All-Africa Games renamed African Games

The All-Africa Games has been renamed the African Games.

After running for 11 editions, the Games returned to its birthplace, Brazzaville, in 2015, where it was first held 50 years ago in 1965 as the All Africa Games.

Olabanji Oladapo, the executive secretary of Africa Table Tennis Federation, explained that the decision for the name change was arrived at, during the executive council meeting of AU held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia in January 2012.

“The AU executive council meeting endorsed the recommendation of the 4th Ordinary Session of the African Union Conference of Ministers of Sports (CAMS) held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia from Oct. 17 to Oct. 21 2011,” he said.

“On the establishment of a new Architecture for Africa Games led to the dissolution of the Supreme Council for Sports in Africa (SCSA).

“The decision, inter alia fractured the function, assets and liabilities of the SCSA to the AU Commission including the ownership of the African Games.

“The decision vested the ownership of the African Games to the AU, while entrusting the management and organisation of the Games to Association of National Olympic Committees of Africa (ANOCA) and the Association of African Sports Confederations (AASC).”

Oladapo, a former secretary general of the Nigeria Olympic Committee (NOC), also said the old six zones established under the SCSA had also been replaced by five regions.

Region One which consists of the West Africa countries with 15 members while Region Two has 13 countries from East Africa.

Region Three, which is Southern Africa, has 10 countries while Region Four which consists of countries in Central Africa has nine members and Region five, which consists of countries in North Africa has six member states.