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Welcome to the African Games! A sports tale of struggle and resilience
Kenya women's volleyball team, Malkia Strikers, players Pamela Adhiambo (left) attacks as Edith Wisah blocks during their training session at Moi International Sports Centre, Kasarani Indoor Arena in Nairobi on March 5, 2024 ahead of African Games set for March 8 to 23 in Accra, Ghana.
What you need to know:
- From the time the first Games were held in Brazzaville, Congo in 1965, postponements and chaotic organisation have been the norm rather than the exception
- During the Thursday flag handover ceremony, Namwamba reprimanded KNSC for the selection fiasco in athletics, historically Kenya’s biggest medal earner.
- Long queues and long waits for food at the Games Village have also frustrated the eager athletes there for the biggest multi-sport event on the continent
The African Games, formerly All Africa Games, have had a troubled history.
From the time the first Games were held in Brazzaville, Congo in 1965, postponements and chaotic organisation have been the norm rather than the exception.
The 1969 Games, awarded to Mali were cancelled following a military coup in that county. Lagos hosted the Games in 1973 when the Biafra War ended, and two years after they were to stage the multi-sport event.
The third edition, originally scheduled for Algeria in 1977 was delayed by a year. Nairobi was awarded the 1983 Games that were first pushed back to 1985 before eventually being held in 1987.
They are also remembered for how an American called Dick Berg conned the Kenyan government out of millions of shillings in a fake advertising deal. The 13th edition, that began Saturday to March 23 in Accra had been delayed by seven months due to the host country’s struggle to prepare and deliver venues on time and a dispute between the Game’s owners, African Union and the Association of African Sporting Confederations (AASC) over management of the event. Kenya’s preparations have mirrored the host’s inadequacies.
New Kenya Volleyball Federation President Charles Nyaberi (right) and his main challenger David Kilundo during the polls at Nyayo Stadium on August 19, 2023. Nyaberi is the Team Kenya overall Team Manager for the Accra 2023 African Games.
The Kenya National Sports Council are mandated to prepare Team Kenya for the African Games but despite its chairman Nderitu Gikaria assuring the country as late as November 2022 that preparations were on track, it has been a tale of challenges.
First, a ministerial African Games Steering Committee, a tradition tool created to prepare successive Kenyans teams for major international multi-sport events, was never constituted for the Accra Games despite the National Olympic Committee of Kenya (NOC-K) writing numerous request letters to the Sports Ministry to gazette one.
“We have been managing preparations as KNSC executive council and liaising with the Sports PS for what we need,” KNSC treasurer and Team Kenya overall Team Manager Charles Nyaberi said.
Interestingly, NOC-K that has the requisite experience to organise teams for majors events, has had a peripheral role in this Games as they concentrate on the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.
NOC-K secretary general Francis Mutuku said they had an MoU with KNSC for the 2019 Rabat African Games but had not signed any agreement for 2023 Accra Games.
Nation Sport reported on Thursday that KNSC had earlier indicated that the country would send to Accra 159 athletes representing 17 disciplines, namely table tennis, cycling, chess, swimming, volleyball, beach volleyball, wrestling, weightlifting, judo, handball, boxing, triathlon, tennis, basketball 3x3, rugby, taekwondo, and athletics.
Kenyan athletes walk off the Nyayo stadium pitch after refusing to compete in the African Games trials over quota issues on March 5, 2023.
But track and field athletes staged a sit-in during their trials at Nyayo Stadium on Tuesday demanding more berths after they had been told only one slot was available for each race category. Their slots were eventually increased from 30 to 52.
Hockey men and women teams were as late as Saturday still hoping to be included in Team Kenya even with reports in Accra indicating facilities for this discipline had not been completed.
Sports Cabinet Secretary Ababu Namwamba (centre) hands over flag to athletics team representing Kenya in the African Games at Weston Hotel in Nairobi on March 07,2024.
The flag handover to Team Kenya by Sports CS Ababu Namwamba was done on Monday at Moi International Sports Centre as athletes begun reporting to camp.
Another flag handover was done to the athletics team by the Sports CS on Thursday. During the Thursday handover ceremony, Namwamba reprimanded KNSC for the selection fiasco in athletics, historically Kenya’s biggest medal earner.
Talking of selection, the Team Kenya overall captain has not been named with Nyaberi saying the selection would be done Saturday or Sunday. And without official Kenya ceremonial kit, Nation Sport understands the attire was ordered but has yet to be delivered to KNSC, the national team, with or without an overall captain to lead them, was expected to step out for the Games Opening Ceremony on Friday evening at the newly inaugurated University of Ghana Sports Stadium, all dressed in tracksuits.
Meanwhile, Kenyan athletes already in Accra have complained of lack of facilities for training. Long queues and long waits for food at the Games Village have also frustrated the eager athletes there for the biggest multi-sport event on the continent. This edition will have about 4,000 athletes competing in 29 sports disciplines.
Welcome to the African Games!
