Abuja, 13^thJuly, 2018. The 11^thEdition of the Community African Wrestling Tournament (CAWT) opened in Niamey, Niger on Friday, 13^thJuly, 2018 amid ceremonial activities.

The yearly Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Commission sponsored game, organized by the ECOWAS Youth and Sports Development Centre (EYSDC) began with the group preliminary and semi-final matches opposing the twelve participating country teams in the 66kg, 76kg, 86kg, 100kg and 120kg weight categories.

During the VIP studded opening ceremony, attended among others, by H.E. Mr. Brigi Rafini Prime Minister of Niger, Mrs. Amina Moumouni and Mr. Sani Maïgochi, Ministers of Energy as well as Post, Telecommunication and Digital Economy respectively, the Minister of Youths and Sports, Mr. Kassoum Moctar expressed Niger’s gratitude to the ECOWAS Commission for its continued support to the host country in promoting wrestling within the region.

Mr. Moctar called on stakeholders to work towards the establishment of sporting, especially wrestling, academies saying that “sports is a school of justice, fraternity and friendship”.

The Minister also charged participants to maximize the opportunity offered by the games to reinforce the fraternal spirit which distinguishes the sporting African youth.

In a message to the ceremony, the Commissioner for Social Affairs and Gender, Dr. Siga Fatima Jagne, called on stakeholders to “invest in a strategic reflection in order to come up with resource mobilization schemes” that will enable the ECOWAS Community to offer to its citizenry “the best framework for the expression of our African values through sports”.

Also in the Commissioner’s speech, read by the Director of the ECOWAS Youth and Sports Development Centre (EYSDC), Mr. Francis Chuks Njoaguani, Dr. Jagne commended Member States who regularly participate in the games fondly called TOLAC in the francophone countries and especially Niger and Senegal for co-hosting CAWT in their countries.

The games continue on Saturday, 14^thJuly, 2018 with elimination matches as well as the semi-finals in the 66kg, 76kg, 86kg, 100kg and 120kg individual weight categories.

On Sunday, 15^thJuly, 2018, Niger, the host country and Senegal will square up in the teams final competition while The Gambia and Nigeria will contest for the 3^rd and 4^th positions respectively.

Participating countries include Benin, Burkina Faso, Cote d’Ivoire, Guinea Bissau, The Gambia, Ghana, Liberia, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal and Sierra Leone.

The minister of Tourism and Handicraft, Mr. Ahmet Bonto and Ambassadors of Benin, Senegal, and representatives of the Embassies of Mali, Burkina Faso and UEMOA U were also in attendance.