Guinea won 6 medals in the international championship and 2 medals at the International Archery Grand Prix in Ivory Coast in August 2024. Despite these achievements, this sporting discipline encounters quite a few difficulties. In an interview given to the editorial staff of Guineematin.com, the president of the Guinean archery federation, Aïssatou Thiam exposed these ills. She then made recommendations to the authorities to get archery out of the rut before discussing the prospects.
Guineematin.com: What are the main difficulties that archery encounters today?
Aïssatou Thiam : The big difficulties we encounter in archery are, first of all, infrastructure. Since the creation of the Guinean Archery Federation, we have been given a space just behind the acrobatic center of the stadium not far from the Handball gymnasium. It’s this space that we have that hasn’t seen any construction. We are getting by there, something that is abnormal. It’s not at all secure, it doesn’t meet standards. Despite that, with the love we have for the sport, all the commitment we have to develop this sport a little, we try to train athletes there. The champions you see today who bring home medals, who have international fame, I want to talk about Fatoumata.
Second difficulty is the equipment: we don’t have any archery equipment. What we have, because of the state of the land, everything is damaged. The targets that we have had for years and years are cardboard targets, something that does not correspond, we need industrial targets. This poses a huge problem for us. Third thing, it’s been 3 years now that we haven’t benefited from technical training. It all has to go together.
Guineematin.com: In four years, Guinea must participate in the 2028 Olympics, where are we with the level of preparation?
Aïssatou Thiam : Frankly, we have not started preparations for the 2028 Olympics. We are in discussions. Fatoumata that you saw, who really had a very good performance, has promises of a scholarship for 2028. These procedures should start normally from next year. We will start first internally before going to the African and international level. The process does not change. In each competition, she must have 70 points, she must not give up at all. After the heavy rains, we will start competitions little by little and start dreaming.
Guineematin.com: What recommendations do you make to the authorities to get this sporting discipline out of the rut?
Aïssatou Thiam : Archery, which was created a long time ago, does not receive financial resources, but it has validly represented Guinea and all of Africa. I would like the authorities in charge of sports to seize this opportunity to further support or make more resources available to the Guinean archery federation, which has the necessary technicians, which has a committed administration, which is capable today of providing 10 Fatoumata, why not? We thank them for what they did. In addition to that, continue to support us so that this sport, which is beginning to give a glimmer of hope to Guinea, continues to positively sell Guinea’s image internationally.
Guineematin.com: What are your wishes?
Aïssatou Thiam : What really matters to me is to see our shooting range built to meet standards with synthetic turf. We plan to install archery in many localities. We also wish to continue the training of technicians, who, in turn, will run clubs that we will create so that archery spreads throughout the national territory. If we have the subsidy today, we can do championships and Cups.
Interview conducted by Kaïn Naboun TRAORÉ for Guineematin.com
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