Search Begins for Host City of African Para Games 2027

The quest to identify the host city for the 2027 African Para Games has officially commenced, following the success of the inaugural event in Ghana last year.

The African Paralympic Committee (APC) has partnered with Team TOC, a leading sports agency based in the Netherlands known for organizing the European Para Championships. This collaboration aims to enhance the scope of the upcoming African Para Games by potentially including a broader range of sports.

Unlike previous years where the Africa Para Games and African Games were held in the same city, there is no mandate for this practice to continue. APC President Samson Deen emphasized the need to surpass the achievements of the first event, stating, “We need to be better than the first one. We have signed for 2027 and 2031. In the next nine months, we will work together to find a host city in Africa. The potential is there; we need the energy to create opportunities for athletes.”

The partnership was formalized during the APC summit in Paris, coinciding with the 2024 Paralympics. The inaugural African Para Games featured amputee football, wheelchair basketball, and wheelchair tennis. For the 2027 edition, the aim is to include five or six sports, focusing on quality and effective organization rather than quantity.

Team TOC’s CEO, Eric Kersten, expressed optimism about the event, noting, “It’s always challenging to find a city with the necessary facilities and financial support, but we are confident with our established contacts and contracts with international federations.”

Additionally, the APC has designated September 3rd as an annual day of para-sport across Africa, commemorating the inaugural African Para Games and promoting disability sport continent-wide.

“We chose September 3rd as a day of historic significance in para-sports,” Deen added, aiming to boost awareness and participation across the continent.