From 1972 through 2016, boxer Issaka Daboré was Niger’s only Olympic medalist. Having taken up the sport in April of 1958, he won his first international medal as a welterweight at the 1961 Friendship Games between African countries, before capturing the title in 1963. This led to his début as the first Olympian to represent Niger in 1964, where he was the nation’s sole participant and was eliminated in the quarterfinals by upcoming bronze medalist Pertti Purhonen of Finland. The following year, he won a silver medal at the All-Africa Games after losing the final bout to Cameroon’s Joseph Bessala, who would end up as runner-up at the 1968 Mexico City Olympics.
Daboré, however, would not face Bessala in Mexico City, as he switched to the light-welterweight division prior to the Games. There, he was one of only two Nigerien representatives (the other being another boxer, bantamweight Dary Dasuda) and was defeated in round three by Yevgeny Frolov of the Soviet Union. Finally, in 1972, he reached the semi-finals of the tournament and, although he lost to upcoming silver medalist Angel Angelov of Bulgaria, he earned Niger’s first Olympic medal, bronze, as part of a small delegation of only four, all boxers. He also served as the flagbearer in the opening ceremony.
This would remain Niger’s only Olympic medal until 2016, when Razak Alfaga took silver in the heavyweight division of the taekwondo tournament. Daboré fought for one more year, winning silver in the light-welterweight division of the 1973 All-African Games behind Nigeria’s Obisia Nwankpa, before retiring. He never turned professional.
Niger