International Games News

September 1999

African Games: It's a struggle just getting there

In the week leading up to the African Games several African nations have had difficulty getting their teams to the games, mostly due to lack of finances, but in one case, a tragic accident.

The team from Malawi was transiting by bus through Zimbabwe September 8th when the bus was involved in a head on collision with a truck, killing the driver instantly. One other person on the bus died, and four athletes were seriously injured. No word yet if the team will continue on to Johannesburg.

Money has limited many other teams participation. With fours years between games it is disheartening that the sports federations have not been able to do a better job to ensure that their athletes will have the means to travel and participate in the games.

The teams from Uganda are waiting for government sponsorship, with half of Uganda's athletes already expected to pay their own way to the games and Gambia will not send a team to the games due to lack of finances.

Nigeria has dropped its cycling, handball, field hockey and tennis teams from the games, angering one cyclist, Ozaze Owens who felt he had an very good chance of winning a medal at the games.

Lesotho left its netball team (a demonstration sport) home due to lack of funds.

Zambia's government, after holding its team three days, finally came up with the money to send some of its athletes to the games by bus.

Liberia owes the Supreme Council of Sport for Africa almost $ 200,000 which has accrued over the past dozen years, and will not be allowed to compete in the games until its account is paid in full.

Kenya has sent its team to the games, but with many members complaining that they have been given inferior equipment.

Finally, Morocco will not send a team to the games as they have withdrawn from the Organization for African Unity over the issue of control over the Western Sahara.

Though South Africa has said its facilities are ready for the games, but journalists have noticed last minute preparations still in progress.

Stay tuned for more news African Games news as the games get under way.

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Black Sea Games Postponed

It has been confirmed by the Turkish Olympic Committee that the first Black Sea Games which had been scheduled for Samsun, Turkey, September 7-12 have been postponed due to the devastating earthquake that struck the area a short time ago. After the situation has stabilized, the member nations will decide on new dates for the games.

Jordan Football Team Gives Queen Rania Birthday Present

The Jordanian football team outlasted Iraq 7-5, winning on a penalty shootout, to win the final event of the 9th Pan-Arab Games. Jordan's Queen Rania celebrated her 29th birthday with a cake during halftime of the game. Jordan's coach Mohamed Awad gave the Queen his gold medal after the match.

Arab Games Review. The recently concluded Arab Games in Amman, Jordan had all the elements of a classic international multisport games. Beginning with a boycott by Kuwait, and continuing with protests over eligibility, debates over officiating, drug suspensions and finishing in a rousing round of soccer riots, all cloaked in speeches extolling the virtues of peace, the games had it all. Egypt restated its position as the dominant sports power in the region.

The games were successful, though journalists complained about the lack of a press center and the lack of access to official results. A somber tone fell over the gathering midway through the games when Saudi Arabia's Prince Faisal Fahd, an IOC member and President of the Arab Sports Confederation died of a heart attack. All of the festivities, but not the sporting events, planned for the rest of the games, including most of the celebrations in the Closing Ceremony were canceled.

The Arab Games flag was handed over to Algeria which will reportedly host the next Pan-Arab Games in 2003.(full Arab Games report)

Johannesburg's African Games are days away and organizers have been working around the clock to ready the venues, some of which were said to be far from ready one month ago, but are now said to be ready for the games. The previous three African Games in Harare (95), Cairo (91) and Nairobi (87) suffered from the same organizational sluggishness.

Africans training for the games have run into their own difficulties. The training camp for the Kenyans in Nairobi was without water bathing and laundry for the first few days, leading organizers to take precautions against health risks. Meanwhile in Nigeria, basketball players have been complaining that their training camp is not conducive to proper preparations for the games.

Some stars have already indicated they will not make it to the games. Haile Gebrselassie, Ethiopian 10,000 meter World and Olympic champion and World Record holder, suffered blisters and a strained achilles in the World Championships in Seville and will not be in Johannesburg. Zambia's 400 meter hurdler Samuel Matete will skip the meet, competing instead in an IAAF meet in Japan.

Arab Paralympics. The first-ever Arab Paralympics will be staged in Amman this month.

16 Arab countries will compete in six different sports, wheelchair basketball, athletics, weightlifting, target ball, table tennis and football with divisions for physically, mentally, sight and hearing challenged athletes. The games are organized by the Council of Arab Ministers of Youth, the Arab Sports Federation and Arab Sports Federation for Special Needs, and Jordan's Sports Federation for the Handicapped. Jordan's King Abdullah and Queen Rania are the patrons of the games.

Though there is no mention of a boycott, Kuwait is absent from the list of sixteen participating countries, while Iraq is scheduled to compete. Kuwait boycotted the recently completed Arab Games in protest of Iraqi participation. Kuwait has claimed that Iraq is still holding hundreds of prisoners from the 1990 invasion of Kuwait by Iraq.

South Asian Federation Games

Kathmandu, Nepal, after a postponement of two years, has finally readied venues for the 8th edition of the South Asian Federation Games featuring the nations of Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. The Games begin September 25th.

Providence, Rhode Island will host the Gravity Games, a knock-off by NBC of ESPN's X Games, with prize money for competitions in bicycle stunt, inline skating, skateboarding, street luge, wakeboarding and freestyle motocross. NBC television will show the games in successive weekends throughout October.

The United States Olympic Committee is sponsoring the US Olympic Cup in San Diego, California with competition in basketball, swimming and softball for women, beach volleyball for men and women, and men's boxing. The event is being billed as "USA vs. the World" with competitors from Australia, Canada, Japan, Brazil, Russia, Norway, Spain, Mexico, Ukraine, New Zealand, Argentina, Austria, Portugal and Poland.

The South Pacific Corporate Games originally scheduled for October 1999, have been postponed until 2001 in Fiji.

Anniversaries

Fifty years ago, FISU held its University Sports Week in Merano, Italy from Aug. 28 to Sept. 4, 1949.

In 1959, Turin, Italy hosted the first games known as a Universiade from Aug. 26 - Sept. 9. At the same time the third Pan-American Games were being held in Chicago from Aug. 27 - Sept. 7.

September of 1979 was a busy month with the Mediterranean Games in Split, World University Games in Mexico City, South East Asian Games in Jakarta, Indonesia, South Pacific Games in Suva Fiji and the very first Indian Ocean Islands Games in St. Denis on the Island of Reunion.

Games in September