1978 All-Africa Games
| Host city | Algiers, Algeria |
|---|---|
| Nations | 45 |
| Athletes | 3000 |
| Events | 12 sports |
| Opening | 13 July 1978 |
| Closing | 28 July 1978 |
| Opened by | Houari Boumediene |
| Main venue | Stade 5 Juillet 1962 |
The 3rd All-Africa Games (Arabic: الألعاب الأفريقية الثالثة; French: 3e Jeux africains), also known as Algiers 1978 (الجزائر 1978) was a multi-sport event played from 13 to 28 July 1978, in Algiers, Algeria. 45 countries from 49 independent African countries participated in twelve sports.
The first African Games were held in July of 1965 in Brazzaville, Congo . Pierre de Coubertin, founder of the Olympic Games, had attempted to create some sort of multinational African Games since the early 1900s, but only in 1965 the events were open to all African nationalities meeting the qualifications to compete. The sporting events are also used to demonstrate each athlete’s abilities for a chance to qualify for the global Olympic Games.
At the closing ceremonies the torch was passed to Nairobi, Kenya to begin preparations for the IVth All-Africa Games in 1987. After the games, Morocco boycotted the competition following the recognition of Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic by the AU until 2019.