After running previous 11 editions, as the All Africa Games, the Games has now been renamed the ‘African Games.’

The Games returned to its birthplace, Brazzaville, in 2015, where it was first held 50 years ago in 1965 as the All Africa Games. The Games are expected to be held every four years.

However, for one reason or the other, the four yearly cycles has not been maintained.

The Executive Secretary of Africa Table Tennis Federation, Mr. Olabanji Oladapo 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.

“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).”

He said the old six zones established under the SCSA had also been replaced by five regions.

Oladapo, a former Secretary-General of the Nigeria Olympic Committee (NOC) said that region one which consists of the West Africa countries with15-member countries.

Region two has East Africa with 13 countries, while Region three, which is Southern Africa has 10 countries.

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.

Previous hosts og the Games are Brazzaville 1965; Lagos (1973); Algiers 1978; Nairobi 1987; Egypt 1991; Harare1995; Johannesburg1999; Abuja 2003; Algiers 2007; Maputo 2011 and back to Brazzaville 2015. (NAN)

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