Burkina Faso official Mamoudou H Dicko
SHENZHEN – One of Africa’s representatives in the 2011 Summer Universiade in Shenzhen,China, Burkina Faso are in high confidence of landing a silver medal in the games.
The Burkina-be delegation who arrived in the host city a week before the opening, have three athletes taking part in the Universiade all in athletics.
Professor Mamoudou H Dicko, an official of the team and the man in charge of student welfare at the University of Ouagadougou, told me that the West Africans will be fighting for at least a silver medal in the short distances.
“We have come with three athletes, two men and a female. They will be flying our national flag in the 100m and 800meter’s. They are very good, in fact, one of them won a bronze medal in Zambia recently, and we hope he can build on that success here.”
Professor Dicko, who is part of the five Burkina-be officials to the Shenzhen games also added that the Universiade will serve as a springboard for his athletes to prepare well for the upcoming IAAF World Athletics Championships in Daegu. “Two of our athletes here with us will be traveling to South Korea immediately after the University Games. So, it will serve as a preparation for the Daegu event”
The Burkina-be official couldn’t conclude without speaking about his admiration for the organizers and the host city. “It is a nice and modern city and I am really impressed with the organization, I hope we’ll learn from it and bring the Universiade to Africa one day”
Burkina Fasowill take to the tracks in the next couple of days
(Source: Abdoulie Bah, FISU-AIPS Young Reporter)