The 8th All Africa Games were 5–17 October 2003 in Abuja, Nigeria. 53 countries participated in 23 sports. The main venue was the newly constructed Abuja Stadium. The organizing committee was headed by Nigerian Amos Adamu.
Nigeria competed in the 2003 All-Africa Games held at the National Stadium in the city of Abuja. It was the eighth time that the country had taken part in the games and expectations were high for the competitors as they were playing on home soil. 2003 was the second time that Nigeria hosted the games, as the 1973 All-Africa Games had been held in Lagos thirty years before. The country did extremely well and achieved a commanding first place in the medal table. The team left with a total of 240 medals, of which 85 were gold medals and 90 silver, a tally that remained unmatched until 2019.
Egypt competed in the 2003 All-Africa Games held at the National Stadium in the city of Abuja, Nigeria. The team came second overall with a total of 218 medals.
Madagascar competed in the 2003 All-Africa Games held at the National Stadium in the city of Abuja, Nigeria.
Botswana competed in the 2003 All-Africa Games held at the National Stadium in the city of Abuja, Nigeria. The team came eleventh overall with eleven medals, nearly half of them in karate.
Namibia competed in the 2003 All-Africa Games held at the National Stadium in the city of Abuja. It was the fourth time that the country had sent a team to the Games since gaining independence and the team left with seven medals. Amongst the medal winners was Frank Fredericks, who gained silver in the men's 200 metres.
Sudan competed in the 2003 All-Africa Games held at the National Stadium in the city of Abuja, Nigeria. The team entered thirteen events and won two bronze medals, both in athletics.
Burkina Faso competed in the 2003 All-Africa Games held at the National Stadium in the city of Abuja, Nigeria. A team from Burkina Faso had competed at the Games since the first All-Africa Games in 1965, initially competing under its then name of Upper Volta. In 2003, the team competed in sixteen events and brought back three bronze medals.
Central African Republic competed in the 2003 All-Africa Games held at the National Stadium in the city of Abuja, Nigeria. The country entered seventeen events, and gained a gold medal in Taekwondo, ranking joint 19th in the medal table.
Uganda competed in the 2003 All-Africa Games which took place at the National Stadium in the city of Abuja, Nigeria. Uganda sent a substantial delegation and entered thirty three events, some, like the women’s 100 and 200 metres, with more than one competitor. The team won five medals and came twenty-sixth in the final medal table. Dorcus Inzikuru won a silver medal in the women’s 5000 metres. The individual bronze medals were won by Ajambo Irene in weightlifting and the boxing team of Jolly Kotongole and Sadat Tebazalwa. In team events, the Ugandan women’s team were awarded a bronze medal in softball.
Democratic Republic of the Congo competed in the 2003 All-Africa Games held at the National Stadium in the city of Abuja, Nigeria. The country sent 86 athletes to compete, including teams to compete in basketball and handball. The team won two medals, including a silver in women's basketball.
The Republic of the Congo competed in the 2003 All-Africa Games held at the National Stadium in the city of Abuja, Nigeria. This was the eighth time that the country had competed in the Games since the Congo itself hosted the first in 1965. The country sent a substantial team which won six medals and came joint twenty-third in the medal table. Tatiana Bvegadz won a silver medal in judo. The team also received five bronze medals, including both individual and team accolades in karate.
Lesotho competed in the 2003 All-Africa Games held at the National Stadium in the city of Abuja, Nigeria The country sent a substantial team which entered a range of events including athletics and tennis. The team returned with six medals, all in taekwondo, and came sixteenth in the medal table.
Mali competed in the 2003 All-Africa Games held at the National Stadium in the city of Abuja, Nigeria. The country’s team won six medals and came joint twenty-third in the medal table. The country competed in the first women’s football tournament in the history of the Games, and came fourth. Bourama Mariko won a silver medal in karate, and the team gained four bronze medals in taekwondo.
Gabon competed in the 2003 All-Africa Games held at the National Stadium in the city of Abuja, Nigeria. The team won a single silver medal, won by Melanie Engaong in the judo tournament.
The Gambia competed in the 2003 All-Africa Games held at the National Stadium in the city of Abuja, Nigeria. The team consisted of a single competitor, Gibril Jatta, who went on to win a silver medal in the taekwondo tournament.
Ethiopia competed in the 2003 All-Africa Games held at the National Stadium in the city of Abuja, Nigeria. The team wielded a very strong athletic contingent, which brought back a total of five gold, six silver and four bronze medals. Amongst the gold medal winners were future multiple Olympic gold medal winners Kenenisa Bekele and Meseret Defar. In boxing, the team brought back a silver and two bronze medals. At the end of the event, the team had won a total of twenty medals, the largest number that it had won in the history of the Games, and came eighth overall in the medal table.
Togo competed in the 2003 All-Africa Games held at the National Stadium in the city of Abuja in nearby Nigeria. The team entered twenty five events and came joint thirty first overall with three bronze medals. Medals were awarded in women's discus, men's open singles table tennis, and men's powerlifting.
The chess events at the 2003 All-Africa Games were held from 5 to 17 October at the Nicon Hilton Hotel in Abuja. This was the first time chess was contested at the All-Africa Games. The four events were men's and women's team competitions at rapid time controls, and men's and women's individual competitions at blitz time controls. Teams played matches on four boards: each team consisted of a minimum of four players and up to two optional reserve players. In the team competitions, medals were awarded to the teams scoring the highest number of board points, as well as to individual players with the best performances on each board in terms of win percentage.
South Africa competed in the 2003 All-Africa Games held at the National Stadium in the city of Abuja, Nigeria.
