September 2013
President’s Message Our athletes need more ammunition ! Dear readers, Africa took part recently in some international competitions, precisely in July and August this year. These included, inter alia, the world athletics championships in Moscow, the 2013 world championships for the disabled in Lyon, France, the 17th Mediterranean Games in Mersin and the world Taekwondo championships in Mexico. Barely a year after the London 2012 Olympic Games and three years prior to Rio 2016, these competitions, it goes without saying, afforded Africa the opportunity to gauge its current level on the international scene. During these events, several young athletes came under the spotlight, and hence contributed to the success of African sport. These athletes deserve to be followed up and assisted in the build-up to the forthcoming Olympic Games. Our sportsmen and women must no longer participate just for the sake of it! They must instead strive to bag titles that will enable Africa to assert itself as a hub of sport, for that is just what we are. The crucial round table on Africa’s preparation for the Rio Olympic Games, which was jointly organised by ANOCA and NOC Côte d’Ivoire on 10 and 11 April 2013, was in keeping with the vision of opening up to stakeholders of the African Sporting and Olympic Movement, ideal pathways for a befitting participation in the planetary
ANOCA Newsletter - September 2013
jamboree. The following must thus be our focal concerns if we intend to assert ourselves in the highly competitive and vast arena of world sport: talent identification; training of elite athletes; development of sport in schools and universities; training of trainers; follow-up of promising athletes; granting of a befitting status for elite athletes; a more equitable distribution of resources, the bulk of which should no longer be devoted to football alone; open collaboration between governments, national sports federations and NOCs; discouraging Africans from naturalising in other continents. Once again we saw, during the various competitions mentioned above, how African sportsmen and women who now compete for other nations are doing those countries proud. We should strive to put an end to this! This will of course warrant us to formulate more meaningful sports policies and create better conditions for our athletes. We must arm our athletes with the necessary tools for survival. The experience of the London Olympics, where Africa’s medals haul dropped in relation to precaeding editions of the Olympics, should be a sad memory of the past. It is thus necessary to prepare African athletes, not only at the level of their countries, but also with a common continental vision. We should choose just the very best and provide them with more ammunition. To performing sports feats requires a number of things: of course it requires talent, but it also entails meticulous preparation. Rio de Janeiro is just around the corner. We should buckle down to the task right away!
Intendant General Lassana Palenfo, President of ANOCA
ANOCA Newsletter - September 2013
ANOCA in action ANOCA unveils theme of the 30th seminar for NOC Secretaries-General
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he Association of National Olympic Committees of Africa (ANOCA) has scheduled the 30th seminar for Secretaries-General of African NOCs from 12 to 13 October 2013 in Kigali, Rwanda. The main theme of the meeting, which was recently made public by the supreme governing body of the African Olympic Movement, is « ensuring an efficient and effective administration.». It tallies with the present context marked by the beginning of a new Olympiad and above all, following elections into the executive bodies of several NOCs of the continent. The task shall thus be to harmonise administrative practices and issue resolutions and recommendations that will likely chart a way forward for NOC management for the next four years. Suffice it to note that the decision to organise this seminar in Kigali, capital city of Rwanda, was arrived at during the 29th seminar which took place in Mauritius in September 2013.
ANOCA President at the World Athletics Championships
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ntendant General, Lassana Palenfo, was in Moscow for the world athletics championships which took place from 10 to 18 August 2013. The AOCA president availed himself of this opportunity to encourage Africa’s representatives at the global sports jamboree. During his stay on Russian soil, General Palenfo also held talks with several top sports dignitaries in a bid to consolidate cooperation ties between ANOCA and their respective institutions. Quizzed on the issue of ANOCA’s vision in respect of the training of athletes, he had this to say: « now is the time for us to prepare Africans not only in their countries, but also to choose the best and provide them with the resources for success. In athletics, feats are contingent on talent and good training facilitiaes. We cannot succeed if we keep embracing and training our athletes in just every discipline. Africa should target potential disciplines which can fetch us medals and train athletes who can deliver. Such is the vision we have for athletics and other sports disciplines. I believe that in the near future, Africa will be able to bag medals because we cannot afford to repeat what happened during the London Olympic Games, where Africa won less medals compared to the previous Games.»
ANOCA Newsletter - September 2013
Strategic partnerships bearing fruit
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he ANOCA President, Intendant General Lassana Palenfo has this year signed three more agreements (strategic partnerships) starting with the Russian International Olympic University (RIOU) in June followed by the National Olympic Committee of Nigeria and UK Sport (respectively) in July. The agreement with the RIOU will mostly be for development of sports administrators and coaches providing opportunities for shortterm up to post graduate level studies. The agreement with UK Sport will be centered on youth development and promotion of Olympic values. The Nigeria Olympic Committee as the host of the ANOCA Headquarters values the patronage of ANOCA in jointly propagating Olympism and promoting the Olympic Movement in Nigeria. The real challenge is of course to ensure that the various agreements are effectively leveraged in a systematic and coordinated manner to benefit the continent of Africa. Meanwhile the cooperation agreements signed with the United States Olympic Committee (USOC) and the Russian Olympic Committee in 2011 are being implemented and tangible benefits are also being felt. Tangible benefits emanating from the leveraging of existing agreements are: - An event management expert, Mr. Hill Carrow, has been seconded to Gaborone 2014 by the USOC, at the request of ANOCA, to assist with the planning and organization of the 2nd African Youth Games and he is making a very significant contribution to the ongoing process. - The RIOU has accepted two African candidates (offered scholarships by the Potanin Foundation) to study for the one year Master of Sports Administration degree programme commencing in September, 2013. - The USOC has continued to accept an average of 6 African coaches every year on their special coach education (ICECP) programme and they are supporting the Olympafrica programme with substantial quantities of sports kit and equipment. - Apart from the obvious benefits in terms of final outcomes, the partners are contributing significant amounts to projects in dollar terms (in line with commitments outlined in the agreements) and it is therefore important to appreciate the generosity of the partners and the impact of these strategic relationships. By Robert Mutsauki – ANOCA Technical Director
ANOCA Newsletter - September 2013
African sport IPC Athletics World Championships : Africa in the Limelight
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frican athletes from several countries took part in the 2013 world championships for people with disabilities held in Lyon, France, from 19 to 28 July 2013. If many of them, who were already famous for their talent, distinguished themselves once more, others came to limelight during the event. Some even broke records. Algeria emerged as the leading African nation with 23 medals, 10 of them in gold, 8 silver and 5 bronze. Following are the continental rankings at the end of the event: Country Algeria Tunisia Morocco South Africa Namibia Rwanda Angola Cape Verde Egypt
Gold 10 8 4 3 1 1 0 0 0
Silver 8 6 3 9 2 0 1 1 0
Bronze 5 1 3 6 3 0 1 0 3
Total 23 15 10 18 6 1 2 1 3
ANOCA Newsletter - September 2013
Africa’s outstanding performance at the 17th Mediterranean Games
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he 17th Mediterranean Games organised by the International Mediterranean Games Committee took place in Mersin, Turkey, from 20 to 30 June 2013. With the slogan “three continents, one soul”, the games brought together close to 3,500 athletes from 24 countries. This regional competition organised in the best of conditions afforded the Turkish authorities an ideal opportunity to demonstrate their capacity to host major international events. Several African countries took part in the event, amongst them Algeria with 171 athletes in 17 disciplines, Tunisia with 164 athletes in 18 disciplines, Morocco with 149 athletes for 14 disciplines… The games schedule featured disciplines like karate, wrestling, swimming, equestrian sports, taekwondo, shooting, athletics, beach-volley, bowling, cycling, fencing, football, disabled sport, judo and boxing. Egypt was ranked as first African nation with 67 medals, 21 of them in gold, 22 silver and 24 bronze.
ANOCA Newsletter - September 2013
Following are the African medal standings after the Mersin games : Country Egypt Algeria Tunisia Morocco
Gold 21 9 7 7
Silver 22 2 9 10
Bronze 24 15 22 11
Total 67 26 48 28
ANOCA Newsletter - September 2013
World Athletics Championships Moscow : Africa in the spotlight
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oscow, capital city of Russia, hosted the Worlds Athletics Championships from 8 to 18 August 2013. It was a first for the city, with track and field events at the Loujniki stadium, while the road race events (marathon and walking race) took place along the Moskova, between the stadium and the Kremlin, as well as the Loujniki park. 1,974 athletes from 206 federations took part in this event with 47 sporting disciplines on schedule. Several Africans were also part of the event and they made a real show of their talents and did the continent proud. The continent’s representatives did well overall, with a medal haul of 30, nine of which 9 were in Gold, 11 Silver and 10 Bronze. Kenya topped the African medal charts with 12 medals, 5 of which were in Gold, 4 silver and 3 Bronze. The Kenyan Head of State, President Uhuru Kenyatta, attended the various events to urge his countrymen and women on. Ethiopia emerged second with10 medals 3 of which were in Gold, 3 Silver and 4 Bronze. Uganda was 3rd with one gold medal, followed by Côte d’Ivoire with two silver medals bagged by Murielle Ahouré, ahead of Nigeria with one silver and one bronze. Amanthe Montsho kept Botswana in the list of medal winners with her second place in the 400m final. Djibouti and South Africa tailed the group of medallists with one bronze each.
ANOCA Newsletter - September 2013
With 30 medals, Africa maintains its Daegu record in South Korea. The real note of satisfaction came from the number of Countries that won medals. Two years ago, in Daegu, 7 nations recorded their names on the medal charts and that number rose to 8 in Moscow.
ANOCA Newsletter - September 2013
Anthony Obame, world Taekwondo champion
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he 87 kg world No. 1 in the May 2013 World Taekwondo Federation (WTF) rankings, Gabon’s Anthony Obame, confirmed his place as leader in the discipline by winning the 2013 World Taekwondo championships on 19 July in the + 87kg category in Puebla, Mexico. Anthony Obame was Vice Champion during the London Olympics, becoming by the same token the first Gabonese to bag an Olympic medal. This victory is thus a confirmation of his huge talent and prowess which have recorded an upward trend for years now. Talking about his performance, Anthony had this to say: “I am very happy with this performance…At the Olympic Games, it was a great final. The pressure was so much on me. My mind was only focused on results. At that moment, the fear of losing overrode the desire to win. At the world championships final, it was the opposite. I concentrated on my tactical plans and know-how. I never bothered about results and just focused on what I had to do. I was determined, motivated, burning with the desire to win. My coach also spurred me on. I was a different person.”
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CIJM : Amar ADDADI re-elected President
he General Assembly of the International Committee for the Mediterranean Games (CIJM) took place on 19 June 2013 in Mersin on the sidelines of the 17th edition of the Mediterranean Games. It brought together representatives of 24 Mediterranean NOCs and IOC member countries. The CIJM Executive Committee was renewed during this GA for the period 2013-2017. Amongst the elected officials are many Africans, including reelected President Amar ADDADI from Algeria; Khaled ZEIN ELDIN (Egypt) who is 2nd Vice President and also Fathi HACHICHA (Tunisia), Mustapha ZEKRI (Morocco) and Marwan MAGHUR (Libya) are also Executive Committee members. The CIJM is the organisation of National Olympic Committees that presides over, regulates and organises the Mediterranean Games. It was established in 1948 and is headquartered in Athens, Greece.
ANOCA Newsletter - September 2013
Angola, 2013 Afro-Basket champion
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he 14th edition of the Africa Nations Basketball Championships (Afro-Basket) took place in Côte d’Ivoire in August 2013 with sixteen countries in the starting blocks. In the final, Angola beat Egypt 57-40 to carry the day, their 11th African championship title. At the end of the competition some players stood out with outstanding individual performances: Angola’s Carlos Morais emerged as the Most Valuable Player (MVP) and best tri-pointer, while Egyptian, Assem Marei was best rebounder. Nigeria’s Ike Diogu stood out as the player with the highest points and Al Farouq Aminu, best assists. The best five of the competition were: Moraïs, Diabaté, N’daye, Murgas et Marei. 1/Angola 2/Egypt 3/Senegal
9/Tunisia 10/Rwanda 11/Mozambique
4/Côte d’Ivoire
12/Algeria
5/Cameroon 6/Cape Verde 7/Nigeria 8/Morocco
13/Central African Republic 14/Congo 15/Mali 16/Burkina Faso
ANOCA Newsletter - September 2013
African NOC News 50th Anniversary of NOC Algeria (COA) : ad-hoc committee installed
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he ad hoc committee set up for the preparation of celebrations to mark the 50th anniversary of NOC Algeria was installed on Saturday 31 August 2013 by COA President, Mustapha Berraf, who is also 1st Vice president of ANOCA. The commission is chaired by Mustapha Larfaoui, honorary member of the International Olympic Committee and honorary President of COA. During the installation ceremony, Mustapha Berraf said that “a comprehensive and diversified schedule of activities relating to sport, culture and education shall be drawn up and implemented.” NOC Algeria was established on 18 October 1963 and got IOC recognition on 27 January 1964.
Algerian Olympic Committee (COA) sets stage for future events 180 talented budding sportsmen and women of various disciplines converged on Setif from 25 August to 5 September 2013 for a training course organised by COA and the Ministry of Youth and Sports at the National School of Olympic Sports. It involved tournaments and competitions as well as meetings with young athletes to discuss the preparation of athletes while developing team spirit. Trainees came from the following sports disciplines: athletics, badminton, basketball, boxing, cycling, judo, fencing, swimming, taekwondo, table tennis, handball, archery and wrestling. These activities were organised as part of what is dubbed the “Horizon 2020” programme, whereby COA provides necessary guidance and training to enable them represent the country valuably in future international events. These include: the 2nd African Youth Games billed for Botswana in 2014, the 2nd edition of the summer Youth Olympic Games which will take place in China that same year and Rio 2016. There were some 50 trainers from within and without the country to school athletes aged 14
ANOCA Newsletter - September 2013
to 17. According to COA officials, the aim is to formulate well structured elite sport policy, since the various federations have always faced difficulties in bringing together athletes in order to prepare them in good conditions. Trainees thus had the opportunity to train for fifteen days in the best of conditions. According to COA President, Mustapha Berraf, “the training of our youths is in keeping with the demands of world sport.” He also pointed out that such training sessions for budding athletes will henceforth be organised four times a year in the various wilayas, the main goal being to breathe a new lease of life into Algerian sport. Besides, Mustapha Berraf underscored that the programme was dubbed « Plan Horizons 2020», adding that it was «based on a continuous quadrennial scientific and methodological planning with three such trainings per year that will enable elite athletes from Algeria to train and live up to international standards.”
NOC Somalia : Mission to evaluate progress of Headquarters construction
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high profile delegation of NOC Somalia was at the construction site of the future NOC headquarters in the capital city, Mogadiscio, on 15 August 2013. Led by the president of NOC Somalia, Abdullahi Ahmed Tarabi, the delegation saw firsthand the level of progress of the construction work on the site. The Secretary-General of NOC Somalia, Duran Ahmed Farah, asserted that the first phase will be completed
ANOCA Newsletter - September 2013
on 28 August 2013. According to NOC officials, the second phase will kick off immediately thereafter. The project has received financial backing from both the public authorities and the IOC through Olympic Solidarity. The NOC Somalia delegation comprised the following dignitaries: Sadeq Dahir Mire, Ministre des sports ; the NOC President, Abdullahi Ahmed Tarabi; the Secretary-General, Duran Ahmed Farah; the President of the Somalia Boxing Federation, Haji Mohamed Ahmed Olow; Ahmed Nur Hashi, former football international and Ayanle Dualeh, regional delegate of the ministry of sports.
ANOCA Newsletter - September 2013
International Olympic Movement Vibes Chad Le Clos, Nanjing 2014 ambassador
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had Le Clos, one of the heroes who came to limelight during the maiden Youth Olympic Games organised from 14 to 26 August 2010 in Singapore was recently appointed as one of the ambassadors of the 2nd edition billed for 2014 in Nanjing, according to a statement by the International Olympic Committee. Le Clos, who won five medals during this maiden edition and Olympic gold in 200m butterfly in London 2012, will have as mission to share his experience and advise the young athletes who will participate in the event. He will also encourage them to be committed to sport and adhere to Olympic values. Reacting to his appointment, Le Clos said that the Youth Olympic Games were a real springboard for him and were quite helpful especially in preparing him to cope with pressure during his first participation in the Olympics. Yet, he observed that beyond sport, he will always remember the friends he met there, reason why he had the burning urge to live yet another YOG experience.
ANOCA Newsletter - September 2013
April 6 proclaimed international Sport for Peace Day
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he 193 member States of the UN General Assembly on 23 August 2013 adopted a resolution declaring 6 April as International Day for Sport at the service of Peace. The General Assembly Chair, Vuk Jeremic, said the resolution was groundbreaking, adding that sport is a powerful ally of peace and reconciliation. IOC president, Dr Jacques Rogge on his part told representatives that religion, race, gender or ethnicity mattered less on the playing field. Speaking on behalf of athletes, the world No tennis player, Novak Djokovic, who was present at the UN headquarters at the time the resolution was adopted said that sport can put an end to cycles of suspicions and hatred, and can help underprivileged youths to grow by developing team spirit, respect for the opponent and compliance with games regulations.
Thomas Bach elected IOC President
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he President of NOC Germany, fencing Olympic Gold medallist in 1976 in Montreal, is the new president of the International Olympic Committee. At 59, Thomas Bach is the 9th president of the supreme governing body of the Olympic Movement and has replaced Count Jacques Rogge of Belgium, who was at the helm of the body for 12 years. The election took place on 10 September 2013 during the 125th IOC congress. Thomas Bach came ahead of five other challengers. Visibly moved, he declared that it was a mark of confidence and a huge responsibility, which he hoped to live up to in keeping with his creed that have as hallmarks unity and diversity. On his part, ANOCA president, Intendant General Lassana Palenfo said: “I wish to congratulate Thomas Bach on his election. He is a great friend of Africa. He has always stood for the promotion of Olympic values among youths. He was present in Rabat for the maiden edition of the African Youth Games and he encouraged us to sustain this project, the second edition of which is billed for 2014.�
ANOCA Newsletter - September 2013
Tokyo’s successful bid for the 2020 Olympics
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he city of Tokyo, Japan, won the bid to host the 32nd Olympic Games in 2020. The announcement was made on 8 September 2013, during the 12th IOC Congress, where Tokyo was preferred to Istanbul and Madrid, the other contenders after two rounds of voting. Tokyo obtained 60 votes as against 36 for Istanbul after a first round tie between Madrid and Istanbul. Tokyo, which made an unsuccessful bid for 2016, hosted the event in 1964. Jacques Rogge, whose tenure was to expire on 10 September, availed himself of the opportunity to congratulate Tokyo on a very successful and convincing bid.
ANOCA Newsletter - September 2013
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New IOC members in Africa
onsequent on decisions taken by the 125th IOC Session, which rounded off deliberations on 10 September 2013 in Buenos Aires, Argentina, nine new IOC members were elected, two of them from Africa. The African members are: - Paul Kibii Tergat, (Kenya) as individual member; - Dagmawit Girmay Berhane, (Ethiopia) as individual member. There are currently 112 IOC members, including: individual members, active athletes as well as International Federations (IFs) and National Olympic Committees (NOC) representatives. Besides, Lamine Diack (Senegal) whose tenure will end in late 2013 by virtue of his age, will become honorary member at the end of this year. He is current IAAF president and has been IOC member for over 10 years. The Association of national Olympic committees of Africa, through its president, Intendant General Lassana Palenfo, hereby conveys its warm congratulations to all the newly elected officials.
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ANOCA Newsletter - Septembre 2013