Linking sports and development in Africa was the main theme of the conference titled African Sports Across Disciplines
which took place Friday and Saturday.
Sponsored by the Ohio University Institute for the African Child and the sports administration program, the conference featured many workshops and speakers, including a keynote address Friday from sprinter Lee Evans, a two-time Olympic gold medalist.
One of the main topics of the conference was the influence of sports and the colonization of Africa. Paul Darby, a sociological sports lecturer from the University of Ulster in Northern Ireland, said sports, primarily soccer, were used as a means of resistance against British Imperialism. Africans formed teams and Africanized the sport by adding pregame rituals related to African traditions, he said.
Dr. Peter Alegi, an assistant professor in the Department of History at Eastern Kentucky University, said soccer has a two-tier system in Africa.
There are the 'glamour' clubs which pull in money and the grass-roots soccer clubs
he said. The amateur clubs are worse off because sponsors and athletes give all the attention to the elite clubs.
Becoming a professional soccer player has become a dream for many African players, but Darby said most talent scouts exploit success in Europe, and the players that do not make the grade are dumped in the straits.
Evans also spoke about African athletes seeking an outlet in sports. He said recruiting athletes in the 1970s was easy because African athletes wanted to come over to the United States for an education and a chance to run track and field.
Evans, who recruits African athletes for colleges and universities in the United States, said recruiting athletes from Africa has become more difficult since the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11. He said immigration restrictions have become more strict, and he thinks some of the methods used by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services to keep foreign athletes out of the country were derived from racism.
One girl was denied entrance into the U.S because officials said she looked older than she actually was in her visa picture
Evans said. These excuses that are given are not legit.
Those who attended the conference had the chance to take part in workshops including Sport Opportunities in Zimbabwe and World Cup Soccer 2010 in South Africa.
Gerard Akindes, technology coordinator for the OU Department of Health and Human Services, was one of the main organizers of the event. He said he was pleased with outcome of the conference, but some topics were left unaddressed.
We are seriously thinking about including handicapped sports and the philosophy of coaching in the next conference
which we hope to carry over to next year
he said.
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