Aauri Bokesa: “When I was little I had problems because I didn’t have a regulatory body. Now, being strong is something that makes me proud.”

• The athlete Aauri Bokesa reflects on gender identity and stereotypes in the fourth interview that the Higher Sports Council (CSD) broadcasts this week on the occasion of International Women’s Day, which is commemorated this March 8.

Madrid, March 6, 2025.- The athlete Aauri Bokesa is the fourth protagonist of the series of interviews that the Higher Sports Council (CSD) is broadcasting this week, on the occasion of International Women's Day that is commemorated this Saturday, March 8.

From her experience “as a woman, black, Spanish and bubi”, Aauri Bokesa reflects on the importance of identity in sport, feeling proud to be the reflection of its history, its culture and all the women who led it.

“What I discovered over the years is that you build your identity yourself. No one can tell you who you are or how you feel. It’s a job we each have to do as an introspection,” he says.

In that process, Aauri Bokesa underlines that diversity still encounters barriers to acceptance. "When I was younger, I had certain problems with having a non-normative body," she says. “I’m very tall, I have a lot of muscles, and it seemed like that made me less feminine, but you can be a female woman having muscles. Now, being strong is something that gives me a lot of pride”, shares the athlete, Olympian in London 2012, Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020.

Aauri Bokesa explains that she found in sport a tool for her “empowerment as a woman”, although she considers that more “changes in gender equality” are necessary.

A study promoted by the CSD and funded by NextGenerationEU on the “Treatment of Women’s Sports Information in Sport” reveals that sportswomen face gender stereotypes, highlighting physical or emotional aspects before sports achievements. This bias is not observed with the same frequency in the information coverage when men are the protagonists.

In this sense, article 4 of the Sports Law approved in December 2022 stresses the importance of “the media representation of women being free from sexual coercion and sexist stereotypes”.

"I think we are moving forward on equal opportunities. Above all, because we are talking about it and recognizing what can be improved," says Bokesa, who also claims racial wealth.

“For many whites, because I’m black, I’m not Spanish.Many migrants or many racialized people also do not understand that I say that I feel Spanish being black. But, even if I’m black, I’m Spanish. Being a diverse person is a superpower,” he argues.

Aauri Bokesa concludes his interview with a message aimed at the new generations of sportsmen and women, inviting them to pursue their dreams with ambition and perseverance: "Sometimes dreams come true. Sometimes it doesn’t, and nothing happens. If you go ahead with excitement, you’ll get to places you might not expect.”

Your testimonial is now available on the CSD’s YouTube channel and social media channels: https://youtu.be/u9Fo7zV7uus

The commitment to equality in sport

On the occasion of International Women’s Day, this Saturday, March 8, the CSD will organize an institutional event that will include a colloquium between the sportspeople Aauri Bokesa, Ana Ortega ‘Furia’, Eva Moral, María Vicente and Patricia García and the installation of several sports stations so that children, young people and adolescents can practice sports together with their references.

This activity, open to the general public, will close a day of demand on the role of women in sport that will begin at 11:45 a.m. in the sports hall located on the -2 floor of the CSD institutional building.

As an institution responsible for promoting public policies in the field of sports, the CSD maintains a firm commitment to equality, either through the promotion of initiatives that promote the participation of women in sport, the visibility of female references or the support of specific programs that favor real equality in the sports field.