2023 African Games – What to Expect and How to Prepare

With the World Cup over, it’s time to focus on the next big sporting event. For Africa, that means the 2023 African Games. While the date is still not confirmed, we can start looking forward to different sports and many nations competing for medals. Here is what you can expect.

Where and when are the African Games taking place?

For starters, we should go over when and where the 2023 African Games are taking place. Well, the exact date is still unknown. It’s expected that the 13th edition of this tournament will take place in August 2023, with the dates yet to be confirmed.

It will be taking place in three cities in Ghana – Accra, Kumasi and Cape Coast. There were three bids, from Ghana, Nigeria, and Burkina Faso. Ghana was chosen in October 2018 and they signed an agreement to host in November 2021. The initial plan was to build a new stadium for all of the events; however, it was cancelled because of the coronavirus pandemic. The indoor sports will use the new Borteyman Sports Complex in Accra. Parts of this complex will be used for aquatic sports, table tennis, tennis, and basketball. A temporary 500-seat dome is planned for judo, taekwondo, karate, handball, and wrestling. Moreover, a multipurpose hall with 1000 seats will be used for boxing, badminton, volleyball, weightlifting, and para-sports. Finally, The University of Ghana Stadium is also undergoing renovations and is expected to hold rugby, football, and athletic events. The Achimota Oval will be used for cricket and squash while field hockey games will take place at the Theodosia Okoh Hockey Stadium.

Who is taking part?

Apart from Ghana, the participants are not yet fully known. It is expected that 53 countries will take part in this grand event. The 2019 event that took place in five cities in Morocco also saw 53 nations participate, with 4386 athletes in total.

Which sports are going to be played?

While the 12th African games had 340 events in 26 sports, this edition will see 24 sports being played, with one demonstration sport. For example, teqball is now a demonstration sport, according to the official page for the games. On the other hand, sports like archery and canoeing are just some of the sports that have not secured a place at the next year’s games while field hockey is getting added to the program. Let’s go over what you can expect from some of the most popular sports.

Football

As the World Cup has just recently finished, it’s only normal that football is still on everyone’s mind. The 2022 tournament saw some amazing performances from African teams, none better than Morocco. Many interested punters will be looking for a repeat of their form, so they’re already looking forward to creating their betting strategies and searching for the best legal online sportsbooks where they can make the most of each bet. Ghana as the host will be nothing to scoff at while Nigeria, Senegal, and Cameroon are surely also looking to continue their successes.

Field hockey

As a sport that wasn’t there in 2019, or any tournament since 2003, as a matter of fact, field hockey is sure to attract some attention. Both men’s and women’s national teams will be participating. The winners of the tournament will directly qualify for the 2024 Summer Olympics taking place in Paris.

Chess

Something different that people can also try following is chess. For example, in 2019, 22 nations competed in this discipline, while Egypt truly proved victorious. They won gold in all five categories, rapid mixed team, rapid men individual, rapid women individual, blitz men individual, and blitz women individual. They also got three bronze medals. It might be fun to see if they can repeat this success.

Tennis

Another category that Egypt took over in 2019 is tennis. For instance, Mohamed Safwat and Mayar Sherif won the singles tournaments, while Rana Sherif Ahmed and Mayar Sharif also won the women’s doubles. The women’s team was also successful. Participants from this country won three more silver and four more bronze medals. With no big names in the top 50 of the ATP rankings, it’s really anyone’s game.

Athletics

Always a fun discipline at the African Games is athletics. In Morocco, 677 athletes from 52 nations competed for gold. Hopefully, the number will be similar to provide us all with plenty of excitement. The 12th edition of the tournament saw Nigeria and Kenya both win 10 gold medals and seven silver ones, while Nigeria had six bronzes and Kenya three. Who is your favourite for events like the heptathlon, discus throw, high jump, relays, and 100 meters?

Swimming

Finally, you might be interested in swimming. The discipline took place in Casablanca in 2019 and saw South Africa win 20 gold, 13 silver, and 12 bronze medals – convincingly knocking out the competition. Who will be victorious in August 2023?

The 2023 African Games are just around the corner. Which sports are you most excited about? Who are you backing to win?