken on the role as captain of Côte d'Ivoire's first female Olympic boxing team.
Côte d'Ivoire's boxing federation has expressed their gratitude for Sanogo’s commitment and help to establish the country’s women’s team. Sanogo told Reuters that she has to train after-hours and pay for all boxing-related expenses herself with the salary from her job – assisting children of families living on social welfare.
It is all about preparing the ground for future genrations.
"There's this aspect of wanting to show the way as we lead the pack - we want to motivate others to follow our example, and to be an example, we have to work hard, we have to fight, we have to win," Sanogo concluded.