Identifying talent is not enough if the resources to develop it are missing. Mustapha Berraf, President of the Association of National Olympic Committees of Africa (ANOCA) and a candidate for the presidency of the Association of National Olympic Committees (ANOC) alongside Alejandro Blanco, proposes exploring a pathway that would allow young athletes to progress from continental competitions to the Olympic stage. “The objective would be to give them the best possible chance of qualifying for the Olympic Games and fulfilling their potential”, he tells SportsIn.
The proposal comes amid efforts by Berraf and Alejandro Blanco, President of the Spanish Olympic Committee (COE), to coordinate their respective ANOC candidacies and develop a common programme for the 2026–2030 term. Both have been confirmed as candidates for the organisation’s presidency. Against this backdrop, Berraf presents a youth-focused idea whose format, funding and compatibility with existing competitions would still need to be explored. The aim is to connect continental youth games with a world final and ongoing sporting and educational support.
A world final
“I think it would be worthwhile to explore creating a global event dedicated to young sporting talent, based on a progressive pathway”, he says. The starting point would be continental youth games designed to identify the best young athletes on each continent. The medallists would then advance to a world final to compete for podium places in their respective disciplines, connecting two competitive stages within a single project.
The difference would lie in what happened after that final. “The ambition would go beyond competition: the medal winners would benefit from long-term support, combining athletic preparation, technical guidance, educational support and material assistance”, Berraf explains. Sporting results would mark the beginning of a new phase of support, aimed at giving these young athletes the resources to prepare for the transition to elite competition.
The Olympic Games as the goal
The Olympic Games would be the ultimate goal of that support, although continental or world medals would not grant automatic qualification. The proposal would seek to improve the conditions in which athletes pursue that pathway. Training, education and material support would form part of a single process, designed to ensure that the potential shown at a young age could continue to develop.
Television would also have a role in the project. Berraf suggests the possibility of partnering with a major broadcaster to follow these young champions from their emergence at continental level through to their arrival at the highest level. Their stories would bring that journey closer to the public and attract partners around a shared ambition: “Ensuring that emerging talent has the resources to develop into an established sporting career”.
To move forward, the initiative would need to be explored with the International Olympic Committee (IOC), the continental associations, the national Olympic committees and the international federations. Berraf stresses that this work should proceed “while ensuring that it complements the Youth Olympic Games and existing competitions”. He also envisages exploring a partnership with UNESCO to support the programme’s educational, inclusive and intercultural dimension.
The proposal remains open in terms of its sporting structure, financial sustainability and the support provided to participants. Berraf describes it as “an avenue that deserves further exploration, both in terms of the sporting format and the funding model and support for young athletes”.
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