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| Wrestling rivals football for popularity in Senegal. |
Wrestling's popularity in
Senegal makes it big business. For the sport's superstars the rewards
can be huge, with the biggest names earning up to $200,000 per contest.
In a country where unemployment is pushing 50%, some young men see it as
a way out of poverty.
Gris Bordeaux is a star in Senegal, a wrestling champion who also teaches at a wrestling school in the capital Dakar.
He says wrestling is a mental, as well as physical, discipline and that reaching the top of his profession takes dedication.
"It's all about making
sacrifices," says Bordeaux. "It requires training and meditation; your
mindset is important. You have to educate yourself well.
"Not all wrestlers get to
realize their dreams, because on the bigger level it is few that get to
where I am. You need to be focused on the sport -- like over 5,000
wrestlers you will get only 10 that make it."
See also: Senegal island exposes horrors of the slave trade
Bordeaux credits wrestling with changing his life, bringing him success and wealth.
"What I do know is that
it has given me a lot of opportunities," he says. "It has opened doors
for me because I am able to take care of myself and my family and
especially to help the young people in the community."
It's perhaps a desire to
emulate the likes of Bordeaux -- as well as a desire to keep fit --
that motivates young Senegalese men to work out on the beaches of Dakar.
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