The debut of Scrabble as a demonstration sport at the ongoing 13th African Games in Accra, Ghana, has been hailed as a historic milestone by Adekoyejo Adegbesan, the President of the Pan African Scrabble Association (PANASA).
Describing the achievement as a “fulfilled dream,” Adegbesan acknowledged the arduous journey that led to Scrabble’s inclusion in the prestigious multi-sport event.
“If you backdate us to April last year, we weren’t in a sport in the African Games,” he recalled.
“It was a dream come true for scrabble on the continent of Africa, you can see we have 12 countries who have attended. It is the first time we have French and English countries playing in the same venue,” Adegbesan said, expressing his gratitude. “Several moments of history have been made, and we would like to thank the Ghanaian Federation for their support.”
The path to gaining recognition as a demonstration sport was fraught with challenges, as Adegbesan revealed a series of setbacks and uncertainties.
“We had a couple of meetings with the minister in Ghana, and somehow we found ourselves in the Games, and it has been a bumpy ride. We have been pulled out at several points in time after several committee meetings, brought back, but finally, we play the first tile of the scrabble game at the African Games.”
Despite the obstacles, the president expressed elation at witnessing Scrabble’s grand entry onto the continental stage.
“It is one of the things I wanted to achieve as the president, and to achieve it this time gives a great feeling,” he stated.
Nine English-speaking countries, including Nigeria, the host nation Ghana, Liberia, Kenya, Uganda, Sierra Leone, The Gambia, South Africa, and Zambia, are battling for honors at the Alisa Hotel in Accra. Meanwhile, four Francophone countries – Benin Republic, Gabon, Togo, and the Democratic Republic of Congo – are also participating.
The three-day competition, which began on Friday, March 15, will conclude on Sunday, March 17, with winners set to be crowned with medals.
However, Adegbesan’s ambitions for the mind game extend far beyond the African Games. With Scrabble’s successful debut at the continental level, the focus now shifts to securing its recognition as a competitive sport at the Commonwealth Games.
“We think it is more difficult to get to the African Games than to get to the Commonwealth Games because it is restricted to English countries, but the African Games is a combination of both French and English,” Adegbesan explained.
“So for us to break that barrier in the African Games, it makes our story easy to tell when we make our case to the Commonwealth Games.”
Determined to capitalize on this milestone, Adegbesan outlined plans to document the experience and present a compelling case for Scrabble’s inclusion in the Commonwealth Games.
“We are going to document what has happened here, and we will make a good report to ensure that Scrabble is looked at differently as a competitive sport,” he affirmed.
As the tiles continue to click at the African Games, the Scrabble community celebrates a historic achievement while setting its sights on even greater heights – securing a coveted spot in the prestigious Commonwealth Games.
