The University of Ghana Sports Stadium was put to the test on Wednesday, eight days to the start of the 2023 African Games, as the country prepares to host the rest of Africa from March 8-23, 2024.

Athletes drawn from all around the country gathered at the stadium to compete in track events such as the 100m, 200m, 400m, while field events such as the high jump was also tested out.

Ghana Athletics' Open Championship provided an opportunity to feel the brand new Mondo track installed on the 11,000 capacity stadium ahead of the games.

Ghanaian sprinter, Sarfo Ansah, who won the men's 100m race, told Joy Sports he was impressed with the track.

"The track is good, it's very fast. I hope that we can train here a lot so we can get used to it before the competition starts," he said.

President of Ghana Athletics, Bawa Fuseini, outlined the essence of the testing event.

“The running surface is good. It’s only a bit windy," he said.

"The next time we’ll know when to put the events so that we won’t have lots of wind to deal with.

"When we’re competing, we’ll know whether to start in the morning or evening.”

Teams have already begun to arrive in the country, with the Badminton event scheduled to start on March 3, five days before the opening ceremony on March 8.

There will be 29 sporting disciplines at this year's competition, with hosting facilities spread across nine different venues.