The territory of the country now known as Senegal was French since 1677. Starting
in 1848, the inhabitants of the "Quatre Communes" received full French Citizenship
and the right to elect a member of the French parliament.
In January 1959, Senegal and the French Soudan merged to form the Federation of Mali.
The Federation of Mali gained independence from France in 1960.
Senegal left that federation and became independent in August 1960, even before the
start of the Roma Olympics. But Senegal did not yet have an OC, so
Senegalese athletes were forced to represent France.
Sèye did form the NOC of Senegal, but he was no longer active when the
nation made its debut in Tokyo.
This page is part of the site "Full Olympians" by Herman De Wael. See here for a full Introduction.