African Athletics All-Africa Games 50th Anniversary 2015

The All-Africa Games is a multi-sport event consisting of summer Olympic events held every four years. In 1965, the first All Africa Games were held in Brazzaville Congo. The 50th anniversary of the games from 1965-2015 will see a record number of Gold, Silver and Bronze medals are awarded to African athletes from 54 African Countries.  

African Athletics All-Africa Games

The All-Africa Games are organized by The Association of National Olympic Committees of Africa, which was founded in 1981 in Lome Togo. The All Africa Games were originally named the Friendship Games and then the Pan-African Games celebrate African athletics and African unity. 

One of the original All Africa Games supporters was an International Olympic Committee first African member, Egyptian sprinter Angelo Bolanaki.

In 1965, the first All Africa Games were held in Brazzaville Congo. Unfortunately, a military coup forced the cancellation of the second games in Mali in 1969. The spirit of the games could not be crushed; Lagos Nigeria hosted the second games in 1973. In 1977, the third games were scheduled to take place in Algiers Algeria, but were postponed for a year and were held in 1978.

The last of the delays, in Nairobi Kenya the original due date of the games was in 1983 but were deferred until 1985 finally taking place in 1987. South Africa was first permitted to compete in the All-Africa Games in 1995.

All-Africa Games Host Countries

I        1965  Brazzaville Republic of the Congo

1969  Disrupted by Military Coup, Bamako Mali

II    1973  Lagos Nigeria

III 1978  Algiers Algeria

IV  1987  Nairobi Kenya

V      1991  Cairo Egypt

VI         1995  Harare Zimbabwe

VII     1999  Johannesburg South Africa

VIII  2003  Abuja Nigeria

IX  2007  Algiers Algeria

X     2011  Maputo Mozambique

XI        2015 Brazzaville Republic of the Congo