The Sports Africa Network will hold its 17th Sports Africa Conference in Cape Town, South Africa, from 12 to 14 May 2027, in association with the University of Cape Town. The conference theme is Managing Sport in Africa: Interdisciplinarity, Politics of Knowledge Production, and Debates in African Sports.
The conference continues a tradition that began in 2004, when a group of scholars and Ohio University hosted the first Sport in Africa Conference to promote scholarly engagement with sport across the continent. Renamed Sports Africa in 2014, it has grown into a leading interdisciplinary platform bringing together academics, sport administrators, policymakers and practitioners. Over sixteen previous editions participants have explored sport governance, development, history, sociology, anthropology, economics, gender and policy, using sport to make sense of African realities and socio-political life.
The 2027 conference aims to bridge the social, disciplinary and institutional silos within which research and practice on sport in Africa take place. Suggested topics include the management of sports in Africa, the politics of knowledge production in sport, histories of sports in Africa, indigenous and traditional African sports, gender, equity and inclusion, sport governance and policy, sport diplomacy and development, sport media and communication, sport tourism and mega-events, youth sport and community development, and athlete development. Submissions take the form of individual papers, panel sessions, roundtable discussions and poster presentations. Selected papers may be considered for publication in special issues of peer-reviewed journals or edited volumes.
Key dates
Abstract submission deadline: 30 October 2026 (closed). Notification of acceptance: 7 December 2026. Early registration opens: January 2027. Final programme: March 2027. Conference: 12 to 14 May 2027.
Submission form
https://sportsafrica.org/abstract-submission-2027/
Contact
Sports Africa Organising Committee: [email protected] and [email protected]
Official page
https://sportsafrica.org/conference-2027/
Tags
sport history, Sports Africa, conference, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, sport in Africa, indigenous sports, sport governance, interdisciplinary research