New Delhi, May 17: New Delhi will host the first-ever Afro-Asian Games in November next year, it was officially announced on Wednesday. Ninety-six countries are expected to participate in the Games which will have competitions in six disciplines - athletics, boxing, football, shooting, swimming and tennis, an official spokesperson said.This is the first major multi-sport event to be held in India after the 1982 Asian Games.After the successful hosting of the 1982 Asiad, India was the country which mooted the concept of Afro-Asian Games and offered to host the inaugural edition. It took nearly two decades for the apex bodies of the two continents, Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) and the Association of National Olympic Committees of Africa (ANOCA) to turn the concept into reality.The decision to host the Games was approved by the Union Cabinet Tuesday evening, the spokesperson said, adding the matter was under consideration of the government for some time.The Games would help promote cooperation in the two continents, she added.While athletics would be held in Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, boxing would be held at Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium. Football would be organised at Ambedkar Stadium, shooting at Karni Singh Shooting Range and Tennis at RK Khanna Stadium, she added. KUALA LUMPUR: South Africa and Morocco, both vying to bring the World Cup to Africa for the first time, dueled over which country best deserved to stage soccer's most prestigious event in 2006.``Football is the passion of our country,'' said Danny Jordaan, chief executive officer of South Africa's bid committee. ``Even Nelson Mandela has said our time has come.''The former South African president has confessed that hosting the 2006 World Cup ``would fulfill not only my dream but that of the entire nation.''Representatives of five countries competing for the coveted event are in Malaysia this week to present their bids to the Asian Football Confederation, the region's top soccer association.South Africa is the firm favourite to win the bid. FIFA president Sepp Blatter, who says he supports the country, has stressed repeatedly that it is finally Africa's turn to host the 2006 event.But Morocco claims it is better qualified to meet the challenge. ``It was a disappointment to the people of Morocco when we saw our brothers in South Africa bid to host the World Cup,'' Moroccan spokesman Driss Benhima told reporters here.``We think that in Africa, we are the most legitimate country to host the cup,'' he said. Morocco has twice fought to stage the showcase event with bids in 1994 and 1998. It lost to the United States, then France. Like their competitors England, Brazil and Germany, all of whom have launched fierce campaigns to host the event in 2006, the two African nations tout their infrastructure and government support as key reasons for their suitability.The World Cup, first held in 1930, has traditionally hopped between Europe and the Americas. The host city will be announced on July 6, when FIFA's 24-member executive committee meets in Zurich. Four Asian nations, Thailand, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and South Korea, are members of the board.Europe has hosted the competition nine out of 16 times. The next one in 2002, to be co-hosted by Japan and South Korea, is the first in Asia.Representatives from England, the leading Europeancontender for 2006, on Tuesday rejected the idea that they should let the Cup go to another continent.Germany said it would like to see Africa eventually stage the World Cup. ``I agree that it has to be in Africa at least once, under the concept of solidarity,'' said football legend Franz Beckenbaur. ``But is Africa ready? I don't know,'' he said. ``Let's have the 2006 World Cup in Germany, and after that, let it go to Africa,'' he said.
