By At the conclusion of the 13th edition of the African Games in Accra over the weekend, Ghana achieved its highest-ever medal count in the history of the event.
Accra 2023 marked the inaugural hosting of the Games by Ghana, with the nation securing a remarkable total of 68 medals – 19 gold, 29 silver, and 20 bronze – the most significant tally in its history.
This achievement signifies Ghana’s most successful participation since the inception of the Games in 1965, surpassing its previous best of 27 medals attained during the 1973 Games in Lagos, Nigeria.
As the nation eagerly awaited success to commence celebrations, Winnifred Ntumi clinched the first medal in weightlifting, marking the commencement of Ghana’s historic medal haul.
In Ghana’s most beloved sport, football, both the male and female teams achieved historic victories, securing gold medals in their respective categories over the course of three weeks.
In addition to football, the female hockey team also emerged victorious, claiming a gold medal. Furthermore, arm-wrestling made an unprecedented impact on the Games, clinching a remarkable eight gold medals.
Boxing also left an indelible mark on the Games, earning four gold medals, with Samuel Takyi, Ghana’s sole Olympic medalist in Tokyo, and Joseph Commey, a recent Commonwealth Games medalist, delivering impressive performances once again.
Athletics proved to be another highlight of the Games, captivating crowds and receiving well-deserved recognition for its resilience. With fans filling every available space at each event, the athletes showcased their talents, securing three gold medals in a spectacular fashion.
Ghana, hosting the highest number of disciplines since the inception of the Games finished sixth out of 53 participating nations, marking a significant improvement from her 15th position in the 2019 Rabat edition, where the team returned with 13 medals.
Similarly, the Accra 2023 Games hosted three disciplines more than the Rabat event of 26 disciplines. Until the Rabat event, host countries had been averaging 20 disciplines.
The just-ended edition brought together 5000 elite athletes and coaches from 54 African countries in 29 multi-sports disciplines over three weeks.
The event held over two cities; Accra and Cape Coast was used as an official qualifier for the XXXIII Olympic Games Paris 2024. The Olympic qualifying events comprised athletes, swimming, cycling, badminton, wrestling, tennis, table tennis and triathlon.
