1973 All-Africa Games

The 2nd All-Africa Games were played from January 7, 1973 to January 18, 1973 in Lagos, Nigeria.

After the success of the first African Games, the organizing bodies awarded the second games to Bamako, Mali to be held in 1969. A military coup disrupted the plans and the organizers moved the games to Lagos, Nigeria to be held in 1971. The games were postponed once again and finally opened in January 1973. A torch was lit in Brazzaville a week before the games and transported to Lagos as a symbol of the continuity of the games.

Security again was very tight at the games. This time in response to the massacre of Israeli athletes at the Munich Olympic Games just four short months before.

Sports heroes from around the world including Abebe Bikila, Pelé, Muhammad Ali, and Jesse Owens were invited to attend the opening ceremonies.

Ben Jipcho, Kenya's 3000 meter silver medalist at the Munich Olympics, tied the world record in the steeplechase with a run of 8:20.8. Tanzania's newcomer Filbert Bayi stunned the veteran favorite Kip Keino in the 1500 meters in 3:37.18.

1999 All-Africa Games

The 7th All-Africa Games were held from September 10, 1999 to September 19, 1999 in Greater Johannesburg, South Africa. 53 countries participated in eighteen sports. Netball was included as a demonstration sport.

The South Africans hosted about 25,000 visitors including 6,000 athletes and 3,000 officials from throughout the continent. The Opening Ceremonies, with dancing, African parables and Zulu warriors, was staged in an arena with less than 15 000 spectators.

South Africa, which had lost to Greece for a bid for the 2004 Olympic Games was hoping to impress FIFA in hopes of landing the 2006 World Cup. Overall the games were a success, with hosts South Africa outdistancing Nigeria and Egypt in the medals race.

Typical problems at the games included 600 children contracting food poisoning after being fed boxed lunches at the practice session for the Opening Ceremonies, striking laborers demonstrating outside games venues, displaying placards which read "No Wages, No All Africa Games." Women's field hockey was demoted to a non-medal event after the Nigerian team dropped out of the tournament. A melee at the finish of the basketball game between Angola and Egypt forced police to escort the Egyptian team from the court. Haile Gebreselassie, the world record holder in the 5,000 and 10,000 meter runs opted out of the games for health reasons, depriving the games organizers of one of the biggest drawing cards of the games.

2015 African Games

The 11th African Games took place from September 4–19, 2015 in Brazzaville, Republic of the Congo. This edition marked the 50th anniversary of the Games, as well as their return to Brazzaville, which hosted the first edition in 1965.

Host awarding

Ghana,Kenya and Congo all showed interest in bidding for the 11th edition of the Games. On September 14, 2011, the Supreme Council for Sports in Africa awarded the rights to Brazzaville to host.

Name change

in January 2012 during the Executive Council meeting of the African Union held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia was taken a decision for the name change from All-Africa Games to African Games. The 11th edition of Brazzaville 2015 will start under this new name.

Host Country

The Republic of the Congo (French: République du Congo), also known as Congo Republic, West Congo, or Congo-Brazzaville, is a country located in Central Africa. It is bordered by five countries: Gabon to the west; Cameroon to the northwest; the Central African Republic to the northeast; the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the east and south; and the Angolan exclave of Cabinda to the southwest.