Hugues Fabrice Zango: Giving hope to Burkina Faso
28 June 2024 – Hailing from Burkina Faso, Hugues Fabrice Zango is a shining example of what Olympic Solidarity scholarships can do for athletes both on and off the field of play. Zango made history at Tokyo 2020 when he became the first athlete from Burkina Faso to win an Olympic medal, but the triple jumper also runs his own foundation and is a doctor and lecturer in electrical engineering.
When Hugues Fabrice Zango claimed bronze in the men’s triple jump event at Tokyo 2020, not only was he making history as the first Burkinabé to win an Olympic medal; he was also laying the foundations for others to follow in his footsteps. That maiden medal for his country was met with a public outcry of joy and excitement.
“It was crazy. I won the bronze, but it was like I’d won the gold because it was so historic. Straight away, I was congratulated by the president at the time and several other authorities in the country,” Zango explains. “And when I came back from Tokyo, so many people were there to welcome me home at the airport. It was just incredible.”
Changing a country’s mentality
Elite sport has not always received such attention in Burkina Faso. Although Burkinabé athletes have competed in each edition of the Games since Seoul 1988, it was Zango’s historic bronze at Tokyo 2020 that helped him realise how passionate the country could become about sport.
“When I think back to Rio 2016, the first time I participated in the Olympic Games, I remember the comments I saw from people on social media,” Zango recalls. “It seemed like there was no hope at all that Burkina Faso could one day be among the best countries, or even take home an Olympic medal.
“It really made me happy in 2021 that, when I shared my dream of winning a medal at Tokyo 2020, some of the people who were following me started to believe that it might be possible. And when I did win the medal, they saw that it was truly possible.”
Since then, Zango has won a world title, taking gold at the 2023 World Athletics Championships and the 2024 World Indoor Championships. His rise to the top has been supported by an Olympic Solidarity scholarship for Paris 2024, which has allowed him, and fellow athletes, to access resources and afford training camps they would not have been able to otherwise.
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“For us athletes, the Olympic Solidarity scholarship allows us to plan ahead for the future,” says Zango. “It was the promise of the scholarship that allowed me to come to France and start my journey, then the results followed. It’s really important for a country like ours – all support is vital for us.”
The security of having a scholarship has also allowed Zango to follow his passion outside sport by continuing his studies and becoming a doctor in the field of electrical engineering at the University of Artois in France, graduating in December 2023.
“Electrical engineering is a passion that I have cultivated alongside sport. I’ve always kept it up and I plan on doing so until I retire,” he says.
“When I earned the diploma, I had the impression that I hadn’t finished learning yet, that there were still things for me to learn. That’s why I signed up for the next step, to continue to learn. In September I’ll start giving lessons at the university to maintain my scientific knowledge, and after the 2025 World Championships in Tokyo, I plan on much more.”
Inspired by his community
Zango credits this passion for learning and continuing to better himself to his parents, who taught him the value of community from a young age. They were an example to him in showing how important it is to support those around you and appreciate what you have.
That sense of lifting up those around him has been a driving force in his success and is a fundamental part of who he is as an athlete and a person. After his gold at the 2023 World Athletics Championships, Zango set up a foundation in Burkina Faso, where he can give back to the community that helped shape him.
“I have a foundation where we organise activities to bring the Olympic Games to young people in Burkina Faso,” he explains. “We organised a series of sporting activities, where we brought together 60 schools across three cities in the country.
“It was [after winning bronze at Tokyo 2020] that I understood that I had a certain social standing and that it was my chance to give back, to be able to help, and I started thinking about what I could do. This foundation will be able to help promote sport among schools and also help find partners to train future leaders, club managers and coaches.”
Hopes for Paris 2024
Zango is among the favourites for gold in the men’s triple jump at Paris 2024. He is aware of the expectations on his shoulders but hopes to use the pressure to his advantage.
“Of course there is pressure, but you have to use it to up your game,” he says. “I strongly believe in my chances given everything I’ve achieved and the experience I’ve gained in recent years.
“I hope to realise my full potential because these could be my last Games, given that I’m now 31 years old. For now, I will just give everything and hope to reach my potential. I have to come out of these Games with no regrets.”
Although the medals have been the tangible highlight of Zango’s sporting career, he knows that his true victory is in the inspiration he has given to the people of Burkina Faso.
“Now, when I say that I am going to the Olympic Games to win gold, everyone believes me. It’s extremely important to me because it shows a change of mentality since 2016, and that is one of the biggest victories of my sporting career: showing, as a Burkinabé, that no matter where you come from in the world, it’s possible that if the conditions are right and you give what is required, you can succeed, too.”
Over 1,300 athletes supported through Olympic Solidarity
A total of 1,331 athletes from 159 National Olympic Committees (NOCs), covering 26 sports, received Olympic Solidarity scholarships for Paris 2024. Olympic Solidarity aims to ensure that talented athletes of all backgrounds have an equal chance of reaching and succeeding in the Olympic arena by providing crucial funding to help finance their Olympic dreams. With a particular focus on athletes and NOCs most in need, individual Olympic Solidarity scholarships provide athletes with financial support through monthly grants that contribute to their preparation and qualification for the Games, whether in their home country or at a high-level training centre elsewhere.
