Ivory Coast’s President Alassane Ouattara was present for the opening ceremony of the 2017 Francophone Games in Abidjan.
The ceremony took place at the Stade Félix Houphouet-Boigny, with 48 nations present for the start of the quadrennial event.
Organisers claimed the opening parade reflected diversity and the culture of French speaking countries from Africa, Asia, the Americas and Europe.
Ouattara declared the Games open, claiming that the multi-sport event should help to unite and bring people together.
He was joined by his counterparts from Ghana, Mali, Niger, Burkina Faso, Togo and Madagascar.
The event is took place amid security concerns in Abidjan, with a series of shootings having occurred in the economic heart of the Ivory Coast in recent days.
Gunmen attacked a security unit earlier in the opening week and were believed to have stolen weapons. Around 10,000 police officers were reportedly called upon to secure the event, along with military personnel.
The Games are due to run with cultural activities being held alongside the sporting competitions. Athletics, African and free wrestling, basketball, football, judo, table tennis and cycling will be contested at the Games.
Para-sport competitions also feature on the programme which ended in Abidjan on Sunday during a ceremony attended by participants and thousands of Ivorians.
The just concluded event proved that sports, art and culture bring together not only the people within each country, but also people from diverse backgrounds.
The games also served as a springboard for participating athletes, allowing them to reach even greater heights.
“The president of Ivory Coast and the entire Ivorian government is happy to have successfully organised the event with everyone involved. We are very happy for the success which we achieved together,” the vice-president of Ivory Coast,Daniel Kablan Duncan said.
The Games of La Francophonie, created in 1987 at the Francophonie Summit in Québec City, is for members and observers of the International Organisation of La Francophonie.
They are held every four years under the theme of Solidarity, Excellence and Diversity.
The first Games were held in Morocco in 1989.
Since then, the Games have been held in France in 1994, Madagascar in 1997, Canada in 2001, Niger in 2005, Lebanon in 2009 and came back to France in 2013.
After the Games in Abidjan, the next edition will be hosted by Canada in 2021.
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