Sport in Africa
[7] Traditional sports were strictly marginalised during the colonial era, and many are dying or have gone extinct under the pressure of modernisation, however lots remain popular despite not having formal governmental recognition or support.
After World War II, and the reconstruction era of European borders, Britain and France found it difficult to keep their colonies, especially with growing nationalism.
Preceding the end of World War II, Africa took initiative to become independent of the neocolonial guardianship created by Britain and France.
The internationalization of African sport depended heavily on the decolonization movements, alongside the integration into the Olympics.
Africa utilized sports as a way to fight against apartheid and end racial discrimination by social status.
Nevertheless, in the 1960 Rome Olympics, black African sportsmen were very successful in their respective fields, even scoring high places at the end of the competition.
However, the World Baseball Softball Confederation started Baseball5, a street variation of baseball, with nine founding countries; Angola, Botswana, Ghana, Lesotho, Namibia, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Zambia and Zimbabwe, as a way of introducing the sport to the continent.
[24][25] Basketball is also popular throughout the continent, with notable results in Nigeria, Tunisia, Egypt, Senegal, Ivory Coast, Cameroon and Angola, recently too in Cape Verde and South Sudan.
Cricket is a popular summer sport in the United Kingdom and has been exported to other parts of the former British Empire.
It is popular throughout England and Wales, and parts of the Netherlands, and in other world areas, especially in southern Africa, Australia, New Zealand and the Indian subcontinent.
It is played to test cricket level in South Africa and Zimbabwe, with notable results in Kenya and Namibia.
Ice hockey is a minority sport in Africa, in which only a handful of African countries participate.
[39][40][41][42] Rugby union is very popular in South Africa (4x times World Champions in 1995, 2007, 2019 & 2023) and other countries have notable results such as Morocco, Namibia, Zimbabwe and Ivory Coast.
Albert Grundlingh’s article discusses the affects that a sport had on nationalism, specifically how rugby shaped the Afrikaner identity to some extent.
Africa has a major multisports competition called All-Africa Games that started in 1965 held in Brazzaville, Republic of the Congo.
Previously the Rallye Côte d'Ivoire was also held as a WRC ropund from World Rally Championship for drivers and manufacturers from 1977 to 1992.
Jody Scheckter is the only auto driver from Africa to win the Formula 1 in 1979, whereas Tony Maggs and John Love scored podiums.
Rafting,[60] paddling, kayaking are growing types in Kenya, South Africa, Zambia, Rwanda and Uganda.
It can be enjoyed both as a sport and a form of active tourism, designed for groups of different numbers of participants and levels of training.
On October 30, 1974, Muhammad Ali and George Foreman fought for a heavyweight title in Zaire which became known as Rumble in the Jungle.
