Ouagadougou: The Minister of Sports, Youth and Employment, Ms. Annick Pikbougoum, announced on Friday that the prestigious "Etalons en Or" ceremony, which celebrates Burkinabe international athletes, will take place on June 4, 2026. This announcement was made during a meeting she held with the General Commission of the event.

According to Burkina Information Agency, the meeting was led by Commissioner General Lassina Sawadogo, who presented the "Golden Stallion" project to Minister Pikbougoum. The purpose was to give the Minister the exclusive opportunity to reveal the date of the 2026 edition of the event. The General Commissariat also took the opportunity to congratulate Ms. Pikbougoum on her recent appointment as head of the Sports Department.

During the presentation, Lassina Sawadogo and his team requested that Ms. Pikbougoum preside over the ceremony along with her counterparts from Mali, Niger, and Togo. The Minister agreed to this request, continuing the tradition from the previous year under her predecessor. This year's event will also honor athletes who have retired from international competition since the last edition, such as Alain Traor©, Banou Diawara, and Hugues Fabrice Zango.

Minister Pikbougoum expressed her commitment to supporting the Etalons en Or organizing committee to ensure the success of the event. The ceremony will again feature awards such as the Golden Stallion Football, the Golden Stallion Associated Disciplines, the Burkindi trophy for women, the Hope Prize, the Noufou Ou©draogo Prize for Solidarity (NOS), and the Mogho Naaba of Recognition (MonaR).

In the previous edition, Issoufou Dayo received the Golden Stallion football award, Iron Biby was awarded the Associated Disciplines trophy, Safoura Compaor© won the Burkindi trophy, Franck Lassina Traor© received the NOS, and the MonaR was awarded to Rahim Ou©draogo from Burkina Faso, Seydou K©ita from Mali, and Moussa Maazou from Niger, all of whom are former footballers.