Algerian officials say the All Africa Games are continuing as planned in Algiers despite a suicide bomb attack near the capital on Wednesday.
Officials say security would be stepped up around the competition sites.
Before the opening ceremony Wednesday, a suicide bomber killed at least eight soldiers and wounded 35 others in Lakhdaria, a village east of the capital, Algiers.
The al-Qaida Organization in the Islamic Maghreb, formerly known as the Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat has claimed responsibility for the bombing.
The group also claimed responsibility for a number of attacks that have rocked the region, including two car bombings in April that killed 33 people.
The All Africa Games are a regional multi-sport event held every four years. Competing athletes must be from the African continent.
The competition is set to last until July 23.
Some information for this report was provided by AFP and Reuters.
