Hello

Your subscription is almost coming to an end. Don’t miss out on the great content on Nation.Africa

Ready to continue your informative journey with us?

Hello

Your premium access has ended, but the best of Nation.Africa is still within reach. Renew now to unlock exclusive stories and in-depth features.

Reclaim your full access. Click below to renew.

Subscribe for a month to get full access

Cancellations of All African Games kill talent

Editorial logo Nation.Africa

By  Editorial

This year’s African Games, which were to be held from August 4 to 19 in Accra, Ghana, have been postponed to a later date next year.

This comes at a time when the sports world is picking up after the Covid-19 crisis. Sportsmen and women were warming up for the outing, especially with the Olympic Games coming up next year in Paris, France.

That the 13th edition had to be postponed owing to economic pressure, delays in preparations and disagreements among key stakeholders is shameful and disappointing to the continent.

Also Read

There has been acrimony between African sporting federations and the African Union (AU) over marketing rights.

The AU, the Association of National Olympic Committee of Africa (ANOCA) and African Sporting Confederations have been feuding over funds from TV rights and other sponsorships.

The three agencies have, mercifully,  agreed after a meeting chaired by Ghanaian President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo at the AU headquarters in Addis Ababa, on Saturday last week. A new protocol agreement was also signed on the sidelines of the AU Heads of State Summit in the Ethiopian capital.

Ghana has been struggling to have the necessary facilities ready for the games in Accra, Kumasi and Cape Coast; with the construction of a complex that was to host swimming and boxing among other indoor events falling behind schedule.

Countries had called for the relocation of the Games or cancellation after the tussle between stakeholders, with venues falling short of the required international standards.

This calls for seriousness among African countries and sports managers when it comes to bidding to host major events.

South Africa already hosted the Cricket World Cup in 2003 and Football World Cup in 2010, but the continent is yet to host the Olympics or Commonwealth Games.

The tussle started way back after the 2019 Games in Rabat, Morocco, and action should have been taken early enough.

Cancelling such Games kills talent, especially after the sportsmen and women stayed inactive for years owing to Covid-19.

In the headlines