The IX Games of La Francophonie: Zeina Mina encourages the DRC to put sports diplomacy at the heart of its development

At the close of the IX Games of La Francophonie, held in Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ms Zeina Mina, Director of the International Committee of the Games of La Francophonie, made a vibrant appeal for the integration of sports diplomacy into the DRC's development policy. In her opinion, the Democratic Republic of Congo should rely on sports diplomacy to stimulate its development and shine on the international stage.

Zeina Mina praised the efforts made by the DRC in the context of these games, and stressed that the Congolese authorities should institutionalise this approach, following the example of other countries that have succeeded in positioning themselves as models of development.

At a joint briefing with Patrick Muyaya and Isidore Kwanja on Thursday 4 August 2023 at the Académie des Beaux-Arts, Zeina Mina said: "Each edition has its charm, each edition has its particularities, each edition has its strengths and weaknesses. The Games of La Francophonie are still young compared with other international events. The first edition took place in 1989 in Morocco, and this is only the 9th edition, so we're making progress from one edition to the next, delivering increasingly demanding services. So there's no need to compare them.

She continued: "Today, I see things differently. Personally, I feel that this edition is part of sporting diplomacy. Sports diplomacy is an international communication tool. So the country has adopted a sporting diplomacy that I can compare to that of Qatar. Qatar has used sport and sports diplomacy to spread its influence around the world, even going so far as to organise the World Cup. You are on the road to the future, and perhaps you can host the World Cup if you persevere. This sports diplomacy should be institutionalised and integrated into your development policy.

The Games of La Francophonie are the biggest sporting and cultural event in La Francophonie, dedicated to young people. They offer nearly 2,500 talented young people from French-speaking countries, aged between 18 and 35, from the 88 states and governments of La Francophonie, the opportunity to compete in sporting and cultural events. All of this takes place in a spirit of justice, solidarity, excellence and responsibility. France has supported these games since their inception and has already hosted two editions in 1989 and 2013.

The Democratic Republic of Congo was awarded the organisation of the Games of La Francophonie on 2 July 2019, at the 108ᵉ session of the Permanent Council of La Francophonie. Originally scheduled for 2021, they were initially postponed from 21 to 28 August 2022 due to the Covid-19 pandemic, before getting this second chance.