2022 was a memorable year for sports in Africa, as athletes and teams broke records and set new standards that ensured the reputation of the continent’s stars continues to grow and receive credit globally.
As we prepare for a new year, Afrosport compiles some of the most notable moments of the year.
Morocco break Africa’s World Cup jinx
Ever since Africa began having representatives at the FIFA World Cup with Zaire (now the Democratic Republic of Congo) in 1974, no team had advanced past the quarter-finals with only Cameroon, Senegal and Ghana reaching that stage in 1990, 2002 and 2010 respectively.
A new history was made at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, where Morocco reached the semi-final after beating European giants Portugal in the last-eight.
The Atlas Lions finished fourth overall and with such feat, Africa can now aim higher and go as far as winning the tournament, something that is likely to be a first as no team outside of Europe and South America has won the Mundial.
Nigeria’s Amusan sets new World Record in 100m hurdles
Tobi Amusan was the star of Nigerian sports in 2022 as she made global headlines by breaking the women’s 100 metres hurdles world record at the World Athletics Championships in Eugene, Oregon back in July at a time of 12.12 seconds.
The World Championships was not her only win in 2022 as she triumphed in the same category at the African Championships, Commonwealth Games and Diamond League as well the 4×100m relay in the former two events.
These feats led Amusan to landing multiple endorsement deals back home and was awarded with the national honour of Officer of the Order of the Niger (OON) by Nigeria President, Muhammadu Buhari.
Senegal end AFCON trophy drought
The Teranga Lions since their heroics of the 2002 FIFA World Cup have fielded some of the best players on the continent and in the globe.
Sadly, it never translated to an Africa Cup of Nations triumph, reaching the final in 2002 and 2019 without success.
The long wait changed for good when they lifted the 2021 AFCON back in January, beating the continent’s most successful team, Egypt on penalties.
It was a well-deserved moment for Aliou Cisse’s men and one that will see them aim for more accolades as they look to become an even bigger force to reckon with.
Nigeria’s women shine in youth World Cups
2022 was a very disappointing year for men’s football in Nigeria as the Super Eagles failed to progress past the quarter-finals at the Africa Cup of Nations in Cameroon, and also failed to go past Ghana to secure FIFA World Cup berth in Qatar.
It was, however, a very joyful moment for the ladies, particularly the age-grade national teams, who made headlines at the Under-17 World Cup in India and the Under-20 edition in Costa Rica. The Flamingoes were one of the surprise packages in India, finishing second in Group B and defeated the United States of America, Colombia and Germany on their way to finishing third in the tournament.
For the Falconets, they topped Group C ahead of France, South Korea and Canada, finishing with maximum points. They, however, couldn’t go past the quarter-finals as they lost 2-0 to the Netherlands. It was however still a good outing for Christopher Danjuma’s ladies.
Kenyan Athletics hit with doping bans
2022 is a year to be forgotten for Kenya as the country renowned for dominance in long-distance categories in athletics was hit with doping bans.
Various athletes that include Mark Otieno, Purity Rionoripo, Diana Kipyokei were banned by the Athletics Integrity Unit ranging from two to three years with some of the titles stripped as well. It casts a very dark shadow on the East African nation as it continues to grapple with doping. 20 names having been declared to have run foul of anti-doping rules in 2022 and this takes the number of ineligible Kenyan athletes under the AIU to 55. The country now risks a ban from any athletics event as it remains in category A of the World Anti-Doping Agency’s compliance watch list.
Regardless of this massive setback, some Kenyan athletes still made positive headlines. Eliud Kipchoge reduced the world record he set at the Berlin Marathon in 2018 at the 2022 event, taking off 30 seconds to finish in a time of 2:01:09. At the 2022 Commonwealth Games, Ferdinand Omanyala won gold in 100 metres while Jackline Chepkoech was dominant in the women’s 3,000m steeplechase and set a new games record. Kenya ultimately collected 21 medals in Birmingham: six gold, five silver, and 10 bronze.
Still on Kenya but away from athletics, FIFA lifted its ban on the country that lasted nine months after the government reinstated its football association. The Kenyan government initially disbanded the football federation in 2021 over corruption allegations.
Government interference in football matters runs foul of FIFA laws and as a result, the Harambee Stars were kicked out of all FIFA and CAF tournaments.
The uplifting of the ban means they can participate in the 2023 AFCON qualifiers. It also saw the return of ex-captain Victor Wanyama who quit international football last year over disputes within the Kenyan Football Federation.
