Accra 2023 African Games - Broadcast Opening Sequence
Copyright (c) 2023 African Union (AU)
Held at Accra between 8 to 23 March 2024, the 13th African Games marked the first ocassion that Ghana plays host, and was also the second time in history that the Games would be decentralized, as some select sports and events were staged in Kumasi and Cape Coast - Ghana's second-largest city.
More than 2,600 athletes from 52 countries across Africa competed at the Games, which (in some sports) also doubles as a qualifying competition for the 2024 Paris Olympics. Demonstration sports were also present at Accra 2023, and that included the likes of eSports, mixed martial arts (MMA), sambo, teqball, and (to surprise many) scrabble.
Initially, the African Games in Accra were initially due to take place in August 2023, but the event was moved to March 2024 because of another reason - a fight over money and delays in getting the facilities ready.
Traditionally, the African Union organizes these games, but in 2019, the AU, the Association of National Olympic Committees of Africa (ANOCA) and the Association of African Sports Confederations (AASC) all signed a deal to run that year's games in Rabat, Morocco as an Olympic qualifier before the Tokyo Olympics. The three organizations, however, then fell out over marketing revenue and ownership of the African Games.
On the venue side, there were plans for a $200 million-stadium built at Borteyman to be used as a centrepiece for the event, but the project was shelved due to financial constraints caused by the COVID-19 pandemic in the country. They, instead, took the decision to renovate the University of Ghana's Legon Stadium, which had long been abandoned for two decades. The country spent $34 million in funds to complete the stadium just in time for the Games, in which athletics, football, and rugby sevens are among the sports that took place at the venue.
