The Dakar-Gorée Swim also known as the Dakar-Gorée Crossing (

French French may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France ** French people, a nation and ethnic group ** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices Arts and media * The French (band), ...

: '' Traversée Dakar-Gorée'') is an annual

open water swimming Open water swimming is a swimming discipline which takes place in outdoor bodies of water such as open oceans, lakes, and rivers. Competitive open water swimming is governed by the International Swimming Federation, World Aquatics (formerly kno ...

race event between the beach of

Dakar Dakar ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Senegal, largest city of Senegal. The Departments of Senegal, department of Dakar has a population of 1,278,469, and the population of the Dakar metropolitan area was at 4.0 mill ...

and

Gorée (; "Gorée Island"; ) is one of the 19 (i.e. districts) of the city of Dakar, Senegal. It is an island located at sea from the main harbour of Dakar (), famous as a destination for people interested in the Atlantic slave trade. Its populatio ...

island, first held in 1985. The competition is split into a 4500 m race for amateurs and a 5200 m course. The 2020 edition was cancelled due to the

COVID-19 epidemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

. This sporting event is very popular in

Senegal Senegal, officially the Republic of Senegal, is the westernmost country in West Africa, situated on the Atlantic Ocean coastline. It borders Mauritania to Mauritania–Senegal border, the north, Mali to Mali–Senegal border, the east, Guinea t ...

and is unique in

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History

The Dakar-Gorée crossing was launched in 1985 as a homage to the victims of

slavery Slavery is the ownership of a person as property, especially in regards to their labour. Slavery typically involves compulsory work, with the slave's location of work and residence dictated by the party that holds them in bondage. Enslavemen ...

who displayed resilience by attempting to swim, often in chains, towards freedom.

Gorée Island (; "Gorée Island"; ) is one of the 19 (i.e. districts) of the city of Dakar, Senegal. It is an island located at sea from the main harbour of Dakar (), famous as a destination for people interested in the Atlantic slave trade. Its populatio ...

is a place symbolic of the memory of the

slave trade Slave trade may refer to: * History of slavery - overview of slavery It may also refer to slave trades in specific countries, areas: * Al-Andalus slave trade * Atlantic slave trade ** Brazilian slave trade ** Bristol slave trade ** Danish sl ...

in Africa, and is listed as a

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. The idea for the crossing came from a group of young swimmers, mostly from Gorée, who wanted to celebrate Saint Charles, patron saint of Gorée, by challenging each other to a race between Dakar and Gorée Island. Among them, Samba Ndoye, Ibra Kare, Hachim Badji, Mbaye Ndiaye, Mohamed Diop, and Karim Thioune would go on to become important figures in Senegalese sport. The first edition of the swim took place on October 15, 1985, during the

International Youth Year The year 1985 was proclaimed by the United Nations as the International Youth Year (IYY). It was held to focus attention on issues of concern to and relating to youth. The proclamation was signed on 1 January 1985, by United Nations Secretary Gen ...

. Around thirty participants set off from the harbor of the

Autonomous Port of Dakar The Autonomous Port of Dakar (French: ''Port autonome de Dakar'', abbreviation: ''PAD'') is a Senegalese public enterprise which is headquartered in Dakar, located in the east of city. Thanks to the strategic position that gives it a sheltered har ...

for this inaugural edition, covering a distance of 3500 m. Since 2001, the Senegalese Swimming and Lifesaving Federation decided to adhere to the standards of the

International Swimming Federation World Aquatics, formerly known as FINA (; ), is the international federation recognised by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) for administering international competitions in water sports. It is one of several international federations whi ...

(FINA), increasing the distance of the Dakar-Gorée crossing to 5000 m, starting from the Voile d'Or beach in Dakar. In 2004, the competition saw over 600 participants, both men and women, Senegalese and foreigners. It was in 2008 that the Senegalese Swimming and Lifesaving Federation decided to organize two starts: race A (7800 m), starting from

Thiaroye Thiaroye (or Tiaroye) is the name of a historic town in Sénégal, situated in the suburbs of Dakar, on the southeast coast of the Cap-Vert peninsula, between Pikine and Rufisque. Since the administrative reform in 1996, Thiaroye has been divid ...

, and race B (4500 m) with the starting point at the Voile d'Or beach. The 2008 innovation has been maintained since then, but both races now start from the same location (Voile d'Or), with a change in distance for race A, which now covers 5200 m. In 2012, the 4500 m race for amateurs saw the participation of 410 individuals, while the race for experienced swimmers, licensed club members, covering 7800 m, was contested by 66 individuals, according to the organizers. It has been a recurring event throughout its history, except in 2020 and 2021 when it was cancelled due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

Description

As of 2023, two race categories are held during the event: Race A, which spans 5,200 meters and is attended by professional swimmers starting from Voile d'Or; and Race B, designed for amateurs, which in 2023 saw participation from around 400 swimmers.

Winners

Men's competition

Women's competition

References

{{reflist Open water swimming competitions Sports competitions in Dakar Swimming competitions in Africa 1985 establishments in Senegal Recurring sporting events established in 1985