Africa is bracing up for the 13th edition of the African Games that will take place in Ghana from March 8.
The continental sports festival has been a traditional event organised by the Africa Union in partnership with the Association of National Olympic Committees of Africa and the Association of African Sports Confederations.
All 54 countries on the continent are expected to participate in the quadrennial games that will also serve as Paris 2024 Olympic Games qualifiers
Ghana were announced as the host of the 2023 African Games in October 2018 but economic pressure and delayed preparation forced the postponement of the games to March 2024.
How did the African Games start?
Formerly known as the All-African Games, the African Games is a sports festival for Africans that is organised by Africans and is held every four years and a year before the Olympic Games.
It was coined from the defunct Community Games and Friendship Games that took place in 1963 in Senegal which led to the General Assembly of African Ministers of Youth and Sports to convene in Dakar that year.
The general assembly told the Republic of Congo to stage the inaugural edition of the African Games in July 1965.
The African Games is organised in line with the rules and regulations adopted by the African Union Specialized Technical Committee for Youth, Culture and Sports (STC-YCS).
When is the 2023 African Games
The 2023 African Games will take place in three Ghanaian cities – Accra, Kumasi and Cape Coast from March 8-23, 2024.
The Accra Sports Stadium will host the opening and closing ceremony of the 2023 African Games, while the newly-constructed Borteyman Sports Complex, the Theodosia Okoh Hockey Stadium, the Achimota Cricket Oval and the University of Ghana Stadium will host other sports in Accra.
This morning in Accra, I commissioned the University of Ghana Sports Stadium and Rugby Field, which will be used for the African Games, Accra 2023, alongside the newly-built, multi-purpose Borteyman Sports Complex.
The commissioning of the University of Ghana Sports Stadium, and… pic.twitter.com/CvnmUrH58P
— Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia (@MBawumia) March 1, 2024
Ghana’s 100m star by Benjamin Azamati has been confirmed as the 2023 African Games torch lighter for the opening ceremony.
How many sports will feature in the African Games
The sports in the 13th African Games are classified into three – eight Olympics Qualifying Sports, 15 Non-Olympic Qualifying Sports, six demonstration sports.
Olympic Sports
1. Athletics
2. Badminton
3. Cycling
4. Swimming
5. Table Tennis
6. Tennis
7. Triathlon
8. Wrestling
Non-Olympics Qualifiers
1. Armwrestling
2. Beach Volley
3. Basketball 3×3
4. Boxing
5. Chess
6. Cricket
7. Football
8. Handball
9. Hockey
10. Judo
11. Karate-Do
12. Rugby
13. Taekwondo
14. Volleyball
15. Weightlifting
Demonstration Sports
1. E-Sports
2. Mixed Martial Arts
3. Pickleball
4. Sambo
5. Scrabble
6. Speedball
The most successful countries in the African Games
Egypt are the most successful country in the history of the African Games, with a total of 1620 medals (639 gold, 500 silver, 481 bronze) in the last 12 editions of the Africa Games.
Nigeria follow in second place with 1326 medals (470 gold, 428 silver and 428 bronze), South Africa follow in third with a total of 1054 medals and Algeria are fourth with 1028 medals.
Interestingly, 50 out of the 54 countries in Africa have won at least a single medal in the African Games.
