Sports
Popular sports in the Republic of the Congo:
Football
By far the most popular sport of Congo-Brazzaville. The national team is called Diables Rouge (not to be confused with the national football team of Belgium). They had their first big achievement when they won the very first edition of the African Games football tournament in 1965, and later winning in the African Nations Cup in 1972. The country’s most accomplished team however, is the Étoile du Congo, as it has won eleven league tournaments and seven cups.
It is a sport which has being growing in popularity amongst the populace for quite some time now. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga who is a member of the Paris Tennis Club; participated in the Australian Open in 2010 and at the Wimbledon in 2011 and 2012, his performance at those events certainly helped the growth process, as it impressed many.
Another widely popular sport within the country. The player Serge Ibaka whom as a key member of the Toronto Raptors won his first NBA championship in 2019, stands as a symbol to many Congolese.
This is a classical hybrid grappling style and combat sport. The Congolese have their own variation of this sport which is hyper popular amongst the populace; it mixes symbolic and cultural things into it. Making spectacles with traditional costumes made for the specific occasions; and also making mixes of different combat technics.
This represents a big part of the Congolese life, it is regarded as work, an artisanal practice, a recreational activity and also as a sport. It is widely practiced due to the country’s marvellous hydrography; the many rivers have fish aplenty, and amongst the most commonly fished competitively is the Tiger Fish, also known as Goliath Tiger Fish.
Other sports such as volleyball and handball also hold the populations interest; and combat sports such as boxing and mixed martial arts are also widely liked.