The 2nd All-Africa Games – Lagos 1973 were played from January 7, 1973, to January 18, 1973, in

Lagos Lagos (Nigerian English: ; ) is the largest city in Nigeria and the second most populous city in Africa, with a population of 15.4 million as of 2015 within the city proper. Lagos was the national capital of Nigeria until December 1991 fo ...

Nigeria Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...

. After the success of the first African Games, the organizing bodies awarded the second games to

Bamako Bamako ( bm, ߓߡߊ߬ߞߐ߬ ''Bàmakɔ̌'', ff, 𞤄𞤢𞤥𞤢𞤳𞤮 ''Bamako'') is the capital and largest city of Mali, with a 2009 population of 1,810,366 and an estimated 2022 population of 2.81 million. It is located on the Niger Rive ...

Mali Mali (; ), officially the Republic of Mali,, , ff, 𞤈𞤫𞤲𞥆𞤣𞤢𞥄𞤲𞤣𞤭 𞤃𞤢𞥄𞤤𞤭, Renndaandi Maali, italics=no, ar, جمهورية مالي, Jumhūriyyāt Mālī is a landlocked country in West Africa. Ma ...

to be held in 1969. A military coup disrupted the plans and the organizers moved the games to

to be held in 1971. The games were postponed once again and finally opened in January 1973. A torch was lit in

Brazzaville Brazzaville (, kg, Kintamo, Nkuna, Kintambo, Ntamo, Mavula, Tandala, Mfwa, Mfua; Teke: ''M'fa'', ''Mfaa'', ''Mfa'', ''Mfoa''Roman Adrian Cybriwsky, ''Capital Cities around the World: An Encyclopedia of Geography, History, and Culture'', ABC-CL ...

a week before the games and transported to

as a symbol of the continuity of the games. Security again was very tight at the games. This time in response to the massacre of Israeli athletes at the Munich Olympic Games just four short months before. Sports heroes from around the world including Abebe Bikila,

Pelé Edson Arantes do Nascimento (; born 23 October 1940), known as Pelé (), is a Brazilian former professional footballer who played as a forward. Widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time and labelled "the greatest" by FIFA ...

Muhammad Ali Muhammad Ali (; born Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr.; January 17, 1942 – June 3, 2016) was an American professional boxer and activist. Nicknamed "The Greatest", he is regarded as one of the most significant sports figures of the 20th century, ...

, and

Jesse Owens James Cleveland "Jesse" Owens (September 12, 1913March 31, 1980) was an American track and field athlete who won four gold medals at the 1936 Olympic Games. Owens specialized in the sprints and the long jump and was recognized in his lif ...

were invited to attend the opening ceremonies.

Ben Jipcho Benjamin Wabura Jipcho (1 March 1943 – 24 July 2020) was a track and field athlete from Kenya, who won the silver medal in the 3000 metres steeplechase at the 1972 Summer Olympics, behind teammate Kipchoge Keino. Jipcho won the 5000 metres rac ...

Kenya ) , national_anthem = " Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"() , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Nairobi , coordinates = , largest_city = Nairobi , ...

's 3000 meter silver medalist at the Munich Olympics, tied the world record in the steeplechase with a run of 8:20.8.

Tanzania Tanzania (; ), officially the United Republic of Tanzania ( sw, Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania), is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It borders Uganda to the north; Kenya to the northeast; Comoro Islands ...

's newcomer

Filbert Bayi Filbert Bayi Sanka (born June 23, 1953) is a Tanzanian former middle-distance runner who competed throughout the 1970s. He set the world records for 1500 metres in 1974 and the mile in 1975. His world record in the 1500 m was also the Commo ...

stunned the veteran favorite

Kip Keino Kipchoge Hezekiah Keino (born 17 January 1940) is a retired Kenyan track and field athlete. He was the chairman of the Kenyan Olympic Committee (KOC) until 29 September 2017. A two-time Olympic gold medalist, Keino was among the first in a lon ...

in the 1500 meters in 3:37.18. African nations continued to put pressure on

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring coun ...

which was not invited to participate due to their apartheid policies.

Rhodesia Rhodesia (, ), officially from 1970 the Republic of Rhodesia, was an unrecognised state in Southern Africa from 1965 to 1979, equivalent in territory to modern Zimbabwe. Rhodesia was the ''de facto'' successor state to the British colony of So ...

was also not invited. At the closing ceremonies the torch was passed to

Algiers Algiers ( ; ar, الجزائر, al-Jazāʾir; ber, Dzayer, script=Latn; french: Alger, ) is the capital and largest city of Algeria. The city's population at the 2008 Census was 2,988,145Census 14 April 2008: Office National des Statistiques d ...

, Algeria to begin preparations for the IIIrd

All-Africa Games The African Games, formally known as the All-Africa Games or the Pan African Games, are a continental multi-sport event held every four years, organized by the African Union (AU) with the Association of National Olympic Committees of Africa (AN ...

in 1978.

Medal table

Athletics

Only one athlete defended his title from the 1965 Games, namely Malian discus thrower

Namakoro Niaré Namakoro Koto te Niaré (born 4 June 1943 in Bamako) is a Malian former discus thrower who competed in the 1968 Summer Olympics, in the 1972 Summer Olympics, and in the 1980 Summer Olympics The 1980 Summer Olympics (russian: Летние Ол� ...

. Three athletes, one male and two female, won more than one event: *

Ohene Karikari Ohene Karikari (born 1 December 1954) is a former sprinter from Ghana, who represented his native West African country at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, West Germany. He is best known for winning two gold medals (100 and 200 met ...

, Ghana (100 metres and 200 metres men) *

Alice Annum Alice Annum (born 20 October 1948 in Accra) is a retired Ghanaian sprinter. Her personal best time in the 200 metres was 22.89 seconds, achieved at the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich. She was the first woman to represent Ghana at the Olympics. S ...

, Ghana (100 metres and 200 metres women) *

Modupe Oshikoya Modupe Oshikoya (born 2 May 1954) is a former female track and field athlete from Nigeria, who competed in the women's sprint and long jump events during her career. She is a one-time Olympian (1972), and also competed in the heptathlon. Oshi ...

, Nigeria (high jump, long jump and 100m hurdles) * Adegboyega Sunday Olorife, Nigeria (Youngest athlete to represent Nigeria at age 15 in 1973, known for his impressive performance in the water polo, and backstroke events) Several women's events was added. These were

200 metres The 200 metres, or 200-meter dash, is a sprint running event. On an outdoor 400 metre racetrack, the race begins on the curve and ends on the home straight, so a combination of techniques is needed to successfully run the race. A slightl ...

400 metres The 400 metres, or 400-meter dash, is a sprint event in track and field competitions. It has been featured in the athletics programme at the Summer Olympics since 1896 for men and since 1964 for women. On a standard outdoor running track, it is o ...

800 metres The 800 metres, or meters ( US spelling), is a common track running event. It is the shortest commonly run middle-distance running event. The 800 metres is run over two laps of an outdoor (400-metre) track and has been an Olympic event since th ...

1500 metres The 1500 metres or 1,500-metre run (typically pronounced 'fifteen-hundred metres') is the foremost middle distance track event in athletics. The distance has been contested at the Summer Olympics since 1896 and the World Championships in Athle ...

discus throw The discus throw (), also known as disc throw, is a track and field event in which an athlete throws a heavy disc—called a discus—in an attempt to mark a farther distance than their competitors. It is an ancient sport, as demonstrated by th ...

shot put The shot put is a track and field event involving "putting" (throwing) a heavy spherical ball—the ''shot''—as far as possible. The shot put competition for men has been a part of the modern Olympics since their revival in 1896, and women's c ...

and 4 x 400 metres relay. * Nagui Asaad won his first Gold medal in Shot Put of the

All Africa Games The African Games, formally known as the All-Africa Games or the Pan African Games, are a continental multi-sport event held every four years, organized by the African Union (AU) with the Association of National Olympic Committees of Africa (AN ...

, 1973,

, and then he went to win a second time in 1978,

Algeria ) , image_map = Algeria (centered orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Algiers , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , relig ...

,All-Africa Games
/ref> He also was the Silver medallist in Discus throw of the

, 1973

Soccer

The

soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...

tournament was won by the host country Nigeria.

External links

Athletics results - gbrathletics.com

References

African Games International sports competitions in Lagos Multi-sport events in Nigeria 20th century in Lagos 1973 in multi-sport events January 1973 sports events in Africa {{sport-event-stub