Amélie Oudéa-Castéra, Minister of Sports and the Olympic and Paralympic Games of France, will travel to Kinshasa on July 27 and 28, 2023 to attend the ninth edition of the Games of La Francophonie. Its support for this event aims to promote solidarity and expression between young French-speaking people around the world, while encouraging French athletes and artists before the start of the competition.
During her visit, Minister Oudéa-Castéra will attend the opening ceremony of the Games, which will take place at the Martyrs stadium in the presence of many Congolese personalities, such as the Minister of Communication and Media, the Minister of Culture , the Minister of Sports and Leisure, as well as the personal representative of the Head of State to the International Organization of La Francophonie.
France will be represented in Kinshasa by a delegation made up of around sixty people, including athletes, artists and supervisors. French athletes will notably take part in judo and wrestling competitions, key disciplines of the Games of La Francophonie. As for the French artists, they will compete in eight cultural disciplines, including digital creation, painting, sculpture, photography, creative dance, literature, storytelling and song.
The Games of La Francophonie, which will be held from July 28 to August 6, 2023, will bring together nearly 2,500 young French-speaking talents aged 18 to 35, from the 88 States and Governments of La Francophonie. These Games, both sporting and cultural, will highlight the values of equity, solidarity, excellence and responsibility. They also constitute a major event in the perspective of the organization by France of the XIXth Summit of La Francophonie in 2024.
Since their creation, France has supported the Games of La Francophonie and has already hosted two editions in 1989 and 2013. This participation demonstrates France’s commitment to culture and sport, as well as its desire to strengthen its partnership with French-speaking countries, particularly those on the African continent.
The presence of Amélie Oudéa-Castéra at the 2023 Francophonie Games in Kinshasa therefore marks an important moment in promoting the influence of the Francophonie through youth, sport and culture. It is an opportunity for young French-speaking talents to measure themselves against each other in a spirit of competition, sharing and dialogue