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Egypt is fantastically leading Africa on the historic medals table of the All African Games with a haul of five hundred and forty eight (548) Gold medals, four hundred and six (406) Silver medals and four hundred and eight Bronze (408) medals making a total of one thousand three hundred and sixty two medals in the eleven games so far held from Congo Brazzaville in 1965 when the maiden games was held to the same country in 2015 when the last games was held making the 11th Games as the Games were held with some four years interval.
It would have been 12 games held but the one planned for Mali in 1969 was disrupted by military coup.
The Egyptian gold medals catch (Gold is usually used to determine champions in sporting games) is so wild to the second country, Nigeria that had four hundred and twenty four Gold medals which is a sparkling difference of one hundred and twenty four (124) Gold medals which is above the one hundred and twenty three (123) Gold medals hauled by 6th positioned country, Kenya.
It is pertinent to know that 50 nations have won at least a single medal at the African Games from 54 National Olympic Committees participating throughout the history of the games. Forty two nations have won at least a single Gold medal.
Of the top fifteen countries on the historical medals table, four nations did not come to the party for eleven times like the others. South Africa was banned from 1965 when the games started till 1991 because of apartheid; Ghana, Angola and Mauritius came 8 times each. It is important to place on record that Morocco that is currently hosting Africa at Rabat, was banned from the games from 1987 – 2015 because of political imbroglio with Western Sahara. Morocco was granted hosting rights in the spirit of “African brotherhood” when she returned to the African Union (AU) family last year.
Nigeria is second on the table with 424 gold, 395 silver, 380 bronze with a total of 1,199 medals. South Africa is 3rd with 361 gold, 336 silver, 270 bronze with a total of 967 medals. Algeria is 4th with 277 gold, 280 silver, 340 bronze with a total of 897 medals. Tunisia is 5th with 234 gold, 208 silver, 242 bronze with a total of 684 medals.
Kenya, specialists in long distance running placed 6th with 123 gold, 134 silver, 154 bronze with a total of 411 medals. The land of Seder Senghor, Senegal is 7th with 64 gold, 66 silver, 137 bronze with a total of 267 medals. Ethiopia the land of Emperor Haile Selassie, who called himself the Lion of the tribe of Judah, garnered 39 gold, 49 silver, 63 bronze medals with a total of 151 medals. Cameroon the greatest footballing nation at the games having won football gold four times is 9th on the table with 36 gold, 56 silver, 128 bronze making a total of 220 medals and Zimbabwe (former Rhodesia) that placed 10th with 35 gold, 42 silver, 68 bronze and a total of 145 medals.
Ghana, the land of Kwame Nkrumah placed 11th with 34 gold, 52 silver, 86 bronze and a total of 172 medals. Ivory Coast blessed with Elephant tusks came 12th with 24 gold, 27 silver, 57 bronze with a total of 108 medals. Angola is 13th with 22 gold, 19 silver, 37 bronze with a total of 78 medals. Uganda is 14th with 22 gold, 19 silver and 36 bronze (just one bronze less than Angola) with a total of 77 medals. The 15th position is occupied by Mauritius with 15 gold, 25 silver, 39 bronze with a total of 79 medals.
The maiden games was held in Brazzaville, Congo in 1965; the train moved to Mali in 1969 but the Military did not let it hold for they staged a coup there; Nigeria had a spectacular show with General Yakubu Gowon in Lagos in 1973. Africa was at Algiers, Algeria in 1978.
The next game was at Nairobi, Kenya in 1987 before Africa moved to Cairo, Egypt in 1991. Zimbabwe was next in 1995 while South Africa hosted at Jo Burg in 1999.
Africa came back to Nigeria but at the new capital, Abuja in 2003 and went back to Algiers, Algeria in 2007. Mozambique hosted in 2011 at Maputo before Africa went back to where it all began from, Brazzaville, Congo in 2015.
- ENIOLA OLATUNJI.
