Andy Barat (born 29 November 1997)[1] is a Comorian canoeist. He qualified to represent Comoros at the 2024 Summer Olympics.
Barat was born in 1997[2] and spent his early years in Mutsamudu, a city in the Comoros, before later moving to France.[3] His father is from Anjouan while his mother is French.[4] He played multiple sports growing up, including football, judo and BMX biking.[5] When he was approximately 13, he was introduced to kayak slalom by his cousin, a member of the club CKClisson in Loire-Atlantique.[5] In France, Barat attended the Raphaël-Elizé school in Sablé-sur-Sarthe.[5] He competed at canoeing competitions in France and won the silver medal at the French Slalom Cup in 2022.[6] He also served four years in the French Army, being a member of the 3rd Marine Infantry Regiment through 2023.[5]
Having served for France, his mother's country, Barat decided that he wanted to represent his father's country and "make the Comorian colours shine."[5] He began competing in international canoeing events under the Comorian flag in 2023.[5] He participated at several events that year, including in Slovenia, Spain, France, Britain and Germany.[3] Among the 2023 events he participated in were the Canoe World Cup and the World Championships.[3] [7] He competed at the World Cup and World Championships again in 2024 and also won the silver medal at the 2024 African championships.[4] [8]
Barat is regarded as the best canoeist for the Comoros, a sport that has been described as "new... if not non-existent" in the country.[8] He qualified for the 2024 Summer Olympics and is the country's first-ever Olympic canoeist.[5] [9] He continues his training at the Clisson Canoe Kayak Club, where he is highly valued by the young members who support him daily and sometimes train alongside him.