Dakar , Senegal ( CNN ) -- In most of Africa , football reigns supreme among sports , but in Senegal wrestling challenges it for popularity . It provides entertainment and exercise , and offers young men dreams of fame and fortune . Wrestling 's popularity in Senegal makes it big business . For the sport 's superstars the rewards can be huge , with the biggest names earning up to $ 200,000 per contest . In a country where unemployment is pushing 50 % , some young men see it as a way out of poverty . Gris Bordeaux is a star in Senegal , a wrestling champion who also teaches at a wrestling school in the capital Dakar . He says wrestling is a mental , as well as physical , discipline and that reaching the top of his profession takes dedication . `` It 's all about making sacrifices , '' says Bordeaux . `` It requires training and meditation ; your mindset is important . You have to educate yourself well . `` Not all wrestlers get to realize their dreams , because on the bigger level it is few that get to where I am . You need to be focused on the sport -- like over 5,000 wrestlers you will get only 10 that make it . '' See also : Senegal island exposes horrors of the slave trade . Bordeaux credits wrestling with changing his life , bringing him success and wealth . `` What I do know is that it has given me a lot of opportunities , '' he says . `` It has opened doors for me because I am able to take care of myself and my family and especially to help the young people in the community . '' It 's perhaps a desire to emulate the likes of Bordeaux -- as well as a desire to keep fit -- that motivates young Senegalese men to work out on the beaches of Dakar . Wrestlers fight to unite world 's newest nation . Lacking the money to use a proper gym , some men have built a makeshift gym of their own . On the city 's public beaches they have set up workout benches , using whatever materials they can -- be it car tires or wheel rims loaded with rocks to make them heavier . Some of those training at Bordeaux 's school and pumping iron on the beach may one day make it onto the professional wrestling circuit , earning the right to wear the wrestler 's traditional pre-fight regalia . Bordeaux describes the costumes as art . He says : `` The way we dress is to show harmony -- we dress for the fight and we become different . When we wear the full attire for a fight , you wo n't recognize me ! ''
Wrestling is hugely popular in the West African country of Benin . Professional wrestlers can earn $ 200,000 per year , and many want to emulate their success . Wrestling legend André Breton says the sport has allowed him to support his family .