Last month, the Ivorian Federation of American Football (FIFAM) and the International Federation of American Football (IFAF) took the advantage of the RIGES (Rencontres Internationales des Grands événements Sportifs) to demonstrate the different activities of American football to the Ivorian public at the Cocody Campus, Abidjan, with the presence of different clubs of the country.

Although American football has been played in Ivory Coast since 2013, it wasn’t until 2020 that FIFAM became formally constituted. Unfortunately, due to pandemic the federation was unable to deliver. The FIFAM was able to resume its normal activities in 2021. As the governing body responsible for the activities of American football in Ivory Coast, FIFAM has taken the advantage of the RIGES summit to engage its audience.

"Many clubs lost members because there was no competition in sight... It was an opportunity for all clubs to get together and do something together," FIFAM president Stéphane M'Boua Névry said.

During a meeting with IFAF, FIFAM reiterated its intention to grow American football in Ivory Coast, delivering education programs like training for coaches, referees, and administrators, to solidify the foundations of the discipline, before launching its first domestic competition in 2023, "...We will start with a learning process, before moving towards a development of our flag competitions before the year ends. We are going to the youth and the schools. When the structure is solid enough, we can imagine creating a national team," president M'Boua added.

It was also an occasion for FIFAM to express on the project of a union of the Francophonie’s nations of the IFAF to help the development of American football in Ivory Coast and on the continent in general, "Being a French-speaking country, we speak French. Most people and leaders have the impression that it is a typically English-speaking sports. The name itself poses a problem. The union will be like a certification that this sports is played by French-speaking countries, which will change the narrative," he concluded.

For Pierre Trochet, the IFAF president, the Francophonie is a strength: "IFAF is an international federation that counts today 72 countries. In the run-up to 2024 and the Paris Olympic Games, the international program of the French sports movement and the assets of the Francophonie represent an important opportunity. Accompanied by the CNOSF, we are keen to continue the global growth of our sport, in all disciplines, and support young people benefit from the health and social benefits sport and physical activity can confer."

About the RIGES summit: The RIGES are an annual event organised to promote the activities of the sport sector in the export market. After eight editions held in Paris, the RIGES have become a key event that brings together French and foreign decision makers involved in large-scale sports events. Each year, the event brings together between 300 and 350 participants, with an increasing number of international decision-makers.

About IFAF: The International Federation of American Football (IFAF) is the international governing body for the sport of American football and is responsible for all regulatory, competition, performance and development aspects of the game on a global level. Provisionally recognised by the International Olympic Committee, IFAF is a member of GAISF and a signatory to the WADA Code. IFAF has 72 member nations across 5 continents.