Sport in Benin
Benin is a relatively small country, about the size of Pennsylvania, in the western side of Africa. This country used to be called “Dahomey” and has a flat and sandy terrain with small patches of vegetations or savannahs. It is a typical African country where the people are sweet and hospitable.
The common greeting is a kiss on the cheeks and it has a lot of ethnic groups but one of the things that bring all of them together is football. Benin’s traditional sports has a lot to do with athletics but football is currently the Beninese’ national obsession with tennis as a close second.
Soccer is officiated by the Fédération Béninoise de Football and their national soccer team called Les Ecureuils has been a member of FIFA and CAF since 1969 as Dahomey and changed to Benin in 1975. The Les Ecureuils has never qualified for the World Cup but did make an appearance at the African Cup of Nations in 2004. Benin first competed in the Olympic Games in 1972 (Dahomey) then at 1980 in the Moscow Olympic Games as Benin. As of the 2012 London Olympic Games, Benin is yet to get an Olympic medal but they do have some promising athletes in athletics.
Below are details of sports, sporting events and sports people related to Benin. Is there something missing? If you know of something that should be listed here, please let us know.
Popular sports of Benin
- Football (Soccer)
- Tennis
- Track and Field
Benin Sporting Success
Great athletes from Benin
Benin Sports trivia
Benin at major events
Past sporting events hosted in Benin
Upcoming sporting events in Benin
Annual sporting events held in Benin
Sporting Facilities in Benin
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