U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken landed in Ivory Coast on Monday. During the visit, Blinken visited the Stade Olympique Alassane Ouattara D’Ebimpé in Côte d’Ivoire for an AFCON match where he was presented with a personalized jersey bearing his surname, a gesture that highlighted the warm welcome he received from the Republic of Cote d’Ivoire.
Commending the nation for the “extraordinary organization of this tournament,” Blinken took a moment to reflect on the profound impact of sports in fostering connections between diverse cultures.
“It’s great to be a small part of this year to honor the incredible work that the Ivory Coast is doing in bringing all of these countries together, bringing all of us together,” Blinken noted.
“It’s another way of building bridges between the United States and Africans, the United States, the Ivory Coast—we’re doing a lot of actual building, infrastructure. But this is building connections between people, sports does that as well as anything. It’s a pleasure to be a part of this tonight.”
The visit to The Republic of Côte d’Ivoire marks the second stop on Blinken’s African tour, which commenced in Cape Verde and will further extend to Nigeria and Angola.
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