Rabat – Morocco’s Ministry of Sports and Youth has announced that Morocco will host the African Games in October 2019.
After hosting the African Nations Championship (CHAN), Morocco will celebrate the 12th Annual African Games, following the withdrawal of Equatorial Guinea.
The decision came at the request of the African Union (AU) and the National Olympic Committees as they consider Morocco as a country that meets all the conditions and has the expertise to host a major international sports event, according to the Ministry of Youth and Sports.
More than 5,000 professional and amateur athletes will compete in the sports event.
Prior to the official announcement, the Association of National Olympic Committees of Africa (ANOCA) had said that it would discuss Morocco’s chances to host the competition.
Morocco has not participated in the AAG for almost 30 years due to the African Union’s position on Western Sahara. Morocco’s last African Games were in 1978 in Algiers.
However, Morocco’s return to the AU in 2017 made Morocco an eminent part of the pan-African organization as it took seats in several important bodies of the AU, including the security council.
The AAG is a multi-sport event held every four years.
The competing nations come from the African continent and must be affiliated with the Supreme Council for Sport in Africa (SCSA). The 2015 games were held in Brazzaville, Congo.
Besides Olympic Games, Morocco also dreams to host international football competitions, including the FIFA World Cup.
The North African country has said it will submit its bid officially to host the World Cup 2030 when FIFA announces the start of the bidding process.
There is also a possibility that Morocco will bid jointly with two other Maghreb countries, Algeria and Tunisia, as FIFA favors joint bids.
Morocco’s Tangier will also host the Spanish Super Cup, where football giant FC Barcelona and Sevilla will play their final game.
