Relaxed atmosphere at the start
The start of the seventh stage was given at 8h30 to 60 riders in a festive mood, all of the competitors encouraging the crowds to demonstrate their joy. Things became more serious from the first hot point, won by Tonde, ahead of Syne and J. Ouedraogo, whilst the pace quickened and the first dropouts were announced at the back.

Things warm up at the entrance to Ouaga
Whilst Chisi triumphs over Ibouldo and Diarra at the second hot point, attacks increase at the entrance to Ouagadougou, where the competitors must do five laps of a circuit traced around the President's Palace. H. Sawadogo and De Reeper launch the first attack, soon followed by Egue, Bessière and Milesi, who wins the third hot point.

Victory in the sprint for Rouamba - Saadoune wins the 16th Tour du Faso
In spite of these courageous attacks, the mass sprint of the pack is inevitable, the circuit is so smooth. The Burkina Faso rider, Saïdou Rouamba, is the strongest at this game : he wins at the end of a powerful and efficiently run sprint, under the very noses of the European specialists. The Moroccan rider, Abdelati Saadoune, winner of the first stage, triumphs in this 16th edition of the Tour du Faso having worn its yellow jersey from the first to the last day. Well done to all the riders, and see you next year!

Planète Champion : when the dream becomes reality…

Founded in Ouagadougou in 1996 by the patron and businessman Philippe Ezri, the Non Governmental Organisation (ONG) Planète Champion International has as its vocation the selection of young talented football players and their sporting training and school education until they sign, in Africa or in Europe, their first contract with a professional club. The twenty five boarders in this training centre, unique in Burkina Faso, are aware of the chance they have : lessons in the morning, training in the afternoon and competitions at the week-end, their programme is certainly full, but it's the price to pay for their professional success.

Encountered at the finish of the second last stage of the Tour du Faso, Daniel Pautrat, the former charismatic public television presenter who continues to work on behalf of sport throughout the world*, explains to us that he has been implicated in this project for a year and that he intends to use his experience to succeed : "every year, detection competitions are organised throughout the country, at the end of which a hundred candidates will be selected. Further tests will lead to the selection of a handful of young footballers, who will join the centre. This set up is highly efficient, five players from Planète Champion were members of the Burkina Faso team that finished third in the World Cup for under seventeens, which terminated last year in Trinidad & Tobago with the victory of the French team over Nigeria. Our directors, Jacques-Michel Yameogo, sporting director, and Webonga Piouhiri, former coach to the national team, have an eye for future talent. The centre is also a club affiliated to the Burkina Faso Football Federation : in third division. We already have seven former boarders that have signed training contracts in Europe with Bastia, Bordeaux, Anderlecht, Anvers, Lokeren and Sion. The future looks promising …" The purpose of Daniel Pautrat's visit was also to give his young protégés two bits of good news : firstly, he has convinced the French Ambassador in Ouaga to finance repairs of the buildings where the young players are housed, and secondly, during the Africa Nations Cup (Juniors) which will be organised in Burkina in 2003, selection competitions in the form of a Championship will be set up for the youngsters, watched vigilantly by recruiters from around the world.

Watching them progress on their ochre coloured ground, we can already picture them at the highest level in Europe ; Daniel continues : "our best pupils are twin brothers, the Coulibaly brothers. They have an impressive build and great morale. We're expecting them to go far".






And yet, making sure that this club continues is not easy : the enterprise costs its founder 150.000 euros yearly. He would like to find sponsors and benefit from professional contracts signed by his players. Aziz, the player who left for Bordeaux, was taken from the centre by an agent who paid no rights fees to Planète Champion, violating the texts of the FIFA. The affair, under settlement, proves that, in sport as in business, no-one is spared. But, in spite of this painful incident, the implication and the enthusiasm of Philippe Ezri and Daniel Pautrat remain intact. We are present at a match improvised between the trainees and we are impressed by the athletic and technical quality of the players. When one of them develops a game that is too physical, he is sanctioned, forced to do a series of sit-ups on the spot where he committed the fault. "We also want to instil them with strong values, Daniel emphaises. A champion is above all an example : we train their minds as well as their bodies." A conclusion that would please the President, His Excellency Blaise Compaoré, who supports the operation and would like to extend this type of experience. Planète Champion : further proof of the vitality of Burkina Faso…

Planète Champion International
+ 33 6 10 24 27 60
+ 00 226 36 51 94
+ 33 1 49 98 14 14

* Daniel Pautrat,a teacher at H.E.C, left Eurosport two years ago ; he is today at the heart of a series of projects devoted to sport, which leads him to travel a lot. This tireless globe-trotter defends a vision of the competition that corresponds to that of the organisers of the Tour du Faso : "a healthy mind in a healthy body".