The ANOCA General Assembly took place today in Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa, with some participants attending virtually amid the COVID-19 pandemic and an armed conflict in the north of Ethiopia. 

Among the items discussed was the African Games and African Beach Games. 

Tunisia is set to become the second host of the African Beach Games, with the island of Sal in Cape Verde organising the inaugural event in 2019. 

Eleven sports were on the programme last year, including athletics, 3x3 basketball, beach handball, beach soccer, beach tennis, beach volleyball, coastal rowing, freestyle football, karate kata, kiteboarding and open-water swimming.

A progress report was then given on the 2023 African Games, which is scheduled to be held in Ghana. 

The country was awarded the event in October 2018 and more than 5,000 athletes from in excess of 50 countries are expected to compete.

Final dates have still to be announced for the event, which is expected to be held in Accra, Kumasi and Cape Coast.

The ANOCA General Assembly also featured a speech from Ethiopian President Sahle-Work Zewde. 

"Sport, as we all know, is a powerful tool for unity and peace," she said. 

"We learn, through playing sports, the basic lessons of life - how to work with others to reach a common goal, how to follow rules, how to strategise and win, and equally as important is learning how to lose and make space for others to have their day. 

"We must think beyond sports and identify ways to leverage your influence and resources to engage and empower the youth of Africa. 

"You can count on Ethiopia to stand with you in the achievement of this goal."

ANOCA President Mustapha Berraf had met with Zewde in the run-up to the General Assembly. 

Ethiopian long distance running legend Haile Gebrselassie was another guest at the event, where he was joined by old rival Paul Tergat of Kenya.

The 47-year-old was a two-time Olympic champion in the 10,000 metres, triumphing at Atlanta 1996 and Sydney 2000, with Tergat second in both races.

The ANOCA Code of Ethics and a new constitution were set to be debated during the General Assembly. 

Changes to the two documents were delayed at last year's meeting in Doha because of National Olympic Committee (NOC) objections.

A working group established by Berraf and led by South African honorary International Olympic Committee (IOC) member Sam Ramsamy had presented the updated documents, only to be met by objections from some NOCs.

This included the Namibian NOC claiming the Code of Ethics was different to the one used by the IOC, while Rwanda suggested there needed to be more of a focus on the promotion of women in sport, and that the ANOCA Ethics Commission should be made to have an equal split of men and women.

A suggestion to expand the Ethics Commission from five people was also tabled, as was one to improve French translations of the documents.

These objections ultimately resulted in the new ANOCA Constitution and Code of Ethics not being passed - even provisionally - in 2019, with further discussions deferred to this year.