Paradox. The African Games will celebrate their 50th anniversary next September. The event was first organized in Brazzaville, Republic of Congo, in 1965. Its 11th edition is scheduled to be held in the same city, from September 4 to 19. A return to basics to celebrate half a century of existence. But continental competition has never seemed so fragile. His next organization worries. Above all, its future appears very uncertain today. The issue was debated at length on Saturday March 14 in Kigali, Rwanda, as part of the International Convention for Sport in Africa (CISA). And the answers give little cause for optimism.
First observation: preparation for the 2015 African Games has fallen seriously behind schedule. The Congolese thought big, probably too big. To the option of renovating existing facilities, they preferred the option of building new. A 60.000-seat stadium, presented as revolutionary for the African continent, delivery of which is expected in June (our photo). A 10.000-seat sports palace, considered oversized by most of the experts present at CISA 2015. Two facilities integrated into a vast sports complex located in Kintélé, outside Brazzaville, the construction of which was entrusted, unsurprisingly , to Chinese companies.
The installations will be ready on time, assure the Congolese. The rest is a mystery. Diamil Faye, the boss of the company Jappo Sports & Entertainment, explains: “Several questions have not yet been addressed by the organizing committee, including those of transport, accommodation and training sites. » The accreditation procedure for the media has not started. Communication about the event is still non-existent.
With such a state of affairs, it is difficult to believe in miracles. But concern is even more palpable among African sports leaders about the longer-term future of the African Games. The cause is a governance problem, a very random participation of the best African athletes, and finally a chronic inability to sell the event to partners and television channels.
Lamine Diack, IAAF President, insists: “The Games should not be owned by the African Union, but by the Association of African Olympic Committees (ACNOA). Governments have nothing to do with it, they have other fish to fry. Management of the event must return to the Olympic movement. » A development which could, according to general opinion, strengthen the sporting credibility of the Games. Mustapha Berraf, the president of the Algerian Olympic committee, remarks: “I participated in the African Games in 1978. At the time, all the great athletes of the continent were present. Today, they shun the competition. But how could it be otherwise when the African Games are not part of the qualification process for the Olympic Games. »
Presented as the sinews of war, money is lacking. Cruelly. Diamil Faye explains: “Of all the continental multi-sport championships, the African Games are the only ones not to sell their television rights. » Will they be one day soon? Mustapha Larfaoui, the former president of FINA, honorary member of the IOC, does not believe it: “Our event does not have the technical quality to attract broadcasters and partners. And countries are not making the necessary efforts to convince their athletes to participate. I have real apprehension for the future. To this day, no one knows where the next edition will take place. »
In Kigali, several ideas emerged from the debates to restore the luster of the event. Will Mbiakop, a Cameroonian management and business consultant, suggests a public/private partnership for the organization. He also proposes granting television rights free of charge, initially, before marketing them, an approach which could help build loyalty among the channels. The possibility of sharing the African Games between two, or even three, neighboring countries was raised. “We were ahead of other continents, but today we are lagging behind,” regrets Diamil Faye. At 50 years old, the African Games are feeling the weight of time.
