Mauritania has selected swimmer Camil Ould Doua, a 4x national record holder and Mauritanian champion, to be their flag bearer at the opening ceremony of the 2024 Paris Olympic Games. His national records include the 50 free, 100 free, 50 fly, and 50 back.
The director of the Mauritania Olympic Committee, Abderrahmane Ethmane, selected Doua to represent Mauritania at the Paris Olympic Games even though Doua was born in Bordeaux, France. In 2020, Ethmane explained that he “wanted to give a real sporting dynamic to [Mauritania]” and “give a voice to the new generation,” and decided that Doua was a perfect fit for the job.
Doua has now made it his goal to “make [his] country proud” and “bring light” into athletics “in Africa in general because it is full of talents.” He hopes to “promote swimming in Mauritania as much as possible,” and has been working on a grand project with the Mauritania Swimming Federation to do so. With his help, the federation is currently building “an Olympic [sized] pool in order to bring awareness to [swimming]” and so that there exists infrastructure for the sport to develop. He hopes that by expanding the sport and inspiring the nation’s youth, he will be able to aid in both the physical and mental development of potential swimmers.
Since obtaining his Mauritanian citizenship, Doua has represented the nation at the 2024 World Aquatics Championships in Doha, Qatar. There, Doua competed in the 50 free (25.93) and 100 free (57.80), placing 89th out of 116 competitors in the 50 and and 95th out of 108 competitors in the 100.
Mauritania is located on the Atlantic Coast of Africa and borders Algeria, Mali, and Senegal. Although the nation has sent athletes to every Summer Olympic Games since 1984, they have only sent two representatives to each Games since 2000.
This year, Doua is expected to be the nation’s sole representative across all sports. As a result, he will bear their flag.
Give me a chance to help Coach there country.