NIGER HOSTS INAUGURAL CEN-SAD GAMES (FEBRUARY 4-14, 2009)

UNCLAS NIAMEY 000100 PARIS FOR AF WATCHER SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: SCUL PREL SOCI XA NG SUBJECT: NIGER HOSTS INAUGURAL CEN-SAD GAMES (FEBRUARY 4-14, 2009) ¶1. Summary. Approximately 3000 young athletes and/or artists from 19 African states basked in the eleven days of sports and cultural diversity competition that unfolded at the inaugural Community of Sahel and Saharan States (CEN-SAD) Games in Niamey. Nigerien President Mamadou Tandja and Prime Minister Seini Oumarou, respectively, presided over the colorful opening and closing ceremonies and their remarks noted the Republic of Niger would be remembered for having hosted the first CEN-SAD Games. In his opening ceremony remarks, CEN-SAD Secretary General Al Madani Al Bazaadi (Libyan) praised President Tandja for his clairvoyance in suggesting the concept of games "to help consolidate fraternal ties and solidarity on the continent" and congratulated Government of Niger Minister of Youth and Sports Abdoulrahamane Seydou for his successful organization of the Games. The Republic of Chad was announced as the next scheduled host of the CEN-SAD Games, slated for February 2011 in Ndjamena. End summary. ¶2. In the weeks leading up to the February 4-14, 2009 event, Nigerien President Mamadou Tandja urged his compatriots to show national pride by working together to ensure that the first CEN-SAD Games would be a success. The Nigerien people responded to Tandja's call. Even a small collective of disgruntled Nigerien artists who three days prior to the opening ceremony issued a public statement to complain that they were pushed aside and had not been invited to participate in the festivities, in the end, responded to the President's appeal for all citizens to mobilize with the aim to conduct a successful event and wished the organizers well with the Games. ¶3. GON Cabinet Ministers and National Assembly Members, diplomatic corps, traditional chiefs and the public (some via media coverage) witnessed eleven delegations of 19 states registered for the games participate in the opening parade of nations: Benin, Burkina Faso, Central African Republic, Libya, Mali, Morocco, Nigeria, Chad, Togo, Tunisia and Niger. The opening ceremony featured song and dance performances by members of ethnic groups from each of the eight regions of Niger and was capped with a spectacular fireworks display. The eight other states that sent athletes and/or artists to compete for gold, silver or bronze medals before the Games closed were: Comoros, Cote D'Ivoire, Djibouti, Egypt, Guinea Bissau, Mauritania, Senegal and Zambia. Male and female athletes competed in eight sports: basketball, soccer, boxing, traditional wrestling, judo, handball, table tennis, and track and field. In the cultural diversity competition, artists competed in five disciplines: photography, painting, sculpture, song and dance. The closing ceremony, minus the fireworks, revisited an ethnic song and dance formula. The Games' activities were given extensive media (print, TV, radio) coverage. ¶4. Local businesses (hotels, food services/restaurants, vendors/artisans) welcomed the opportunity to sell their respective commodities or wares to the thousands of athletes and guests in Niamey to participate in or attend the various events. CEN-SAD Secretary General Al Madani, in closing ceremony remarks, congratulated the Nigerien Government for the successful organization of the Games and thanked the Nigerien people for their warm hospitality throughout the eleven-day event. He announced the venue for the next Games, slated for February 2011 in Ndjamena. ALLEN