The Arab Games (Arabic: الألعاب العربية), formerly called the Pan-Arab Games, are a regional multi-sport event held between nations from the Arab world. They are organized by the Union of Arab National Olympic Committees. The first Games took place in 1953 in Alexandria, Egypt. Intended to be held every four years since, political turmoil and financial difficulties have made the event an unstable one. Women first competed in 1985.[1]
| Abbreviation | AG |
|---|---|
| First event | 26 July – 10 August 1953, Alexandria, Egypt |
| Last event | 5–15 July 2023, (Algiers, Oran, Constantine, Annaba, Tipaza), Algeria |
| Organization | Union of Arab National Olympic Committees |
Complications
editTypically the games are to take place every four years. Initially Lebanon was set to host the 2015 XIII Arab Games, but the country "withdrew because of the crisis in the Middle East".[2] Following Beirut's withdrawal Morocco was then chosen to host the games, but faced financial complications and also withdrew.[2]
The same year, Egypt volunteered to host the event. "Sheikh Khalid Al Zubair, chairman of the Oman Olympic Committee (OOC)" said, "We will be offering our full support to Egypt and we have also taken a decision to suspend the financial regulations and other requirements due to lack of time."[3] Had the UANOC accepted Egypt's proposition the games would have taken place in December 2015; however, no such event was held.
Editions
edit
| Games | Year | Host | Opened by | Dates | Nations | Competitors | Sports | Events | Top nation | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Men | Women | Total | |||||||||
| 1 | 1953 | Alexandria | Mohamed Naguib | 26 July – 10 August | 9 | 650 | — | 650 | 10 | 70 | Egypt |
| 2 | 1957 | Beirut | Camille Chamoun | 13 – 27 October | 10 | 914 | — | 914 | 12 | 90 | Lebanon |
| 3 | 1961 | Casablanca | Hassan II | 24 August – 8 September | 9 | 1127 | — | 1127 | 11 | 90 | United Arab Republic* |
| 4 | 1965 | Cairo** | Gamal Abdel Nasser | 2 – 14 September | 14 | 1500 | — | 1500 | 13 | 90 | United Arab Republic** |
| 5 | 1976 | Damascus | Hafiz al-Assad | 6 – 21 October | 11 | 2174 | — | 2174 | 18 | 120 | Syria |
| 6 | 1985 | Rabat | Hassan II | 24 August – 8 September | 17 | 3442 | 18 | 160 | Morocco | ||
| 7 | 1992 | Damascus | Hafiz al-Assad | 4 – 18 September | 18 | 2611 | 14 | 150 | Syria | ||
| 8 | 1997 | Beirut | Elias Hrawi | 13 – 27 July | 18 | 3253 | 22 | 217 | Egypt | ||
| 9 | 1999 | Amman | Abdullah II | 15 – 31 August | 21 | 5504 | 26 | 323 | Egypt | ||
| 10 | 2004 | Algiers | Abdelaziz Bouteflika | 24 September – 10 October | 22 | 5525 | 32 | 330 | Algeria | ||
| 11 | 2007 | Cairo | Hosni Mubarak | 11 – 26 November | 22 | 6000 | 32 | 355 | Egypt | ||
| 12 | 2011 | Doha | Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani | 9 – 23 December[4] | 21 | 6000 | 33 | 316 | Egypt | ||
| 13 | 2023 | Algeria (5 cities) | Aymen Benabderrahmane (Prime Minister) | 5 – 15 July | 22 | 3800 | 22 | 253 | Algeria | ||
| 14 | 2027 | Riyadh[5] | King of Saudi Arabia (expected) | Future event | |||||||
| 15 | 2031 | Bahrain | Future event | ||||||||
| 16 | 2035 | Jordan | Future event | ||||||||
- * United Arab Republic with Egypt and Syria.
- ** United Arab Republic with Egypt only.
- Not held in 2015 and 2019.
- 2015 Cancelled.[a]
Sports
edit37 sports were presented in the Arab Games history. Para Sports since 1999. Women since 1985.
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All-time medal table
editBelow is the medal table of the Arab Games tournaments, up until the 13th tournament 2023.
| Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Egypt (EGY) | 633 | 429 | 375 | 1,437 |
| 2 | Algeria (ALG) | 360 | 381 | 393 | 1,134 |
| 3 | Tunisia (TUN) | 303 | 273 | 346 | 922 |
| 4 | Morocco (MAR) | 300 | 275 | 301 | 876 |
| 5 | Syria (SYR) | 243 | 254 | 340 | 837 |
| 6 | United Arab Republic (UAR) | 122 | 74 | 49 | 245 |
| 7 | Jordan (JOR) | 88 | 140 | 228 | 456 |
| 8 | Iraq (IRQ) | 87 | 141 | 204 | 432 |
| 9 | Qatar (QAT) | 86 | 80 | 112 | 278 |
| 10 | Lebanon (LIB) | 82 | 122 | 189 | 393 |
| 11 | Saudi Arabia (KSA) | 76 | 106 | 154 | 336 |
| 12 | Bahrain (BHR) | 44 | 31 | 56 | 131 |
| 13 | Kuwait (KUW) | 40 | 65 | 143 | 248 |
| 14 | United Arab Emirates (UAE) | 34 | 41 | 65 | 140 |
| 15 | Sudan (SUD) | 24 | 42 | 37 | 103 |
| 16 | Libya (LBA) | 23 | 42 | 61 | 126 |
| 17 | Oman (OMN) | 19 | 18 | 27 | 64 |
| 18 | Palestine (PLE) | 8 | 23 | 70 | 101 |
| 19 | Yemen (YEM) | 7 | 10 | 21 | 38 |
| 20 | Djibouti (DJI) | 1 | 2 | 1 | 4 |
| 21 | North Yemen (YAR) | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| 22 | Somalia (SOM) | 0 | 4 | 1 | 5 |
| 23 | Mauritania (MTN) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 24 | South Yemen (YMD) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Totals (24 entries) | 2,581 | 2,554 | 3,175 | 8,310 | |
- * The United Arab Republic (1958–1971) contains 2 countries Egypt & Syria.
Related Games
editArab University Games
editArab University Beach Games
editEditions[10]
- 2016 Agadir
Arab Games for the Handicapped
editEditions[11]
Arab School Games
editOrganized by the Arab Union for Physical Education and School Sports (AUPESS).
- Unofficial
- Official
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See also
editNotes
edit- ^ Initially held in Beirut, Lebanon it was cancelled due to security conditions, so the hosting moved to Agadir or Rabat, Morocco, which in turn apologized for hosting and was thus postponed to 2019, and then canceled.
- ^ AUSF Report Page 9. Also arab university futsal, beach volleyball, basketball and futsal championship. 1338 athelets from 17 nations.
References
edit- ^ "12th Pan Arab Games in Doha". Marhaba. 30 October 2011. Archived from the original on 1 December 2017. Retrieved 1 January 2017.
- ^ a b Mackay, Duncan (17 October 2014). "Pan Arab Games 2015 in doubt after Morocco pull out over financial fears". Insidethegames.biz. Retrieved 23 April 2017.
- ^ Mackay, Duncan (2 March 2015). "Egypt set to host 2015 Arab Games after two countries withdraw". Insidethegames.biz. Retrieved 23 April 2017.
- ^ UANOC amends the time-schedule of Pan Arab Games 2011 Archived 30 September 2011 at the Wayback Machine published by the Qatar Olympic Committee on 6 March 2011; retrieved 10 March 2011
- ^ "اتحاد اللجان الأوليمبية العربية يسند للسعودية تنظيم دورة الألعاب العربية 2027". Retrieved 8 August 2023.
- ^ "Arab University Games". www.topendsports.com. Retrieved 8 August 2023.
- ^ "Egypt Olympian Hadia Hosny makes QNET proud". Mynewsdesk. 27 July 2012. Retrieved 8 August 2023.
- ^ "Camélia Chiraz SAHNOUNE | Profile | World Athletics". worldathletics.org. Retrieved 8 August 2023.
- ^ "2011 AUSF Magazine". ausf.org. Retrieved 8 August 2023.
- ^ "Arab University Beach Games". www.topendsports.com. Retrieved 8 August 2023.
- ^ "Arab Games for the Handicapped". www.topendsports.com. Retrieved 8 August 2023.
- ^ "Arab School Games". www.topendsports.com. Retrieved 8 August 2023.
- ^ "Arab School Games and Arab School Football Championship". www.rsssf.org. Retrieved 8 August 2023.
Sources
edit- Bell, Daniel (2003). Encyclopedia of International Games. McFarland and Company, Inc. Publishers, Jefferson, North Carolina. ISBN 0-7864-1026-4.
External links
editWikimedia Commons has media related to Arab Games.
- Athletics medalists
- Arab Games 2007 website (archived 20 September 2008)
- Arab Games 2011 official website (archived 28 January 2011)
- Arab Games 2011 Exhibition and Timeline (archived 7 October 2011)