CELEBRATING A DIVERSE AND ALL-INCLUSIVE SPORTING
A month has passed since South Africa women’s football team Banyana Banyana triumphantly won the TotalEnergies Africa Cup of Nations 2022 in Morocco and the South Africans are still cheering and dancing. With so much excitement in the air, TikTok users continue to share their thoughts, feelings and favorite moments, culminating with #EmpoweringOurGame which has received over 46.5 million views on the app.
Carla Harris, SSA Media Partnerships Lead with a particular focus on Sports and Entertainment explains that #EmpoweringOurGame was initiated by the CAF Confederation Cup and has caught the attention of millions of users not only for the Women’s AFCON but to celebrate to strengthen and strengthen the promotion of more inclusion in sport. Because of this, TikTok found it extremely important to support the hashtag both now during the football season and in support of other sporting events in the coming months.
“Women’s AFCON was an important partnership that highlighted TikTok as a key hub for sports entertainment, a positioning also solidified through partnerships with UEFA in 2021 and then with the CAF Confederation Cup earlier this year. While there are many sporting events to enjoy each year, we must continue to highlight and celebrate women in sport, particularly pioneering women in football, who continue to demonstrate their strength and power on and off the field,” Harris said.
She continues, “While esports has grown tremendously on TikTok, #womeninsports has really grown, reaching over 1.2 billion views. As a result of TikTok’s partnership with one of the most prominent African events on the sports calendar, #totalenergieswafcon2022 has over 65 million views and #banyanabanyana has 27 million views – both growing over the competition. These views are a testament to the growing esports culture and interest in the platform as we bring unique, creative and engaging content to fans,” Harris said.
Harris summarizes: There is an appetite for diversity in sport, and we and our user community want to hear all the voices in the room to create a positive and inclusive environment. We have the full support of our global team to grow sports content in the app and create more visibility around sports and sporting events across Africa. We look forward to everything that is to come.”
In celebration of the powerhouse women doing their thing on TikTok, take a look at some of our favorite sporting moments below:
@caf_online It’s just too easy for them #TotalEnergiesWAFCON2022 | #EmpoweringOurGame | #SouthAfrica ♬ Original sound – CAF_Online
@lady_pogba Congratulations to our queens. I’m really proud of her
@caf_online Linda Motlhalo shows some skills! #WAFCON2022 | #EmpoweringOurGame | #South Africa | #Banyanabanyana ♬ original sound – CAF_Online
@caf_online AGAINST 2028! Watch the #TotalEnergiesWAFCON2022 draw tomorrow LIVE on our TikTok account! ⚽️ #Football #Soccer #Africa #AfroDance #Nigeria #Naija #SouthAfrica ♬ Original sound – CAF_Online