Falilatou Tchanile-Salifou is Togo's leading sports administrator. She has used sport as a way of increasing gender representation in sports organisation and education generally. She was named Woman of the Year at the World Athletics Awards 2023.
Falilatou Tchanile-Salifou | |
|---|---|
| Nationality | Togo |
| Occupation | sports executive |
| Known for | 2023 Woman of the Year |
Life
editTchanile-Salifou became the President of the Togolese athletics federation[1] and she has used sport as a way of increasing the role of women in her country.[2]
Tchanile-Salifou organised a race that gathered 1,500 female competitors as part of a campaign titled "Girls together for sport and for life". Togo has remote regions and these were also targeted as well as Togo's larger towns.[3]
Tchanile-Salifou had an awareness programme that encouraged parents to register the births of girls and then to go on and ensure that they went to school.[4] Measurable improvements were made. It was reported that 90% of the girls returned to school in Togo at the start of the 2023 school year. This compared with an estimate of 40% for the year before.[1] (Data from UNESCO is not available in this detail).[5]
In 2023 the World Athletic Foundation added a new section to its awards. President Sebastion Coe was credited with initiating the award and the inaugural award went to Tchanile-Salifou. She was recognised for "advancing women's rights and fostering gender equality in sport".[2] Faith Kipyegon and Kelvin Kiptum from Kenya and Ethiopia's Tigist Assefa were all runners named as Best athletes of the year, joining her achievements for Africa.[6]
The award should raise her profile at the Paris Olympics.[3] She is leading her country's contribution and she is the vice President of the association of francophone athletic federations.[7]
References
edit- ^ a b "Tchanile-Salifou wins Woman of the Year Award | World Athletics". worldathletics.org. Retrieved 27 May 2024.
- ^ a b Writer, Staff (7 December 2023). "Togo athlete lands Woman of the Year accolade". Voice Online. Retrieved 27 May 2024.
- ^ a b admin (8 December 2023). "Prix de la Femme de l'année : Falilatou Tchanile-Salifou honorée". AFRIK Management (in French). Retrieved 27 May 2024.
- ^ CAA (27 May 2024). "Falilatou Tchanile-Salifou wins Woman of the Year Award". caa (in French). Retrieved 27 May 2024.
- ^ "World Bank Open Data". World Bank Open Data. Retrieved 27 May 2024.
- ^ CAA (27 May 2024). "WORLD ATHLETICS AWARDS 2023: Africa hits the jackpot". caa. Retrieved 27 May 2024.
- ^ "La Togolaise Tchanilé-Salifou Falilatou Dogo, distinguée femme de l'année par la World Athletics – Togo-Presse". togopresse.tg (in French). Retrieved 27 May 2024.