Wrestling against climate change: EU supports construction of sports arenas in Gambia with almost 500,000 euros

The European Union provided nearly half a million euros for a development aid project in Gambia, West Africa. Not for the construction of schools, roads, or houses. No. The money went toward the construction of three wrestling arenas, financed by the EU Directorate-General for Development Cooperation (DEVCO)'s international development cooperation program. The purpose of this project: climate protection.

Between 2020 and 2023, the EU provided a total of €499,950, which was transferred to the Gambia Wrestling Forum. According to the official justification, the measure was intended to help "strengthen the resilience of communities to climate change ." What the connection between the two might be is at least questionable.

One thing is certain: wrestling is one of the most popular sports in Gambia. Wrestlers typically wear traditional clothing, and fortune tellers accompany the spectacle and predict who will win. Whether this will save the climate remains uncertain.

The official project descriptions speak of "vibrant cultural and sporting ecosystems " that are intended to contribute to climate protection. A pleasant-sounding phrase, however, whose substance is difficult to verify.

In Gambia, the project already made effusive headlines in 2023. The newspaper The Standard proudly reported on the three newly built arenas in Ndemban, Farafenni, and Boiram. The EU, however, remained silent. The project only became public knowledge recently, through a publication on the transparency platform "NGO Transparency" of the EU Parliamentary group "Patriots."