African Hockey Chief Encourages South Africa to Participate in African Games: Let’s Play Without Excuses

The African Hockey Federation is expressing dissatisfaction with South Africa’s decision to withdraw their male and female teams from the ongoing African Games, Accra 2023.

During a press briefing in Accra on Tuesday, Seif Ahmed, President of the African Hockey Federation stated, “we came to play. Not to find excuses not to play.”

South Africa withdrew their teams from the competition, citing safety concerns with the pitch.

“I believe hockey in Africa will benefit greatly from this pitch. There are 25 countries playing hockey in Africa. Only one country, South Africa has certified turfs.”

“Of course, if we take over the turf late we cannot certify it. But, from our experience, we know it is safe to be used.”

The continental President mentioned that South Africa did not follow proper procedures in deciding to withdraw from the competition. He also disputed the claim that the pitch was substandard, as the turf had not been laid when the pictures circulated by South Africans were taken and the quality could not be determined from the pictures.

Mr. Seif further mentioned that the requirement for certification only applies when a pitch is used for Olympic qualifiers.

“The real reason South Africa withdrew from the competition is because they fear injuries as they prepare for the Olympic Games. We are here to protect the athletes, but we cannot prevent injuries.”

South Africa’s male and female teams qualified for the 2024 Paris Olympic Games after competing on the old turf at the Theodosia Okoh Hockey Pitch in Accra in the African Cup of Nations in 2022.

The new surface at the Pitch is of the highest quality and will be used in the upcoming Paris Olympics.

Aside from hockey, South Africa is participating in seventeen other disciplines at Accra 2023 with a group of three hundred and forty-six athletes.

With over 5,000 athletes from 54 countries involved, the Games features twenty-nine different sporting disciplines across two cities – Accra and Cape Coast.