Akoko Komlanvi: representing all Togolese women at the Olympic Games
After becoming a national rowing champion in Togo, an Olympic Solidarity scholarship allowed Akoko Komlanvi to relocate her training base to Tunisia and achieve her lifelong dream of qualifying for the Olympic Games.
Akoko Komlanvi will have the eyes of Togo on her at the Olympic Games Paris 2024. Having qualified in the single sculls last October at the 2023 World Rowing African Olympic Qualification Regatta held in Tunis, Tunisia, Komlanvi recalls the excitement when she found out that she was headed to the Games: “I’m so proud to be the first Togolese athlete to have qualified for Paris 2024,” Komlanvi said. “I was very excited, celebrating with my friends and family. Everyone is so proud of me, and I am also proud of myself because I gave it everything I could. My preparation was perfect.”
Rowing around obstacles
Growing up near Lake Togo in Agbodrafo, Komlanvi was quickly drawn to rowing. By the age of eight, she had approached the local rowing club coach to ask to join in. Her new coach recognised her talent for the sport after just two weeks on the water, and – following years of morning and evening sessions every day of the week – she became a multiple Togolese champion.
Despite this success, Komlanvi was still prevented from reaching her true potential. That was when Olympic Solidarity and its athlete scholarship programme stepped in.
“When I was chosen for the Olympic Solidarity programme, it was a great joy for me and my family, as I have worked a long time for this and it’s my dream,” Komlanvi said. “It has been very beneficial to me and my country. My housing, recovery, travel, everything is paid for by the scholarship, and it has also allowed me to take part in many international competitions and therefore to qualify for Paris 2024. It is also thanks to this scholarship that I am here in Tunisia.”
In order to fulfil her potential, Komlanvi needed better equipment and resources than those available to her in her home country. So thanks to the support of Olympic Solidarity, which worked hand-in-hand with World Rowing to offer her the best possible conditions to reach the next level, she relocated to Tunis at the start of this year to undergo an intensive six-month training course ahead of Paris 2024.
World Rowing, in cooperation with the Tunisian Rowing Federation, played an instrumental role for Komlanvi and several other rowers on Olympic Solidarity scholarships, helping to manage their scholarships and organise their stays at the Lake Tunis International Rowing Development Centre, thus ensuring that they could focus fully on their sport. There, the athletes can benefit from international-level technical support, together with a full training plan and a national/international competition calendar developed for their needs.
In Togo, we don’t have sufficient equipment, which makes things difficult and affects our preparation. The boats aren’t adapted to modern rowing. We chose to move to Tunisia because they have a centre with great facilities and equipment, while training is more regular. Everything is in place for us to succeed.
Gender-equal Olympic Games
After thriving in her new environment, Komlanvi was able to fulfil a lifelong dream to qualify for the Olympic Games. But there will be more than just the sporting element for her to focus on this summer, with Paris 2024 set to become the first gender-equal Olympic Games on the field of play.
“Paris 2024 is really important for me on a personal level,” Komlanvi said. “It's important for us girls because we all want equality, and it’s starting to come now. We want girls and boys to be on the same level, supporting and helping each other to reach even greater heights. This in turn means no discrimination. I want women to continue to work hard to prove to everyone that we are able.”
As a woman in sport, Komlanvi was often confronted with doubt and negativity from others, who told her that she couldn’t achieve her goals and dreams. Fortunately, she was able to look to her team-mate and training partner, Claire Akossiwa Ayivon, for a role model of what was possible for a female rower in Togo.
Supported by an Olympic Solidarity scholarship, Ayivon participated in both the Olympic Games Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020.
“At the national level, Claire has inspired me. Claire was my challenger in Togo – we raced and trained together,” Komlanvi revealed. “Everyone here wants to watch the races between Claire and me because they are very competitive. When I saw that she had applied for and received the Olympic Solidarity scholarship, it encouraged me to work even harder. She has a lot of experience, so I followed her to try to reach her level.”
Over 1,300 athletes supported through Olympic Solidarity
A total of 1,319 athletes from 159 National Olympic Committees (NOCs), covering 26 sports, received Olympic Solidarity scholarships for Paris 2024. Olympic Solidarity aims to ensure that talented athletes of all backgrounds have an equal chance of reaching and succeeding in the Olympic arena by providing crucial funding to help finance their Olympic dreams. With a particular focus on athletes and NOCs most in need, individual Olympic Solidarity scholarships provide athletes with financial support through monthly grants that contribute to their preparation and qualification for the Games, whether in their home country or at a high-level training centre abroad.