African Games

NIGERIA FINISHES SECOND AT 12TH AFRICAN GAMES

Published

5 years ago

August 31, 2019

BY KUNLE SOLAJA, RABAT.

As the curtain falls on the 12^th African Games tonight in Rabat, Team Nigeria places second as at close of most events on Friday night. The position will certainly not change, but there could be additional medals for events not concluded.

As at Friday night, Nigeria had 44 gold, 30 silver and 47 bronze medals making a total of 121 medals. Nigeria will certainly not be overtaken by the third-placed South Africa, which has 87 medals comprising of 36 gold, 26 silver and 25 bronze medals.

In all the different shades of medals, Nigeria ranks higher than the third-placed team.

The bulk of Nigeria’s medals came from weightlifting, which accounted for 16 gold, 13 silver and 18 bronze medals. This is followed by athletics, which accounted for 10 gold, seven silver and six bronze medals.

Nigeria’s gold medal count in Weightlifting

Nigeria’s silver medal count in Weightlifting

Nigeria’s bronze medal count in Weightlifting

The medal haul of Nigeria in wrestling is a bronze, four silver and seven gold medals. Next is the relatively less popular Canoeing where Nigeria had four gold medals.

Nigeria’s medal count in Athletics

Nigeria’s medal count in Wrestling

Nigeria’s medal count in Canoeing, Football and Gymnastics

Table Tennis fetched Nigeria two gold, four silver and four bronze medals. In badminton, Nigeria won two gold, three silver and three bronze medals. Basketball fetched Nigeria two medals comprising of a gold and bronze.

Nigeria’s medal count in Table Tennis, Taekwondo and Tennis

Nigeria’s medal count in Badminton

In football, Nigeria had a gold and a silver medal. Nigerian boxers won a gold, silver and five bronze medals. Table tennis fetched Nigeria two gold four silver and four bronze medals.

Nigeria had a gold medal in Karate. In gymnastic, it was a gold medal and two bronze medals. Taekwondo fetched Nigeria, a gold medal.

Nigeria’s medal count in Basketball and Boxing

Egypt are the runaway leaders, a position they have maintained in almost all editions of the Games except that of 2003 when Nigeria topped and in 1978 when they withdrew midway owing to perceived hostility with Algeria.

Forty-one years on, sporting ties between Egypt and Algeria have remained strained with football encounters involving both countries being tagged as ‘high risk’.

Incidentally, it was at the 1978 edition that current hosts, Morocco last participated. Their withdrawal from succeeding editions was politically motivated after the then Organisation of African Unity (OAU) took sides with the Western Sahara.

The now dormant Supreme Council for Sports in Africa (SCSA) ran the Games at inception, which was a sporting arm of the OAU. The games are no longer under the control of African Union (AU) , the successors to OAU.

African Games

BREAKING! Accra 2023 African Games Chieftain is dead

Published

5 months ago

April 24, 2024

Kunle Solaja

Dr. Emmanuel Owusu-Ansah, who superintended the 13^th African Games held in Accra Ghana in February has died.

He was the Chief Operating Officer of the Accra 2023 Local Organising Committee (LOC).

According to sources in Ghana, Dr. Owusu-Ansah was a sports administrator and coach, and thus left behind, a significant legacy in the world of sports.

Dr Owusu-Ansah, a former Chief Executive of the National Sports Authority (NSA), was widely regarded as an encyclopaedia of sports knowledge.

Among his many accomplishments, Dr. Owusu-Ansah, a former national chief athletics coach, authored the best-selling book “Principles of Abundant Living.”

He played a pivotal role in establishing the Department of Sports Studies at the College of Education at the University of Ghana. Additionally, he served as the Director of the Sports Directorate at the University of Ghana, Legon.

African Games

ASFU mourns African Games 2023 chief executive, Owusu-Ansah

Published

5 months ago

April 24, 2024

Kunle Solaja

The Africa Students Football Union (ASFU) has expressed condolences over the passing of a patron of the union, Dr Emmanuel Owusu-Ansah, who served as the COO of the just concluded 13th Africa Games held in Ghana.

Dr. Owusu-Ansah’s death was announced on Tuesday, April 23, 2024.

According to a release by the executive secretary of the union, Femi Abioye, Owusu-Ansah until his death contributed immensely to sports development on the continent and the world at large.

He left an indelible impact on the lives of students-athletes coupled with sports administration across Africa countries.

The ASFU’s President, Prof. Oluwaseun Omotayo, who was shocked at the news of the demise of Dr. Owusu-Ansah described the deceased as a pillar, saying his departure has left a great vacuum in sports management.

He relished the deceased contribution and unwavering dedication to ASFU, saying the Union would miss the deceased.

“We will miss Dr. Owusu-Ansah, whose contribution to sports, knew no bounds. He was always ready to serve. He helped build the Union and was pivotal to the Union programmes. We will surely miss him,” he said.

He extended the Union condolences to all those affected by this loss, praying God grant them the fortitude to bear the loss.

African Games

A milestone as Egypt becomes the first country to get 100 gold medals in African Games

Published

7 months ago

March 23, 2024

Kunle Solaja

A milestone as Egypt becomes the first country to get 100 gold medals in African Games

As the curtain is drawn on the 13^th African Games in Egypt, the traditional overall winners, have this time hit a milestone.

They have become the first to hit a 100 gold medal mark in the 59 year history of the games.

As at Saturday morning, they have amassed 101 gold medals, 54 more than that of the second placed Nigeria

The biggest star of the Egyptian team is swimmer Marwan Elkamash, who won five gold medals in the men’s 200m, 400m, 800m, 1,500m and 4x200m relays, all in freestyle.

But medal haul is still short that that of his compatriot, Faten Afifi who fished out seven gold medals from the pool.