[ Les facteurs limitant la participation des femmes en situation de handicap moteur dans les compétitions internationales en Afrique noire Francophone: Cas du Sénégal ]
Gana Ndione1, Mame Ngoné Bèye2, Ismail Mazib Faty3, and Djibril Seck4
1 Centre de Recherche en Education, Formation et Sport (CREFS), UGB, Saint Louis, Senegal
2 Research Laboratory in Science and Technology of Physical and Sports Activities, Youth and Leisure at the National Higher Institute of Popular Education and Sport at Cheikh Anta Diop University in Dakar, Senegal
3 Centre de Recherche en Education, Formation et Sport (CREFS), UGB, Saint Louis, Senegal
4 Laboratoire des sciences et techniques des activités physiques et sportives-jeunesse et loisirs (STAPS-JL, INSEPS, UCAD), Dakar, Senegal
Original language: French
Copyright © 2026 ISSR Journals. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
This study aims to identify the factors explaining the low participation of women with disabilities in sports, particularly in competitive events in French-speaking Sub-Saharan Africa. The research is based on observations from international sporting competitions involving persons with disabilities. In most sports delegations participating in various African competitions, women remain significantly underrepresented compared to men. This situation affects the majority of Sub-Saharan African countries and appears to be particularly pronounced in Senegal. A qualitative research approach was adopted to gather stakeholders’ perspectives on this phenomenon. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews. Participants included key members of the Senegalese Para-Sport Federation, namely the President, the Secretary General, the National Technical Director, a national coach, three female international athletes, and three male athletes. The findings reveal several factors contributing to the low participation rate of women in sports competitions. These include inactive or underperforming regional leagues, the underutilization of specialized centers, a shortage of specialized equipment and qualified technical personnel, and the combined burden of physical disability and gender-related barriers. These factors collectively limit access to sports participation and competitive opportunities for women with disabilities. Several solutions may be considered to improve the situation. The most important is the expansion of grassroots sports participation through the activation of all regional leagues. In addition, increasing the number of national competitions, organizing events for younger age categories, and strengthening the training of technical staff in para-sports could contribute significantly to enhancing female participation and promoting inclusion in competitive sports.
Author Keywords: women, physical disability, inclusion, para-sport, Sub-Saharan Africa.
Gana Ndione1, Mame Ngoné Bèye2, Ismail Mazib Faty3, and Djibril Seck4
1 Centre de Recherche en Education, Formation et Sport (CREFS), UGB, Saint Louis, Senegal
2 Research Laboratory in Science and Technology of Physical and Sports Activities, Youth and Leisure at the National Higher Institute of Popular Education and Sport at Cheikh Anta Diop University in Dakar, Senegal
3 Centre de Recherche en Education, Formation et Sport (CREFS), UGB, Saint Louis, Senegal
4 Laboratoire des sciences et techniques des activités physiques et sportives-jeunesse et loisirs (STAPS-JL, INSEPS, UCAD), Dakar, Senegal
Original language: French
Copyright © 2026 ISSR Journals. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Abstract
This study aims to identify the factors explaining the low participation of women with disabilities in sports, particularly in competitive events in French-speaking Sub-Saharan Africa. The research is based on observations from international sporting competitions involving persons with disabilities. In most sports delegations participating in various African competitions, women remain significantly underrepresented compared to men. This situation affects the majority of Sub-Saharan African countries and appears to be particularly pronounced in Senegal. A qualitative research approach was adopted to gather stakeholders’ perspectives on this phenomenon. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews. Participants included key members of the Senegalese Para-Sport Federation, namely the President, the Secretary General, the National Technical Director, a national coach, three female international athletes, and three male athletes. The findings reveal several factors contributing to the low participation rate of women in sports competitions. These include inactive or underperforming regional leagues, the underutilization of specialized centers, a shortage of specialized equipment and qualified technical personnel, and the combined burden of physical disability and gender-related barriers. These factors collectively limit access to sports participation and competitive opportunities for women with disabilities. Several solutions may be considered to improve the situation. The most important is the expansion of grassroots sports participation through the activation of all regional leagues. In addition, increasing the number of national competitions, organizing events for younger age categories, and strengthening the training of technical staff in para-sports could contribute significantly to enhancing female participation and promoting inclusion in competitive sports.
Author Keywords: women, physical disability, inclusion, para-sport, Sub-Saharan Africa.
Abstract: (french)
Cette étude porte sur l’identification des facteurs justifiant la faible participation des femmes en situation de handicap dans le sport plus particulièrement les compétitions en Afrique noire francophone. Elle part d’un constat relatif aux compétitions internationales regroupant les personnes en situation de handicap en générale. Sur la majorité des délégations sportives présentes lors de plusieurs compétions africaines dans la discipline, les dames y sont toujours faiblement représentées comparées aux hommes. La majorité des pays de l’Afrique subsaharienne est concernée par cette particularité qui semble être très remarquable au Sénégal. Nous avons utilisé la méthode qualitative afin de recueillir le point de vue des acteurs sur ce phénomène. Le recueil de données est fait par l’entretien semi-directif. Nous avons interrogé les membres clés de la fédération sénégalaise de para-sport (le président, le secrétaire général et le directeur technique national, un entraineur national ainsi que les athlètes internationaux féminins qui sont au nombre de trois et quelques athlètes masculins (03). Les résultats obtenus révèlent plusieurs facteurs qui concourent tous à l’explication de la rareté où du faible taux de participation des dames dans les compétitions sportives. Entre autres on peut citer: - Des ligues régionales inactives où en léthargie; - Des centres spécialisés non exploités; - Une insuffisance de matériels spécifiques et de cadres techniques de la spécialité; - Le poids du handicap physique associé au handicap du genre. Des pistes de solutions pourraient être envisagés. La plus saillante serait la massification de la pratique de base en rendant toutes les ligues actives. Également, il faudrait augmenter les compétitions nationales, organiser des journées de petites catégories, accentuer la formation des cadres dans la spécialité.
Author Keywords: femmes, handicap moteur, inclusion, para sport, Afrique noire.
