- MIXED MARTIALS ARTS TO FEATURE AS A DEMONSTRATION SPORT ALONGSIDE OLYMPIC DISCIPLINES
- 10 – 12 MARCH, ACCRA – GHANA
Arabs MMA can exclusively reveal the Arab teams registered and weighed-in to represent their nations in MMA at the African Games in Ghana, as the sport features for the first time from Sunday 10 to Tuesday 12 March.
North African nations Egypt, Sudan and Libya will be fielding athletes: Four competitors (3 male and 1 female) have been accredited from the Egyptian Mixed Martial Arts Committee, including women’s World Silver medallist Dalia Abodeff; two from the Sudan Muay Thai Federation ( 2 males); and one (male) from the Libyan Federation Of Kickboxing and Similar Sports (LFKSS). The Sudanese team overcame particular challenges to attend due to the civil war at home. See listed below.
Amateur MMA rules competition will join 6 other demonstration sports on the Olympic platform among 30 total disciplines. 8 of these will be holding qualifiers for this summer’s Paris 2024 Games.
The 13th edition of the four-year, multi-sport event runs from 8 to 23 March, organised by the African Union (AU), the Association of National Olympic Committees of Africa (ANOCA), the Association of African Sports Confederations (AASC) and the Supreme Council for Sport in Africa (SCSA).
The MMA competition is organised by world governing body Global Association of Mixed Martial Arts (GAMMA) which is officially recognised in Africa by the Association of African Sports Confederations (AASC). GAMMA has 24 recognised and active member federations on the continent, including host federation the Ghana Mixed Martial Arts Association.
GAMMA’s vision is to see mixed martial arts formally recognised as a sport internationally by the Olympic movement and to one day enter The Olympic Games. Acceptance into the African Games provides a milestone for the sport as it advances MMA’s quest for recognition. As for Africa, the achievement is an accolade to Africa’s MMA’s athletes as the sport continues to grow across the continent.
Following the closure of registration, medical checks and weigh-ins on Friday 8 March, the Tournament Draw takes place on 9 March ahead of the commencement of the matches on Sunday, which run from 10 – 12 March.
TEAM EGYPT
– 70,3 kg | – 155 lbs M Amr Ali
– 47,6 kg | – 105 lbs F Dalia Abodeff
– 93,0 kg | – 205 lbs M Mohamed Ashaat
– 77,1 kg | – 170 lbs M Mohamed Elsayed
TEAM LIBYA
– 65,8 kg | – 145 lbs M Muammar Felfel
TEAM SUDAN
-61,2 kg | – 135 lbs M Mojahed Mohamedelhassan (Merghani Ahmed)
– 70,3 kg | – 155 lbs M Mossab Elfadil Abdelgadir ( Mohamedali)
MMA at the African Games 2023 will be live streamed free-to-view on GAMMA YouTube and Facebook channels. The matches schedule is to be announced after Tournament Draw today (9 March).
Live tournament information will be available at: 13th African Games | Accra 2023 (sportdata.org)
