Road to London 2012!
Algeria
Did you know- On May 20, 1990,Algeria’s athlete Yasmina Azzizi established a new African record of 6,056 points in the women’s heptathlon. Together with Hassiba Boulmerka, Reda Abdenouz, and Noureddine Morcelli, she was one of the most popular athletes in the North African nation, an ex French colony until 1962.
Cote d’Ivoire
Did you know- Handball — an Olympic sport since 1972– is one of the most popular sports in Cote d’Ivoire, a French-speaking nation in West Africa. By 1988, the women’s handball team, under coach Tokou Bleou’s tutelage, won the right to compete in the Olympic Handball Tournament in the Republic of Korea. The members of that team were Zomou Awa, Gouna Irie, Elizabeth Kovassi, Wandou Guehi, Hortense Konan, Emilie Djoman, Alimata Doumba, Julienne Vodoungbo, Doumbia Bah, Adjoua Nadri, Clementinea Ble, and Mahoula Kramo. Although the African champion had a difficult event, losing all five matches: Norway (34-14), USSR (32-11), China (37-12), Czechoslovakia (34-12), and the United States (27-16).The continent of Africa competed in the Olympic event since 1980 when the People’s Republic of the Congo sent handball players to the Soviet Union, home to the XXII Summer Games. On the other hand, in the 1990s, the women’s handball squad of Cote d’Ivoire participated in three global events: 1995 (18th), 1997 (14th), and 1999 (20th).
The Gambia
Did you know- The Gambia – a peaceful country in West Africa- sent three sportswomen to the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, California (America). This English-speaking nation made its Olympic debut in the Los Angeles Games.
Guinea-Bissau
Did you know- On April 13, 1974, in Maputo (Mozambique), Guinea-Bissau’s sprinter Binta Sané established a new national mark of 13.4 seconds in the women’s 100m.
Madagascar
Did you know- The women’s basketball team of Madagascar qualified for the FIBA World Cup in Brazil in the early 70s. In South America, Madagascar -African winner– lost 120-39 to Czechoslovakia (now the Czech Republic).
Nigeria
Did you know- The team from Nigeria came in 11th place in the Women’s Olympic Games Basketball Tournament in Athens (Greece) in 2004. In the course of the tournament, Nigeria beat South Korea 68-64.
Rwanda
Did you know- By 1988, the nation’s runner Marcianne Mukamurenzi, the most respected athlete (male or female) in Rwanda in the 80s, established a new national mark of 32:19.11 in the women’s 10,000m. At that year, she came in 38th place in the women’s marathon at the Seoul Olympic Games. Miss Mukamurenzi lived in Bordeaux, France.
Somalia
Did you know- In November 1987, Somalia’s athlete Hawa Abdullahi set a new Somali record of 13.23 seconds in the women’s 100m. Athletics, together with soccer, is one of the most popular sports in the nation, among the world’s ten poorest nations.