After five years of preparation, Ghana is ready to host the biggest sporting event on the African continent, with over 49 countries participating in the highly anticipated 13th African Games.
It is a historic game for the country, as she hosts the games for the first time since it’s inception in 1965, having built modern, state-of-the-art sporting facilities.
The theme for the games, “Experience the African Dream,” would celebrate the vast sporting talents on the continent as they converge in Accra to make history for themselves and their countries.
A total of 30 sporting disciplines will feature at the 13th African Games, with seven Olympic qualifying sporting disciplines, 16 non-Olympic qualifiers, and seven demonstration sports. Ghana would have the opportunity to showcase its diverse culture to the rest of the world during the opening ceremony set for Friday, March 8, 2024, with an anticipated two billion TV and online viewers during the three-week event. Over 13,000 elite athletes from all over Africa would be competing for honours, while others would also be hoping to pick spots for this year’s Olympic Games in Paris.
Following the arrival of some nations in Accra over the past few days, some preliminary qualifying events are expected to get underway. on Monday, March 4, 2024. These include disciplines like badminton, handball, and table tennis.
The first medals would be up for grabs on Tuesday, March 5, 2024, in the badminton and table tennis events.
Athletics would dash off on Monday, March 18, 2024, with a total of 174 medals up for grabs in both the men’s and women’s track and field events.
The newly constructed Borteyman Sports Complex will host some games, including badminton, handball, and tennis.
The world-class aquatic centre at Borteyman Sports Complex would also host swimming events and some non-Olympic qualifying games, including Taekwondo, Karate-do, Judo, Handball and fencing.
The newly commissioned University of Ghana Sports Stadium, which will host the opening ceremony of the games, will host all track and field events.
The Accra Sports Stadium and the University of Ghana Sports Stadium will host the men’s football, while the women’s competition will be played at the Cape Coast Sports Stadium and the Paa Kwesi Ndoum Sports Complex.
The Achimota Oval will host the cricket events, while cycling, which is an Olympic qualifier, will be hosted at Olebu and Ablekuma in Accra.
The Theodosia Okoh Hockey Stadium will host 10 countries for both the men’s and women’s hockey events, with participating countries including South Africa, Egypt, Nigeria, Ghana, and Zimbabwe, among others.
