Senegalese Woman Golfer Playing, Beating Most Men
2022-02-06
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1When Oumou Dieye first started competing against men in the sport of golf, she was not confident.
2She said she felt a little afraid.
3And she said, the men did not want to golf with her nor did they take her seriously.
4But then, she won her first game.
5After that, she had all the confidence she needed to keep playing and defeating male golfers.
6Dieye is the only professional female golfer in Senegal.
7She competes almost only against men.
8As she walks on the golf course in Saly, Senegal, she talks to other golfers, who are all men.
9"Now, I (am) used to playing with men. I train in the morning, noon and night. I (am) in the gym three or four times per week," she said.
10"So, that also gives me ... confidence."
11Dieye became a professional player seven years ago.
12That means she is paid for competing in the sport.
13She has won many competitions, including ones in Thailand, Kenya, and South Africa.
14She was introduced to golf by her brother-in-law and immediately fell in love.
15"Golf is a complete sport," she said.
16"You walk, you think, and you concentrate. And it (is) physical, too."
17Not long after she began competing, Dieye was given a chance to train in Morocco.
18With the financial support from her French golf partners in Saly, she spent three months training with the Moroccan Golf Federation.
19She said she enjoyed the experience so much that she returned to Morocco and stayed for seven years.
20While there, she also taught children at a golfing school.
21Today her home is filled with many golfing awards.
22She has won so many that she does not know the exact number.
23Or in other words, she says she has lost track.
24What she has done is notable because Senegal is a conservative, Muslim nation.
25Observers say there is pressure from society for women not to be involved in professional sports.
26More than 95 percent of Senegalese are Muslim.
27The country practices a more liberal form of Islam.
28However, the culture still has traditional ideas of what women should do.
29A woman who chooses sports over duties at home risks being rejected by her family.
30"When you (are) Muslim, we prefer to keep girls at home, to find them a husband and make them a housewife," she said.
31At first, her family was not supportive.
32But after seeing her love of the sport, they changed their minds.
33They permitted her to leave Dakar to move in with her brother-in-law near the golf course in Saly.
34Now, Dieye lives with her four children and husband.
35He not only plays golf with her but often carries her golf equipment for her.
36In 2018, when Dieye returned from Morocco, she was not happy about the state of golf in her home country.
37She wanted to create a golf school similar to the one in Morocco.
38"In order to develop golf, we need to focus on the kids," she said.
39The Senegalese Golf Federation was founded in 1991.
40There are now about 30 professional players around the country.
41But the group does not have a lot of money.
42There also are only two golf courses in the country.
43In 2020, the federation agreed to help Dieye establish a golf school in preparation for the 2026 Summer Youth Olympics in Dakar.
44It will be the first Olympic Games of any kind to be held in Africa.
45The 2022 Games were postponed because of the coronavirus pandemic.
46It will be Dieye's job to train Senegal's first national golf team.
47This will involve preparing female golfers - including her own daughter.
48The president of the Senegal Golf Federation is Baidy Agne.
49He said the federation is "prepared and committed" to support the girls in their training equally with the boys.
50Women make up the majority of the population in Senegal, Agne added, and they must not be left behind.
51"Oumou can be a very good role model for these girls," he said.
52Oumou Dieye says she hopes to find a sponsor so she can continue to compete internationally and bring the next generation of Senegalese female golfers into the world.
53I'm Anna Matteo.
1When Oumou Dieye first started competing against men in the sport of golf, she was not confident. She said she felt a little afraid. 2And she said, the men did not want to golf with her nor did they take her seriously. 3But then, she won her first game. 4After that, she had all the confidence she needed to keep playing and defeating male golfers. 5Dieye is the only professional female golfer in Senegal. She competes almost only against men. As she walks on the golf course in Saly, Senegal, she talks to other golfers, who are all men. 6"Now, I (am) used to playing with men. I train in the morning, noon and night. I (am) in the gym three or four times per week," she said. "So, that also gives me ... confidence." 7Dieye became a professional player seven years ago. That means she is paid for competing in the sport. She has won many competitions, including ones in Thailand, Kenya, and South Africa. 8She was introduced to golf by her brother-in-law and immediately fell in love. 9"Golf is a complete sport," she said. "You walk, you think, and you concentrate. And it (is) physical, too." 10Not long after she began competing, Dieye was given a chance to train in Morocco. With the financial support from her French golf partners in Saly, she spent three months training with the Moroccan Golf Federation. 11She said she enjoyed the experience so much that she returned to Morocco and stayed for seven years. While there, she also taught children at a golfing school. 12Today her home is filled with many golfing awards. She has won so many that she does not know the exact number. Or in other words, she says she has lost track. 13What she has done is notable because Senegal is a conservative, Muslim nation. Observers say there is pressure from society for women not to be involved in professional sports. 14More than 95 percent of Senegalese are Muslim. The country practices a more liberal form of Islam. However, the culture still has traditional ideas of what women should do. A woman who chooses sports over duties at home risks being rejected by her family. 15"When you (are) Muslim, we prefer to keep girls at home, to find them a husband and make them a housewife," she said. 16At first, her family was not supportive. But after seeing her love of the sport, they changed their minds. They permitted her to leave Dakar to move in with her brother-in-law near the golf course in Saly. 17Now, Dieye lives with her four children and husband. He not only plays golf with her but often carries her golf equipment for her. 18In 2018, when Dieye returned from Morocco, she was not happy about the state of golf in her home country. She wanted to create a golf school similar to the one in Morocco. 19"In order to develop golf, we need to focus on the kids," she said. 20The Senegalese Golf Federation was founded in 1991. There are now about 30 professional players around the country. But the group does not have a lot of money. There also are only two golf courses in the country. 21In 2020, the federation agreed to help Dieye establish a golf school in preparation for the 2026 Summer Youth Olympics in Dakar. It will be the first Olympic Games of any kind to be held in Africa. The 2022 Games were postponed because of the coronavirus pandemic. 22It will be Dieye's job to train Senegal's first national golf team. This will involve preparing female golfers - including her own daughter. 23The president of the Senegal Golf Federation is Baidy Agne. He said the federation is "prepared and committed" to support the girls in their training equally with the boys. 24Women make up the majority of the population in Senegal, Agne added, and they must not be left behind. "Oumou can be a very good role model for these girls," he said. 25Oumou Dieye says she hopes to find a sponsor so she can continue to compete internationally and bring the next generation of Senegalese female golfers into the world. 26I'm Anna Matteo. 27Annika Hammerschlag reported this story from Sali, Senegal. Anna Matteo adapted it for VOA Learning English. 28_____________________________________________________________ 29Words in This Story 30confident -n. a feeling that you can do something and succeed at it 31gym (gymnasium) -n. a room or building that has equipment for sports activities 32concentrate -v. to place all of one's attention on something 33golf course -n. an area of land where the game of golf is played 34focus -v. to direct attention to or on something 35role model -n. a person other people look up to and want to be like 36committed -adj. willing to give your time and energy to something