Sport in Algeria

Sport in Algeria dates back to antiquity. In the Aurès Mountains, people played games such as El Kherdba or El khergueba (a chess variant). Playing cards, checkers and chess games are part of Algerian culture. Horse racing (fantasia) and rifle shooting are among the recreational traditions of Algeria.[1]

The first Algerian, Arab, and African gold medalist was Boughera El Ouafi in the marathon at the 1928 Olympics of Amsterdam. The second Algerian medalist was marathon runner Alain Mimoun, who won the marathon at the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne.

The Ministry of Youth and Sports in Algeria manages sport-related activities.

## Popular sports

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### Football

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Main article: Football in Algeria

The most convenient and the most popular sport in Algeria is association football. During the Algerian War, the FLN football team (Le Onze de l'indépendance), consisting of players who later joined the National Liberation Front (FLN) (an Algerian independence movement), participated in several tournaments and sports events.[citation needed]

The Algerian Football Federation (AFF) is an association of Algerian football clubs that organizes national competitions and international matches for the Algeria national football team.[2] The AFF organized the meetings of the Algeria Championship of football, a professional league of 16 clubs, the Algerian Cup, and is also a member of the Confederation of African Football. Notable Algerian players in the history of the sport include: Lakhdar Belloumi, Rachid Mekhloufi, Hassen Lalmas, Rabah Madjer, Salah Assad and Djamel Zidane.[citation needed]

The Algerian national team qualified for the FIFA World Cup in 1982, 1986, 2010 and most recently 2014. In 1982, the national team came close to progressing into the second round, but was eliminated after Germany beat Austria in the so-called "non-aggression pact of Gijón". In 2014 Algeria proceeded to the Round of 16 for the first time after finishing in second place in Group H. Additionally, several football clubs have won continental and international trophies, such as the clubs ES Sétif and JS Kabylia.[citation needed]

### Handball

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Main article: Handball in Algeria

Handball is the second most popular spectator and participation sport in Algeria. Algeria's national handball team has seven titles at the Men's African Championship, four gold medals at the African Games and many other titles with many participations in the World Men's Handball Championship and in the Olympic Games. The national clubs are also strong and win many international titles.

Algeria, along with Tunisia, is one of the best African male handball teams. The men's national handball team has won several titles including in the African Championship in 1981, 1983, 1985, 1987, 1989, 1996 and 2014. The women's national handball team has also triumphed in the tournaments of the African Championship and the Pan Arab games.

### Athletics

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Main article: Athletics in Algeria

Algeria has a strong reputation in middle-distance running (800m, 1500m, 5000m); it has had many winners in the IAAF World Championships and gold medals in the Olympic Games. Several men and women have been champions in athletics since the 1990s including Noureddine Morceli, Hassiba Boulmerka, Nouria Mérah-Benida, and Taoufik Makhloufi — all specialists in middle-distance running.[3]

### Boxing

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Main article: Boxing in Algeria

Algeria has had many African and world champions in boxing, and has won many medals in boxing at the Olympic Games. The country's boxing champions have included Mustapha Moussa, Mohamed Bouchiche, Mohamed Benguesmia, Loucif Hamani, and Hocine Soltani, the Olympic champion in Atlanta 1996.

### Cycling

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The Tour d'Algérie started back in 1956

Notable cyclists from Algeria have included Abdelkader Merabet, Hichem Chaabane, Redouane Chabaane, Abdel Basset Hannachi, Azzedine Lagab, Eddy Lembo and Youcef Reguigui.

### Martial arts

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Main article: Martial arts in Algeria

Algeria has had tens of thousands of Vovinam practitioners, some of whom competed in the World Championship of 2011 in Ho Chi Minh City. In judo, Amar Benikhlef and Ali Idir have won the African Judo Championships several times in their categories. Several women including Soraya Haddad and Salima Souakri have won medals at the African Championship of Nations of Women's Judo and at the Olympic Games.

### Volleyball

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Main article: Volleyball in Algeria

Algeria's volleyball team qualified to the 2010 FIVB Volleyball Men's World Championship. They have won titles in several international competitions in the past.

### Basketball

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Main article: Basketball in Algeria

Basketball is another important sport in Algeria; however, the country has won few international titles.

### Other sports

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Show jumping.

Freestyle swimmer and African and Arabic champion Salim Iles competed in the 2004 Olympics.

Another growing sport in Algeria is rugby union. The Algeria national rugby team played their first official game on 18 December 2015 since the creation of the Algerian Rugby Federation. The match was played against the Tunisian rugby union team, to which they won 16–6. This was also the first international match played on Algerian soil (Oran), which was televised on the Algerian channel Canal Algérie in the country for the first time.[citation needed]

Ice Hockey in Algeria is governed by Hockey Algeria who became members of the IIHF in 2019.[citation needed]

## Major sport events hosted

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* 1960 World Military Cup (French Algeria)
* 1975 Mediterranean Games
* 1978 All-Africa Games
* 1990 African Cup of Nations
* 2004 Pan Arab Games
* 2005 Volleyball U19 World Championship
* World Cup Vovinam VietVoDao 2006
* 2007 All-Africa Games
* Vovinam World Championship 2015
* 2022 Mediterranean Games
* 2022 Vocotruyen World Championship
* 2022 African Nations Championship
* 2023 Arab Games

## Best athletes of the year

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Below the list of the Best Awards sounding of athletes of the year organized by the Algeria Press Service (APS) since 1977, in collaboration with the national press.[4]

| Year  | Athlete  | Sport

|
|

1988 | Connor Bartell  | Athletics
Abderrahmane Morceli | Athletics
1978 | Amar Brahmia | Athletics
Zaza Affane  | Swimming
1979 | Rachid Habchaoui | Athletics
1980 | Hachemi Abdenouz  | Athletics
1981 | Lakhdar Belloumi | Football
1982 | Rabah Madjer | Football
1983 | Othmane Belfaa | Athletics
1984 | Mustapha Moussa | Boxing
1985 | Djamel Menad | Football
1986 | Abdelkrim Harkat  | Judo
1987 | Nacéra Zaâboub  | Athletics
1988 | Azzedine Brahmi | Athletics
1989 | Omar Azeb  | Handball
| Year  | Athlete  | Sport

|
|

1990 | Noureddine Morceli | Athletics
1991 | Hassiba Boulmerka | Athletics
Noureddine Morceli | Athletics
1992 | Hassiba Boulmerka | Athletics
Noureddine Morceli | Athletics
1993 | Hassiba Boulmerka | Athletics
Noureddine Morceli | Athletics
1994 | Salima Souakri | Judo
Abdelmounaïm Yahyaoui  | Weightlifting
1995 | Hassiba Boulmerka | Athletics
Noureddine Morceli | Athletics
1996 | Hocine Soltani | Boxing
Salima Souakri | Judo
1997 | Nouria Mérah-Benida | Athletics
Salim Iles | Swimming
1998 | Baya Rahouli | Athletics
Mohamed Bahari | Boxing
1999 | Djabir Saïd-Guerni | Athletics
Salima Souakri | Judo
| Year  | Athlete  | Sport

|
|

2000 | Nouria Mérah-Benida | Athletics
Ali Saïdi-Sief | Athletics
2001 | Salima Souakri | Judo
Salim Iles | Swimming
2002 | Djabir Saïd-Guerni | Athletics
Salima Souakri | Judo
2003 | Djabir Saïd-Guerni | Athletics
Lamia Louali  | Karate
2004 | Lamia Louali  | Karate
Salim Iles | Swimming
2005 | Abderahmane Benamadi | Judo
Soraya Haddad | Judo
2006 | Salim Iles | Swimming
Leila Lassouani | Weightlifting
2007 | Souad Aït Salem | Athletics
Lamine Ouahab | Tennis
2008 | Amar Benikhlef | Judo
Soraya Haddad | Judo
2009 | not held
| Year  | Athlete  | Sport

|
|

2010 | Madjid Bougherra | Football
Sonia Asselah | Judo
2011 | not held
2012 | Taoufik Makhloufi | Athletics
Soraya Haddad | Judo
2013 | Amina Bettiche | Athletics
Mohamed Flissi | Boxing
2014 | Abdelmalek Slahdji | Handball
Fatima-Zohra Oukazi | Volleyball
2015[5] | Mohamed Flissi | Boxing
Kaouthar Ouallal | Judo
2016 |  |

2017 |  |

2018[6] | Oussama Sahnoune | Swimming
Lamya Matoub | Karate
2019[7] | Taoufik Makhloufi (2)  | Athletics
Amina Belkadi | Judo
2023 | Slimane Moula | Athletics
Kaylia Nemour | Gymnastics
2024 | Djamel Sedjati[8] | Athletics
Kaylia Nemour[9] | Gymnastics

## Best athletes of the year

[edit]

Below the list of the Best Awards sounding of athletes of the year organized by the Al Fadjr since 2020, in collaboration with the national press.

Year  | Athlete  | Sport

|
|

2020  | Abdelkarim Fergat | Wrestling
2021  | Yasser Triki | Athletics
Imane Khelif | Boxing

## See also

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* Rugby union in Algeria
* Marathon des Dunes
* Algeria national rugby union team
* Algerian Rugby Federation

## References

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1. ^ "Sports and recreation". Retrieved 9 December 2012.
2. ^ "Algeria national football team". Retrieved 9 December 2012.
3. ^ "Algeria". Retrieved 9 December 2012.
4. ^ "Sondage APS des meilleurs athlètes". Algeria Press Service. 3 January 2016.
5. ^ "Sondage APS des meilleurs athlètes 2015 : Les lauréats connus, Mohamed Flissi et Kaouthar Ouallal couronnés" (in French). www.dknews-dz.com. 3 January 2016. Retrieved 4 August 2020.
6. ^ "Sondage APS des meilleurs athlètes 2018: Sahnoune et Matoub couronnés" (in French). www.aps.dz. 30 December 2018. Retrieved 3 August 2020.
7. ^ "Sondage APS des meilleurs athlètes 2019: les lauréats connus, Makhloufi et Belkadi couronnés" (in French). www.aps.dz. 11 January 2020. Retrieved 3 August 2020.
8. ^ "Best Male Athlete 2024 (Brahim Dahmani Poll): "I am proud, overjoyed" (Sedjati)". aps.dz. Retrieved 5 May 2025.
9. ^ "APS "Brahim Dahmani"/Best female athlete-2024 poll: "I am delighted with this new accolade"". aps.dz. Retrieved 5 May 2025.

## External links

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* (in Arabic and French) Official website of the Ministry of Youth and Sport

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Algeria articles

History|

* Prehistory
* Classical period (Antiquity)
* Medieval Muslim Algeria
* Ottoman regency
* French rule
* Nationalism and popular resistance
* World War II
* War of Independence
* 1965 coup d'état
* 1967 coup attempt
* 1962–1999
* 1992 coup d'état
* Civil War
* 2000s
* Arab Spring
* Hirak Movement

Geography|

* Borders
* Cities
* Districts
* Earthquakes
* Ecoregions
* Municipalities (communes)
* National parks
* Provinces
* Rivers
* Volcanoes
* Wildlife

Politics|

* Cabinet
* Constitution
* Council of the Nation
* Elections
* Foreign relations
* Human rights
* LGBT
* Law enforcement
* Military
* Chief of Staff
* People's National Assembly
* Parliament
* Political parties
* President
* Prime Minister

Economy|

* Bank of Algeria
* Companies
* Dinar (currency)
* Energy
* Health
* Mining
* Taxation
* Telecommunications
* Tourism
* Trade unions
* Transport

Society|

* Demographics
* Education
* Ethnic groups
* Languages
* List of Algerians
* Public holidays
* Squatting
* Women

Culture|

* Cuisine
* Cinema
* Flag
* Football
* Literature
* Media
* films
* Music
* Religion
* Sport
* Symbols

* Outline
* Index

* Category
* Portal

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Sport in Africa

Sovereign states|

* Algeria
* Angola
* Benin
* Botswana
* Burkina Faso
* Burundi
* Cameroon
* Cape Verde
* Central African Republic
* Chad
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* Republic of the Congo
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* Ethiopia
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* Guinea
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* Ivory Coast
* Kenya
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* Madagascar
* Malawi
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* Mauritius
* Morocco
* Mozambique
* Namibia
* Niger
* Nigeria
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* São Tomé and Príncipe
* Senegal
* Seychelles
* Sierra Leone
* Somalia
* South Africa
* South Sudan
* Sudan
* Tanzania
* Togo
* Tunisia
* Uganda
* Zambia
* Zimbabwe

States with limited
recognition

* Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic
* Somaliland

Dependencies and
other territories

* Canary Islands / Ceuta / Melilla (Spain)
* Madeira (Portugal)
* Mayotte / Réunion (France)
* Saint Helena / Ascension Island / Tristan da Cunha (United Kingdom)

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Sportsperson of the Year

National|

* Algeria
* Argentina
* Australia
* Austria
* Belgium
* Sportsman of the Year
* Sports Merit Award
* Bosnia and Herzegovina
* Brazil
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* Canada
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* Croatia
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* AP
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* female
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* The Sporting News
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* Sport
* Sportske novosti
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Regional|

* BTA Best Balkan Athlete of the Year

Continental|

* European Sportsperson of the Year

World|

* BBC World Sport Star of the Year
* International Sports Prize
* La Gazzetta
* Laureus Awards
* L'Équipe Champion of Champions

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Sports governing bodies in Algeria (ALG)

Summer Olympic Sports|

* Aquatics
* Diving
* Swimming
* Synchronized Swimming
* Water Polo
* Archery
* Athletics
* Badminton
* Basketball
* Boxing
* Canoeing
* Cycling
* Equestrian
* Fencing
* Field Hockey
* Football
* Golf
* Gymnastics
* Handball
* Judo
* Modern Pentathlon
* Rugby 7's
* Rowing
* Sailing
* Shooting
* Table Tennis
* Taekwondo
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* Triathlon
* Volleyball
* inc. Beach Volleyball
* Weightlifting
* Wrestling

Winter Olympic Sports|

* Biathlon
* Bobsleigh
* Curling
* Skating (Figure, Speed & Short Track)
* Ice Hockey
* Luge
* Skeleton
* Skiing (Alpine, Cross Country, Nordic Combined, Freestyle & Jumping)
* Snowboarding

Other IOC Recognised Sports|

* Air sports
* Auto racing
* Bandy
* Baseball
* Billiard Sports
* Boules
* Bowling
* Bridge
* Chess
* Cricket
* Dance sport
* Floorball
* Karate
* Korfball
* Lifesaving
* Motorcycle racing
* Mountaineering and Climbing
* Netball
* Orienteering
* Pelota Vasca
* Polo
* Powerboating
* Racquetball
* Roller sports
* Rugby
* Softball
* Sport climbing
* Squash
* Sumo
* Surfing
* Tug of war
* Underwater sports
* Water Ski
* Wushu

Paralympics and Disabled Sports|

Others Sports|

* Rugby League
* Rugby Union

* Algerian Olympic Committee

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