Football, the sport king
Like many countries in Africa and the world, soccer in Côte d'Ivoire embodies the possibility of transcending the limits of an often harsh daily life, and represents a vector of national unity and success without equal. It is enough to see the emotion and involvement of Ivorian fans when their team defends the national colors, and the legendary status to which international stars and now historic soccer like Didier Drogba, who is no longer presented, and before him, the legendary Laurent Pokou, considered one of the best players in the history of Ivorian and African soccer, who was crowned top scorer at the African Cup of Nations in 1968 and 1970, with a record of 14 goals that was not beaten until 2008 by Samuel Eto'o of Cameroon. Disillusioned adults and the generation sacrificed by the crisis are therefore pinning a lot of their hopes on children, which is reflected in many areas, especially sports. "Soccer is all we have," they claim, explaining that the king's sport is the only way to transcend one's condition in Africa. You will have understood, in Côte d'Ivoire, soccer is more than a sport, it is almost a religion.
Taekwondo, noble second
With more than 40 000 licensed, taekwondo, although much less publicised and popular with crowds, is the second most popular national sport after football. Côte d'Ivoire did not wait for the historic double of athletes Ruth Gbagbi and Cheick Cissé Sallah - bronze and gold medals respectively at the Rio Olympics in 2016 - to be among the great nations of taekwondo, and today competes with countries such as China and the United States. In 2013, it was chosen as the host country for the Taekwondo World Cup, held for the first time in Africa. In June 2017, the country confirmed its reputation for excellence when Ruth Gbagbi won gold at the World Championships in South Korea.
On the spot, long live water sports!
Water skiing, wakeboarding, towed buoys. Thanks to its numerous lagoon water bodies, the coastal South is a real paradise for water sports such as wakeboarding, buoyancy or water skiing. The water bodies of Abidjan have also favored the emergence of international sportsmen who have made - and still make - the beautiful days of the French team, since it is on the lagoon of Cocody that Aymeric Benet, multiple world champion of figures was training at the time to which succeeded the young Thibaut Dailland, who is among the best skiers in the world. Today, one can have fun in Assinie, although the rates applied by the various clubs and hotels in the area are not necessarily very attractive
Surfing, bodyboarding. There are many surfing and bodyboarding spots in Côte d'Ivoire and some big names have made their claws or landed their bags for a surf-trip, including Tom Curren, former living legend of world surfing. For experienced surfers and bodyboarders, Bassam and Mondoukou, despite their shore-break, will make pleasant "wave pools", the most practicable spot remaining Assinie where, thanks to the phenomenon of bar combined with a gradual slope, the waves can sometimes rise to more than three meters. Most of the time, the Assinian waves, essentially hollow and fast lefts, form mini-tubes very pleasant to ride and perfect for the initiation or the training. The best season for surfing in Assinie coincides with the harmattan period and runs from December to May, a period of off-shore wind and small swell. However, the bar remains difficult to cross, and even for experienced surfers and swimmers, the baïnes (shallow water currents) can be treacherous. Further west, the coastline is divided into large creeks and numerous spots, a real paradise for surfers, especially since this part of the coast is less frequented than the east. Among the privileged spots for surfing or bodyboarding: Dagbego, Sassandra and Drewin, this last one offering a very pretty small right very coveted by surfers. A little further west, Monogaga, which offers exceptionally long waves and is a particularly exceptional spot during big swells, Grand-Bereby and its mythical Mermaid Bay, and finally, just at the Liberian border, Tabou and the Tolou spot
Canoeing, paddle, sailing. Here again, the amateur will be spoiled by the natural configuration of the country. Côte d'Ivoire has a unique lagoon network in Africa, which runs along 350 km (from the border with Ghana to Sassandra) of a coastline with moving contours: the range of possibilities is mind-boggling! If you have your own equipment, it's really up to you and you'll be spoilt for choice between the surroundings of Abidjan (Boulay Island, Songon, Abata, Bingerville, airport area...) and the coastal towns. Many establishments and sports and leisure centers offer paddles and canoes for rent, whether in Abidjan itself or in Assinie, where you can glide dreamily on the smooth waves of the lagoon while marveling at the heavenly landscape. As for sailing, the country is not known to be the windiest, but there is still plenty to enjoy
Recreational and sport fishing. Fishing is a very popular leisure activity in Côte d'Ivoire, thanks to a diversified and abundant aquatic fauna as well as a large choice of techniques. Recreational fishing is practiced both in the sea and inland, the country offering a wide variety of aquatic spaces such as lagoons, mangroves, lakes, rivers, river mouths, as well as miles of coastline easily accessible. Around the economic capital, there are fishing spots very popular with Ivorians on weekends, such as the canal of the port of Abidjan, the banks of lagoons or the beach of Vridi. Fishermen generally look for red and/or white carp, jacks, barracudas or captains. Fishing is done from the shore with baits or lures, or from small wooden boats. The mouths of rivers, lagoons and streams flowing into the ocean offer excellent spots for sport fishermen. This is notably the case of Assinie, Grand-Lahou and Grand-Béréby. The fish sought after are large red carp, guitar rays, groupers, and especially the mythical tarpon, some specimens of which can reach over 90 kg. Sea bass (sosso), curlew and sole are fish that are frequently found between Abidjan and Grand-Bassam. Finally, the most fortunate fishermen can go in search of large pelagic fish off Abidjan or San Pedro and rub shoulders with the king of the ocean, the large Atlantic blue marlin, some of which can reach up to 600 kg. Yellowfin tuna are also present all year round as well as wahoo and dolphinfish, very appreciated by sport fishermen for their speed and power.
On earth, too, you can spend
Running, walking and hiking. Close to the economic capital, there are a few sites where it is possible to jog or walk as close as possible to a still relatively unspoiled nature, such as the Bingerville Botanical Garden and the partial nature reserve of Dahliafleur. The Green Village hiking trail, some seven kilometres from Bingerville in the village of Akoyaté, is specially designed for walks, and allows you to walk from track to track through forests, plantations and green hills offering a superb panorama of the lagoon. On the road to Alépé, the Green Valley complex also has a beautiful hiking trail winding through rubber plantations, while about half an hour from Abidjan, Domaine Bini, a mosaic ecosystem and agro-ecological site divided between primary forest, fields and plantations, also offers hiking trails in an enchanting setting. Mountain biking and zip line can also be practiced there
On horseback. Although Côte d'Ivoire does not have a great equestrian tradition, unlike its Burkinabe, Malian and Nigerian neighbours, and horseback riding remains inaccessible to a large majority of the population, the Land of Elephants nevertheless has a few enthusiasts who have been involved for years in the democratisation of this sport. Abidjan has two "historic" clubs affiliated to the French Equestrian Federation: the Club Saint-Michel, on Boulevard Giscard d'Estaing not far from the Ancien Koumassi crossroads, and Horse Academy on the road to Bassam. There are two other structures on the road to the airport: the Jaipur Club and the Crinières d'ivoire, original and "unbridled" (in the equestrian sense of the term, i.e. less formal and more "democratic") horse clubs which specialise in equestrian shows, aerobatics, dressage, speed racing and also organise rides, picnics, camping trips, etc. Club Saint-Michel and Horse Academy courses are given by French state-qualified riding instructors and the activities on offer are varied: dressage, driving, dressage lessons, show jumping, ethology courses, training courses, competitions, horse shows and parties, rides and hikes.
