The Mossi are a Gur ethnic group native to modern Burkina Faso, primarily the Volta River basin. The Mossi are the largest ethnic group in Burkina Faso, constituting 52% of the population, or about 11.1 million people. The other 48% of Burkina Faso's population is composed of more than 60 ethnic groups, mainly the Gurunsi, Senufo, Lobi, Bobo, Bissa and Fulani. The Mossi speak the Mòoré language.
Burkina Faso has sent athletes to every Summer Olympic Games held since 1988. Under its previous name of Upper Volta (VOL), the country also competed in 1972. After appearing in ten different Olympics, Burkina Faso won their first Olympic medal at the 2020 Summer Olympics, following Hugues Fabrice Zango's bronze-winning performance in the men's triple jump. No athletes from Burkina Faso have competed in any Winter Olympic Games.
Sport in Burkina Faso is widespread and includes football, basketball, baseball, cycling, rugby union, handball, tennis, athletics, boxing, and martial arts.
Burkina Faso sent a delegation to the 2012 Summer Paralympics in London, United Kingdom, from 29 August to 9 September 2012. This was the country's fifth appearance at a Summer Paralympic Games. The Burkinese delegation to London consisted of two athletes, Lassane Gasbeogo and Kadidia Nikiema, who competed in wheelchair cycling at the Brands Hatch race circuit in Kent. Neither athlete won any medals in their respective events, with the best finish of Burkina Faso at these Paralympics coming from Nikiema in the women's road trial H3 race with a sixth-place result.
Hugues Fabrice Zango is a Burkinabé athlete who specialises in the triple jump and the long jump. He is the world indoor record holder in the triple jump with a jump of 18.07 m set in 2021 and the reigning world champion, winning the gold medal in the triple jump at the 2023 World Championships. Zango competed at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and won the bronze medal at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan, in the triple jump event, the first ever Olympic medal for Burkina Faso. He has also competed in World Championships, two African athletics championships, a Jeux de la Francophonie, two Summer Universiades and two African Games. He became Burkina Faso's first-ever Olympic medalist, earning a bronze medal in Tokyo, and set the African triple jump record at the 2019 World Athletics Championships in Doha.
Burkina Faso competed at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from 5 to 21 August 2016. This was the nation's ninth appearance at the Summer Olympics, having participated since the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich under the name Upper Volta.
Cambodia competed in the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta and Palembang, Indonesia from 18 August to 2 September 2018. This event marks the 12th Asian Games appearance for Cambodia since making their debut in 1954.
Burkina Faso competed at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. Originally scheduled to take place from 24 July to 9 August 2020, the Games were postponed to 23 July to 8 August 2021, because of the COVID-19 pandemic. It was the nation's tenth appearance at the Summer Olympics, having participated since the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich under the name Upper Volta.
Morocco competed at the 2019 African Games held from 19 to 31 August 2019 in Rabat, Morocco. This was the first time that Morocco hosted the competition. It was also the first time since the 1978 All-Africa Games that Morocco took part in the competition after being banned. In total, athletes representing Morocco won 31 gold medals, 32 silver medals and 46 bronze medals and the country finished in 5th place in the medal table.
Guinea competed at the 2019 African Games held from 19 to 31 August 2019 in Rabat, Morocco. In total, two bronze medals were won and the country finished in 38th place in the medal table, shared with Benin and Togo.
Namibia competed at the 2019 African Games held from 19 to 31 August 2019 in Rabat, Morocco. Early on 56 athletes were scheduled to represent Namibia in 10 sports. This later grew to 68 athletes in 13 sports. In total two gold medals, two silver medals and four bronze medals were won and the country finished in 16th place in the medal table, shared with Angola. Most medals were won in cycling.
Chad competed at the 2019 African Games held from 19 to 31 August 2019 in Rabat, Morocco. In total, four bronze medals were won and the country finished 36th in the medal table.
Mauritius competed at the 2019 African Games held from 19 to 31 August 2019 in Rabat, Morocco. In total, athletes representing the country won six gold medals, six silver medals and twelve bronze medals and the country finished 8th in the medal table.
Madagascar competed at the 2019 African Games held from 19 to 31 August 2019 in Rabat, Morocco. Athletes representing Madagascar won six gold medals, four silver medals and two bronze medals. The men's team won the gold medal in 3x3 basketball and all other medals were won in weightlifting.
Sierra Leone competed at the 2019 African Games held from 19 to 31 August 2019 in Rabat, Morocco.
Guinea-Bissau competed at the 2019 African Games held from 19 to 31 August 2019 in Rabat, Morocco. In total, five athletes represented the country in three sports and they won one silver medal. The country finished 34th in the medal table.
Kosovo (KOS) competed at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan, represented by the Olympic Committee of Kosovo (KOK/OKK). The nation had previously participated in the Summer Olympic Games on one occasion in 2016. A total of 11 athletes, five men and six women, were selected by the national committee to compete in six sports. Initially scheduled to take place during the summer of 2020, the games were postponed to 23 July to 8 August 2021 in relation to the pandemic of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).
Faysal Sawadogo is a male taekwondo practitioner from Burkina Faso.
Burkina Faso competed at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris from 26 July to 11 August 2024. Although the nation made its official debut in Munich 1972 under the name Upper Volta, Burkinabé athletes have appeared in every edition of the Summer Olympics from 1988 onwards, except for three occasions, Montreal 1976, as the nation support for the African led boycott, Moscow 1980, as the nation's support for US led boycott, and LA 1984, as the nation's support for USSR led boycott.
Gloria Rachel Noela Guissou Kabré is a Burkinabé karateka and women's rights activist who was named Yennenga of the Year in 2023 for her work on promoting and developing female talent in sports in Burkina Faso. In 2019, she became the first Burkinabé woman to earn a medal at the African Games.
