COA President Mustapha Berraf has revealed the nation will send around 300 athletes to this year's African Games in Morocco ©COA

Algerian Olympic Committee (COA) President Mustapha Berraf has revealed the nation will send around 300 athletes to this year's African Games in Morocco as he claimed the organisation had pledged "huge sums" to support the team's preparations.

Berraf, elected a member of the International Olympic Committee at its Session in Lausanne last month, said Algeria would be a "force" at the Games, which he described as a "very important meeting for our athletes".

Algerian athletes are set to feature in 26 disciplines on the African Games programme, the President of the Association of National Olympic Committees of Africa added.

The event is due to be held in Rabat and Casablanca from August 23 to September 3 and the Games are expected to act as a qualifier for next year's Olympic Games in Tokyo in several sports.

"Huge sums have been allocated to support the programme of preparation of sports federations, in coordination with the Ministry of Youth and Sports," Berraf said. 

Mustapha Berraf said a judo academy will be set up in Algeria as part of the COA's preparations for Paris 2024 ©Getty Images
Mustapha Berraf said a judo academy will be set up in Algeria as part of the COA's preparations for Paris 2024 ©Getty Images

Berraf also claimed the COA had already started planning for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris by establishing academies in sports such as judo and fencing.

"The COA has stepped up its activities towards young people with the creation of judo and fencing academies, pending the opening of those in wrestling and team sports, with the aim of preparing the elite for of the Paris Olympics in 2024," he said.

"But this requires the involvement of all the federations in the development of the programmes and the COA has always responded favorably to accompany them."