In4mationMania

NIGERIA will once again attempt to rule the continent at the 11th All Africa Games which kicked off at the weekend in Congo Brazzaville.

The competition which was first staged from July 18 to 25, 1965 also in Brazzaville, has become Africa’s version of the Olympic Games in terms of glamour and status.

After the 1925 proposed
maiden All Africa Games in Algeria by Frenchman and president of the then International Olympic Committee (IOC), Baron Pierre de Coubertin failed to materialise, another attempt to start the Games in 1929 in  Alexandria, Egypt was aborted by colonial insurgence as the colonisers feared the competition might serve as a platform to unite Africa, and help Africans secure freedom from their colonial status.

The introduction of sub-regional games in West Africa in the early 1960s eventually paved the way for the much awaited All Africa Games to become a reality in 1965 which was attended by 2,500 athletes from 29 countries. The then IOC president, Avery Brundage also attended the inaugural Games as the IOC’s chief observer.

The 1965 Games were declared open by the then president of the Republic of the Congo, Alphonse Massamba Debat, while Abebe Bikila of Ethiopia, the winner of marathon at the 1960 and 1964 Olympic Games was honoured at the event.

Only 10 sports were competed for by male athletes at the Games, while women featured in only two sports -athletics and basketball.

Egypt topped the medals table with 17 gold, 10 silver and three bronze medals, as Nigeria followed with nine gold, seven silver and five bronze medals, while Kenya finished third with eight gold, 11 silver and 13 bronze medals.

One of Nigeria’s heroes at Brazzaville ‘65 was Samuel Igun who won two gold medals in athletics.

Nigeria has attended all the AAG editions till date and had only emerged victorious at the eighth edition held in Abuja in 2003.

The second edition of AAG was staged in Lagos from January 7 to 18, 1973 which was also won by Egypt with 25 gold, 16 silver and 15 bronze medals, as the hosts finished second with 18 gold, 25 silver and 20 bronze medals, while Kenya again came third with nine gold, nine silver and 10 bronze medals.

Though Nigeria failed to win the championships, there were a number of athletes who came to the limelight through the Games.

The heroines of the Games were Modupe Osikoya who won three gold medals in 100m hurdles, high jump and long jump; Ethel Jacks, three gold medals in table tennis women’s singles, women’s doubles (with Modupe Beyioku) and mixed doubles (with Lateef Sumola).

Arguably, the highlight of the second AAG was no doubt the victory of Nigeria’s senior soccer team which won the gold at the expense of Guinea in the final.

For the first time, North Africa staged the continental showpiece as Algeria hosted the third All Africa Games between January 13 and 28, 1978.

Interestingly, Tunisia emerged new Africa’s champion with 29 gold, 15 silver and 25 bronze medals, while Nigeria maintained her traditional second spot with 22 gold, 15 silver and 15 bronze medals, while the hosts, Algeria finished third with 21 gold, 19 silver and 26 bronze medals ahead of Kenya which had 11 gold, 12 silver and 10 bronze medals.

Osikoya retained her long jump and high jump titles in Algiers while Nigeria clinched all the table tennis titles except the mixed doubles won by Togo.

The highlight of Nigeria’s achievement at Algiers ‘78 was no doubt the victory of Kasali Lasisi, a coach/player from Kwara State. Kasali defeated the then world’s number one seed, Liang-Cho-Long of China in a preparatory game before his triumph in Algiers.

At the fourth edition of the Games held from August 1 to 12, 1987 in Nairobi, Kenya, Egypt reclaimed its leadership position on the continent with 47 gold, 28 silver and 26 bronze medals, as Nigeria as usual followed with 33 gold, 31 silver and 38 bronze medals, while Tunisia finished third with 24 gold, 16 silver and 17 bronze medals.

Nigeria also dominated the table tennis through the exploits of Atanda Musa and Iyabo Akanmu, among others, while Chidi Imo, Innocent Egbunike, Maria Usifo and Falilat Ogunkoya reigned in the athletics event.

North Africa for the second time hosted the Games as the fifth AAG was held in Cairo, Egypt from September 20 to October 1, 1991. Nigeria featured in 15 of the 18 sports staged by the hosts.

Egypt again came out tops with 90 gold, 53 silver and 52 bronze medals as Nigeria held on to its traditional spot with 43 gold, 54 silver and 43 bronze medals, while Algeria placed third with 29 gold, 36 silver and 34 bronze medals.

At the sixth AAG held in Harare, Zimbabwe, from September 13 to 23, 1995, a new champion emerged on the continent as South Africa on its debut, amassed 64 gold, 51 silver and 39 bronze medals to displace Egypt which finished with 61 gold, 43 silver and 50 bronze medals, while Nigeria this time settled for the third spot having finished with 36 gold, 31 silver and 40 bronze medals.

South Africa hosted the seventh edition in Johannesburg between September 9 and 19, 1999 and retained the title it won in Zimbabwe after finishing with 71 gold, 64 silver and 49 bronze medals.

This time, Nigeria returned to its second position with 64 gold, 28 silver and 37 bronze medals as Egypt placed third with 53 gold, 60 silver and 45 bronze medals.

For the second time, Nigeria hosted the AAG as the eighth edition was held in Abuja from October 4 to 18, 2003 and it marked a turning point in the history of sports in Nigeria.

Reason: Nigeria eventually emerged Africa’s best after it amassed 85 gold, 90 silver and 56 bronze medals ahead of Egypt which finished with 81 gold, 66 silver and 71 bronze medals, while South Africa placed third with 63 gold, 59 silver and 52 bronze medals.

Perhaps, Nigeria’s victory was aided by the sterling performance of its special sports athletes who accounted for 22 gold medals as weightlifting had 14 gold medals while athletics had 13 gold medals.

Unarguably, the most successful athlete at Abuja 2003 was Funke Oshonaike who clinched four gold medals at the Games. The ping ponger triumped in the women’singles, women’s doubles, mixed doubles and women’s team, while weightlifter Akwa Etineabasi also became a hero at the Games after winning three gold medals in the men’s 62kg.

Also, Mary Onyali was one of the heroines of the Games with her three gold medals in 100m, 200m and 4x100m.

Nigeria slipped to the fourth position at the ninth edition staged in Algeria in 2007 having amassed 50 gold, 55 silver and 54 bronze medals, as Egypt finished tops with 74 gold, 62 silver and 62 bronze medals ahead of the hosts, Algeria which had 70 gold, 58 silver and 76 bronze medals, while South Africa placed third with 61 gold, 66 silver and 53 bronze medals.

South Africa reclaimed African title at the 10th edition of AAG held in Maputo, Mozambique with 61 gold, 55 silver and 41 bronze medals.

Egypt garnered 32 gold, 14 silver and 22 bronze medals to push Nigeria to the third position with 31 gold, 28 silver and 39 bronze medals.

The question is, how prepared is Nigeria to rule the continent again at the 11th All Africa Games in Brazzaville?

Team Nigeria to Brazzaville 2015 is made up of 201 male and 178 female athletes and will feature in 20 sports which are badminton, gymnastics, volleyball, beach volleyball, athletics, boxing, basketball, cycling, football, handball, judo, karate, para-athletics, para-powerlifting, swimming, table tennis, taekwondo, tennis, weightlifting and wrestling.

Nigeria’s strengths include special sports especially para-powerlifting, athletics, weightlifting, wrestling, table tennis, boxing, taekwondo.

In boxing, no fewer than four gold medals are being expected from Efeteobor Apochi, Efe Ajagba, Kehinde Obareh and Edith Ogoke-Agu, while the powerlifting team boasts world record holders like Esther Oyema, Yakubu Adesokan, Ben Nsini and Commonwealth Games champion, Loveline Obiji, among others.

Also, Edem Offiong is going to Brazzaville to defend her women’s singles title in table tennis as Doreen Amata is set to defend her high jump title which she has been in her possession since Algiers 2007.

Stakeholders expressed confidence that the athletics team would make up for the Beijing 2015 IAAF flop in Brazzaville though, star sprinter, Blessing Okagbare, according to the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) scribe, Olumide Bamiduro has opted out of the quadrennial Games.

“I believe our athletes will live up to expectation in Congo, we are going to top the athletics medals chart because we have the materials. What happened in Beijing is a lesson and I don’t see our athletes being stopped in Africa. This is a lesser competition compared to the world championships and I’m confident that we have what it takes to beat others in Africa,” Nigeria’s first Olympic gold medallist, Chioma Ajunwa-Opara told Tribunesport by phone.