There is a growing appetite for international sporting competitions to be held in Africa. With Morocco announced as one of the co-hosts for the Men’s 2030 Football World Cup, this interest is only set to increase.
In 2027, South Africa is set to host the ODI Cricket World Cup in partnership with Namibia and Zimbabwe. While such events require the right infrastructure to be put in place, in the long run, they offer significant economic benefits.
When South Africa hosted the 2010 FIFA World Cup, it boosted economic growth by 0.4% and added R38 billion to the country’s economy.
The African countries themselves aren't the only ones interested in exploring what the continent has to offer in terms of sports. Earlier this year, the NBA announced talks to host a pre-season game in Africa, building on previous exhibition matches held on the continent in 2015, 2017, and 2018.
As more African mixed-martial arts fighters rise through the ranks, the UFC plans to hold its first African event, with Senegal as the leading candidate to host it.
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It is not surprising that there's a growing interest in sports in Africa, given its young and increasingly connected population. Africa is also one of the world's fastest-growing regions in terms of economics and urbanization.
It will be important, however, for African countries to ensure that they’re able to benefit from this outside interest. As South Africa’s rugby franchises have discovered, it can be difficult to retain talented athletes once overseas markets have discovered them. And while there are undoubtedly benefits to players spending some time abroad, the sporting equivalent of a “brain drain” simply isn’t sustainable.
There is a lot of room for growth too. Our data estimates that the current sports market in Africa is worth more than US$12 billion but could reach over US$20 billion by 2035. While a near doubling of the market in 10 years may seem high, the revenue generated by a single event can add up quickly.
The value of a big sporting event can extend beyond its duration. Infrastructure upgrades, such as roads, airports, and stadiums, can drive job creation. Positive experiences during the event may also encourage visitors to return, boosting tourism.
But how can African countries attract as many lucrative events as possible and maximize their economic potential? They can start by highlighting their strengths, which have already attracted several international sporting federations.
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African countries would also do well not to focus solely on sports like football, which are already popular on the continent. So-called challenger sports can also be economically beneficial, with some already building in popularity.
In addition to sports like Basketball and Mixed Martial Arts, America’s National Football League (NFL) is gaining traction in Africa. This is evident in the growing interest in the NFL’s YouTube content in African markets, driven by both the Super Bowl and regular season games.
Ultimately, it’s clear that there is a strong and growing demand for major international sporting events in Africa, and that international sporting bodies want to capitalize on Africa's inherent advantages to grow their own audiences and reach.
Africa has a long history of indigenous sport. Sport in Africa before the mid-twentieth century was primarily played by Europeans. This was used to further the division between the social classes of both races. General physical education was implemented within the urban areas of African colonies to "civilize" and improve the productivity of African natives.
Traditional African Sports To Invest In In 2024
As the offspring of the European elites and indigenous natives pursued education, they became introduced to the sports that had been previously reserved to the European settlers. There, many of them excelled and became "African Sport Stars" and were revered for their excellent performances. Those athletes would be included in the British and French national teams as there was a potential to their athletic prowess. From then on, the colonized African colonies were represented on the international sports scene. The elite athletes in the Anglophone and Francophone African colonies were called the "noble savages." They often were children of Senegalese tirailleurs or military men.
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After World War II, and the reconstruction era of European borders, Britain and France found it difficult to keep their colonies, especially with growing nationalism. After the League of Nations was created, Britain and France committed to the principles of good government, which stated the people have a right to determine their own form of government.
Preceding the end of World War II, Africa took initiative to become independent of the neocolonial guardianship created by Britain and France. The internationalization of African sport depended heavily on the decolonization movements, alongside the integration into the Olympics.
Africa utilized sports as a way to fight against apartheid and end racial discrimination by social status. As the "noble savages" gained popularity, African elites seized this opportunity to not only fight apartheid and develop African sports, but to also carve an image of a new independent Africa.
In 1956, football boomed in Africa with the establishment of the Confederation of African Football. Pan-Africanism was expressed through sports, but were conditioned by Western sporting federations like FIFA. Nevertheless, in the 1960 Rome Olympics, black African sportsmen were very successful in their respective fields, even scoring high places at the end of the competition.
Traditional African Sports
Here are some examples of traditional African sports:
- Ngolo and Capoeira: Capoeira is a popular Afro-Brazilian sport that combines elements of dance, martial arts and music. Its origins in 16th century Brazil come from slave adaptations of traditional West African martial arts, thought to be from Angola, sometimes referred to as "ngolo" or "engolo." The two traditions share many of the same moves, rhythms and sounds.
- Senegalese Wrestling: Called "laamb," this sport dates back a century and began as recreation for fisherman and farmers.
- Donkey Racing: Popular on Kenya’s car-less island Lamu, this annual race attracts thousands who want to see jockeys race well-trained donkeys without saddles. This sport requires an insane amount of skill and has been around for centuries.
- Dambe boxing: It’s an ancient form of boxing with ties to the Hausa people of northern Nigeria who traveled to different villages at harvest time and challenged those of the butcher class to a brawl, providing festival entertainment. This sport might be too extreme for the Olympics as the dominant arm of the fighters is wrapped with rope-it used to be dipped in resin and shards of glass before the practice was banned. The contestant’s goal is to strike his opponent with punches and kicks until he drops to the floor, known as “killing,” over the course of three rounds.
- Nguni “Stick Fighting:” This martial art has been among the pastimes of teenage Nguni herders of South Africa for a long time. It’s a stick battle that can last up to five hours where the opponents take turns at playing offense and defense, scoring points based on which body part is struck. It can be a bloody sport, some competitors have died, but devotees wave off criticism, saying it encourages cultural expression and requires skill, discipline and a fit physique. Despite being banned in parts of South Africa, it’s still played in some townships to this day.
- Savika: In Spain they run the bulls, but among the Betsileo community in Madagascar irrate bulls are ridden instead. Think of it like a rodeo show-after a Brahman cow is penned in its cage and is released, players attempt to mount it, holding on for as long as possible.
- Ta kurt om el mahag: Before there was baseball, which was dropped from the Olympics ahead of the 2012 games in London, there was this sport that bears a striking resemblance to its European counterpart played among Berber tribesmen in the Libyan desert.
In pre-colonial times, African people respected athleticism and competed in athletic competitions. Pre-colonial African societies participated in sport and athletic activities that aided young men and boys in developing and maintaining physical fitness, creativity and competition.
Boys engaged in stick fighting while herding as well as at public gatherings (such as celebrations and ceremonies). Stick fighting taught young men and boys athletic skills, and gave them an opportunity to gain status and assert their masculinity.
Men engaged in different sports from the young men and boys. They practiced cattle raiding and racing. In cattle races, men would take cattle a long distance away from the homestead, about ten miles.
When they matured, girls engaged in separate activities from the boys, such as singing and dancing. Dance competitions were very important and many dancers practiced seriously for the competitions. Team competitions were held at many ceremonies and celebrations.
Because traditions of athleticism were a part of African societies, when Europeans came to the South African region, Africans adopted and adapted European sport.
British colonial officials, soldiers, traders and missionaries introduced European sports to South Africa in the mid 1800s. They played sports such as soccer, cricket, and rugby and taught the games to the indigenous population.
In the late 1850s, the African elite, educated at mission schools, adopted cricket, rugby and soccer, not only because they enjoyed it, but also as a symbol of their education and elite status.
In mining towns and industrial areas that arose in the late 1800s and early 1900s, sport (especially soccer) became an important social organization or association. At this time, the first black sporting organizations were formed.
Some sports soon became associated with certain races. For example, by the early 1900s, soccer became largely known as the “black sport” in most parts of South Africa. The game was easier to play for poor black people given that the only equipment needed was a ball and was promoted in most areas of the colony by missionaries. Rugby became more associated with white South Africans who were in positions of power in the colonial system.
Apartheid policies also affected the nature of sport in South Africa. Between 1948 and 1979, segregation of sporting facilities and leagues affected the opportunities that different athletes had.
Apartheid laws prohibited the different races from interacting and thus playing against or with each other. However, sports had long been an important part of black South African life and black South Africans continued to succeed in participating and creating sporting opportunities for themselves, evidenced in large part by the many soccer teams and leagues throughout the country.
South African athletes and the international community used sport to protest apartheid. For example, in 1961 FIFA, the international soccer federation, suspended South Africa’s all-white sporting organization that claimed to be representative of the country’s football leagues. In 1964, the International Olympic Committee did not invite South Africa to participate in the Tokyo Olympics because of its racial policies.
With the end of apartheid, South African athletes and sporting organizations could participate in international sport once more. In December 1991, the integrated South African Football Association was formed, and FIFA admitted the South African delegation back into its organization.
One of the most cited events used to illustrate the nature of new South African politics led by President Nelson Mandela that emphasized reconciliation and the building of a Rainbow Nation is the Rugby World Cup finals of 1995. One year after Mandela won the presidency in South Africa’s first fully democratic elections, South Africa hosted the Rugby World Cup. Their national team, the Springboks, won the tournament. To show his support for the rugby team, a sport mostly played by white South Africans, particularly Afrikaners, President Mandela wore the team captain’s jersey and presented the team with the World Cup trophy. Many hailed this as a symbol of South Africa’s reconciliation.
Another more recent development in sport in South Africa has been the growth in participation of women and girls. One of the major women’s sports in South Africa is netball, a sport we do not have in the United States. It is similar to basketball, but netball players can not run or jump with the ball.
Sports in Africa Map
Major Sports in Africa
Association football (also known as soccer) is the most popular sport in every African country. African club teams compete in the CAF Champions League and CAF Confederation Cup.
Cricket is popular throughout England and Wales, and parts of the Netherlands, and in other world areas, especially in southern Africa, Australia, New Zealand and the Indian subcontinent.
Field Hockey is popular throughout the former regions of the British Empire in Africa, with notable results in Egypt, Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe and especially South Africa.
Rugby union is very popular in South Africa (4x times World Champions in 1995, 2007, 2019 & 2023) and other countries have notable results such as Morocco, Namibia, Zimbabwe and Ivory Coast. Only the South Africa rugby team compete in the intercontinental tournament, The Rugby Championship.
Athletics is one of the major single competitions in Africa. The discipline has been part of the African Games since 1965. The African Athletics Championships has been held biannually since 1979. The African Cross Country Championships was first held in 1985 and later since 2011.
Motorsport is popular in South Africa. The country has hosted several international races, such as the South African Grand Prix (Formula One), South African motorcycle Grand Prix (Grand Prix motorcycle racing), etc.
Water sports are popular in coastal countries, along the shores of Great Lakes and rivers. Rafting, paddling, kayaking are growing types in Kenya, South Africa, Zambia, Rwanda and Uganda.
The African Games
The African Games formally known as All-African Games are continental multi-disciplinary pan-African sports event held every four years exclusively owned by the African Union on behalf of its Members States. The Games have a long history that is linked to various Games such as Community Games and later Friendship Games that were held in 1963 in Dakar, Senegal, where twenty-four (24) independent African States participated in track-and-field events that included women.
The creation of the African Games
A General Assembly of African Ministers of Youth and Sport, convened in Dakar, Senegal around the time of the Friendship Games in April 1963 and discussed the organization of pan-African Games that would include all independent African countries.
The Assembly instructed the Republic of Congo to examine the Friendship Games, build on them to come up with rules that would govern the Games that were going to be held in Congo, Brazzaville in 1965. This was followed by a preparatory meeting in Brazzaville from 24 to 29 February 1964 that adopted a framework for the organization of the first All-African Games, organized by Africans, for Africans in July 1965 in Congo, Brazzaville.
The successful hosting of the first All-African Games in 1965 was followed by the establishment of a pan-Africanist sports institution called the Supreme Council for Sports in Africa (SCSA) in 1966 by the Ministers of Sports of African countries.
The SCSA had its headquarters in Yaoundé, Cameroon with the responsibility of coordinating the organization of the All-African Games, promoting developing and coordinating all sports on the continent. In 1967, the Organization of African Unity (OAU), recognized SCSA as the official organization responsible for coordinating sports on the continent.
In July 2013 SCSA was dissolved by its General Assembly in Abidjan Cote d’Ivoire and all functions, liabilities and assets were transferred to African Union Commission. The Twenty-Sixth Ordinary Session of the Assembly of African Union, Heads of States and Governments adopted the Statutes of the African Union Sports Council (AUSC) on 31 January 2016, leading to the establishment of the African Union Sports Council Secretariat whose headquarters is in Yaoundé, Cameroon.
The purpose of AUSC is to act as a forum for concerted action between Member States for the promotion of sports development, development through sports and coordination of African Games.
Organization of the African Games
The African Games were established for the purposes of promoting high performance African sports and enhancing sporting and cultural exchanges between African Union Member States. The Games are a multi-disciplinary sport competition established under the ownership and patronage of the African Union.
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