The maiden edition of the West Africa Zone A & B Para Games officially began on November 28 with a colourful opening ceremony at the MKO Abiola Stadium in Abeokuta, Nigeria.
Ten of the 15 expected ECOWAS member states took part in the ceremony, including Nigeria, Ghana, Benin, Niger, Ivory Coast, Togo, Cameroon, Sierra Leone, DR Congo, and Cape Verde.
The remaining countries – The Gambia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, and Mali – are expected to arrive ahead of their competitions.
The ceremony featured delegations of para athletes, marching around the stadium’s tartan track and hoisting their national flags.
Team Ghana presented over 65 para athletes who will compete across nine sporting disciplines.
Several high-profile dignitaries attended the event, including African Paralympic Committee President Samson Deen, President of the Paralympic Committee of Nigeria Sunday Odebode, and Local Organizing Committee Chairman Victor Achakpo.
During the ceremony, Deen expressed his delight with the successful start to the Games.
“I stand here as the president of the African Paralympic Committee [and] let me say that I am very happy to see what is happening here.
“I would want to congratulate Nigeria for taking the baton from Ghana. Africa need to do more [and] what we are seeing is to show that, yes, Africans can do it.”
The competition opened with amputee football, where hosts Nigeria recorded an emphatic 11–0 victory over Benin Republic.
Events continue on Saturday, with more than 700 para athletes set to compete in over 10 sporting disciplines until December 4.
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