- 1999 All-Africa Games
AAG Infobox
Name = VII All-Africa Games
Size = 200px
Optional caption =
Host city =Johannesburg ,South Africa
Nations participating = 53
Athletes participating =
Events = 18 sports
Opening ceremony =10 September ,1999
Closing ceremony =19 September ,1999
Officially opened by =
Athlete's Oath =
Judge's Oath =
All-Africa Torch =
Stadium =Johannesburg Stadium The
7 thAll-Africa Games were held fromSeptember 10 1999 toSeptember 19 1999 in GreaterJohannesburg ,South Africa . 53 countries participated in eighteen sports.Netball was included as a demonstration sport.The
South Africans hosted about 25,000 visitors including 6,000 athletes and 3,000 officials from throughout the continent. The Opening Ceremonies, with dancing,African parables andZulu warriors, was staged in an arena with less than 15 000 spectators.South Africa , which had lost toGreece for a bid for the2004 Olympic Games was hoping to impressFIFA in hopes of landing the 2006 World Cup. Overall the games were a success, with hostsSouth Africa outdistancingNigeria andEgypt in the medals race.Typical problems at the games included 600 children contracting food poisoning after being fed boxed lunches at the practice session for the Opening Ceremonies, striking laborers demonstrating outside games venues, displaying placards which read "No Wages, No All Africa Games." Women's
field hockey was demoted to a non-medal event after theNigerian team dropped out of the tournament. A melee at the finish of the basketball game betweenAngola andEgypt forced police to escort theEgypt ian team from the court.Haile Gebreselassie , the world record holder in the 5,000 and 10,000 meter runs opted out of the games for health reasons, depriving the games organizers of one of the biggest drawing cards of the games.Despite the difficulties
IOC PresidentJuan Antonio Samaranch , praisedSouth Africa 's organization of the Games, saying "this shows that you can organize big events."Olympic stars
Maria de Lurdes Mutola (athletics-800 m),Penny Heyns (swimming),Gete Wami (athletics, 10000 m) all starred in the women's events.South African pole vaulterOkkert Brits won his second African Games gold medal.Assefa Mezgebu ofEthiopia won the men's 10000 m.Cameroon beatZambia 4-3 on penalty kicks to win the football finale.Participating sports
External links
* [http://www.aag.org.za/index.shtml Official site]
* [http://www.gbrathletics.com/ic/afg.htm Athletics results - gbrathletics.com]
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