What are the Arab Games?
The Arab Games (Pan Arab Games) are the multi-sport games of the Arab world, gathering national teams from some 22 Arab National Olympic Committees across Africa and Asia. First held in Alexandria in 1953, they are among the oldest regional games traditions outside Europe.[1] [2]
Who organizes the Arab Games?
The Games are owned by the Union of Arab National Olympic Committees, which awards each edition to a member host; the host NOC and organizing committee stage the event.[1]
When and where are they held?
Nominally every four years, though the calendar has been irregular: the 15th edition, hosted by Algeria in July 2023, was the first since Doha 2011.[2]
Since when do they exist?
The first Arab Games were held in Alexandria in 1953, an early project of pan-Arab sporting cooperation; editions have been staged across the Arab world from Morocco to Qatar since.[1] [2]
How do athletes qualify?
Entry runs through the Arab National Olympic Committees, which select and enter national teams under per-sport quotas set with the host and the sports' Arab federations.[1]
Why do the Arab Games matter?
They are the Arab world's own games title, contested by full national teams — with Olympic and world medalists from Egypt, Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia and the Gulf states in the fields — and complement the Islamic Solidarity Games in the region's calendar.[2]
Who competes?
National teams from the Arab NOCs of North Africa and the Middle East — several thousand athletes at the Algeria 2023 edition.[2]
References
- Wikipedia — Pan Arab Games (background). Accessed August 2026.
- Wikipedia — Saudi Arabia at the Arab Games (background). Accessed August 2026.