Didier Drogba is a member of what might be the world’s greatest sporting WhatsApp group.
Along with fellow global icons Tom Brady, LeBron James, Virat Kohli and Rafael Nadal – as well as actor Will Smith – the former Chelsea and Ivory Coast striker owns a team in E1 Series, the world’s first all-electric international powerboat racing competition.
Having taken to the waves last year, E1 is nearing the chequered flag on its second season and is about to pay its first visit to Africa, with Lagos’ lagoon set to host the nine teams over the weekend of 4-5 October.
“When we decided to jump on the journey with E1, the main goal was always ‘let’s bring the race to Africa’,” Drogba told BBC Sport Africa.
“We want people to discover our culture, to discover our history. That’s why Lagos is for us a good choice, because it’s a vibrant city.”
Drogba’s partner Gabrielle Lemaire, who is a co-investor in their team, also believes Nigeria’s largest city fits the bill.
“The people are very young and it’s an opportunity for us to advocate for sustainability,” said the entrepreneur and vice president of the Didier Drogba Foundation.
Billing itself on its website as “pioneering a sustainable future in marine sports”, E1 claims to “regenerate coastal waters through innovative clean technologies”.
Venice, Monaco, Dubrovnik, Doha and Lake Como in Italy are among the venues so far visited by E1, with Miami scheduled to round off this season.
It also aims to promotes gender equality, with every team consisting of one female and one male pilot.
“As a symbol it is really strong to show that men and women can do sports,” said Lemaire.
“We would like to advocate for this, for the young people, for the young ladies to understand how important it is today.
“It’s not only a sport that we’re talking about here.”