Who won?
The eighth All-Africa Games that ended in Abuja, Nigeria has ended in confusion as to who really won the most medals. But there actually is no mystery. It is clear that bias has been shown towards the host nation to the point that rules were bent to allow it to collect enough medals to finish first.
Egypt had initially been declared the overall winner of the Games. But the celebrations lasted for only a few hours after the head of the Games' organising committee issued the surprise announcement that Nigeria had finished in first place ahead of Egypt and South Africa.
Nigeria was declared the winner of the Games, topping the medals table with 85 gold, 90 silver and 56 bronze for 231 medals overall. Egypt finished runners-up with 218 medals: 81 gold, 66 silver and 71 bronze while South Africa, winners of the previous two editions, dropped to third with 63 gold, 59 silver and 52 bronze for 174 medals.
But seven gold medals were added to Nigeria's tally after the championship had concluded. How did that happen?
There was more than one way to accomplish this. For one, according to the rules stipulated by the Supreme Council for Sports in Africa, no sports event could have been held in the Games unless at least five nations were taking part. But in some sports there were only two nations listed. The rules are clear: if there are such cases, then these events must be cancelled. But the organising committee went ahead with the events, disregarding the loud protests of the participants.
This was the case in table tennis, badminton, cycling and some disciplines in the handicapped and weightlifting events where the Nigerians combined some disciplines.
And after combining three or four disciplines into one event in which only one gold medal was initially given, the hosts were then able to collect a significant number of gold, claiming seven such medals on the final to Egypt's one.
Another clear violation was Nigeria putting in able-bodied athletes in events for the handicapped in some disciplines so that the minimum number of participants was attained.
The organisers timed their work perfectly. The final results were only announced in the stadium during the closing ceremony just as the delegations were leaving for home. Meaning that little could be done by way of protests.
The Supreme Council for Sports in Africa approved the results but Egypt, along with South Africa, held a joint press conference in which they protested not only the results but the way in which the competition was generally handled. The protests, however, have fallen on deaf ears. While the Egyptian press has raised question marks all over Nigeria's claim to have won the crown, in Nigeria they are oblivious to the dispute and the issue does not rate a mention.
Before the Games, Mohamed Moussa, the Nigerian sports minister and head of the Supreme Council for Sports in Africa, was quoted in the Nigerian magazine Sun that Nigeria would win the Games for the first time in its history -- and in his era. It appears that Moussa was a bit of a zealot to say the least.
Al-Ahram Weekly Online : 23 - 29 October 2003 (Issue No. 661)
Located at: http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/2003/661/sp4.htm