The African Traditional Sports and Games Council (ATSGC) symbolically joined the International Council of Traditional Sports and Games (ICTSG) for TSG Day 2025, amplifying the celebration of traditional sports across the African continent.
The joint initiative saw coordinated events in over 20 African nations. Countries participating included Senegal, Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, South Africa, Ethiopia, Namibia, Tanzania, and Morocco -each showcasing sports indigenous to their region.
Dr. Michael Shamsu Mustapha, Vice President of ICTSG for Africa, coordinated the continental celebrations and emphasized that Africa holds one of the world's richest concentrations of traditional sporting heritage, much of it still undocumented and at risk of generational loss.
Key activities included a pan-African virtual summit, live demonstrations of Laamb wrestling, Dambe boxing, Nguni stick fighting, and Gusaba, launch of the Africa TSG Youth Ambassador Program recruiting 200 young advocates across 40 countries, and signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between ATSGC and three national sports ministries.
"When a sport disappears, it is like a language no longer spoken. When we revive a game, we revive a culture."
Khalil Ahmed Khan — President, ICTSG