Sports
Nation’s ‘Wembley’ in perpetual darkness?
Prof Peter Twumasi – NSA Director-General
Wednesday, August 23, was exactly a month when electricity supply to the nation’s pre¬mier sports facility, the Accra Sports Stadium, was cut by the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG).
It was about the third time the incident had oc¬curred in a year at such an important facility often lik¬ened to the iconic Wembley Stadium in England and the reason for that is apparent.
This, clearly, does not augur well for a nation that demands respect as a sports nation.
In March 2022, the ECG embarked on a similar ex¬ercise that left the National Sports Authority (NSA), man¬agers of the nation’s sports facilities, in hot water; having to cough a whopping amount of GHȻ508,000 as debt owed the company.
The leader of the Task Force explained that power would only be restored af¬ter 50 per cent of the debt was settled.
In a few days’ time, power was restored though doubts hovered over whether the NSA, which operates as an agency under the Ministry of Youth and Sports (MoYS), actually made the settlement.
Eight months later, the pessimists were, perhaps, vindicated when another ECG ‘delegation’ visited the Stadium to disconnect power again; this time quoting a debt of GHȻ390,000.
Attempts to convince the ECG staff to re¬scind the decision failed after the NSA offered to pay only GHȻ30,000.
Nine months on, the power nightmare has visited the NSA again, witness¬ing, perhaps, the longest pow¬er outage on the state-owned facility – a month.
Although, the exact amount is yet to be made public, snippets of informa¬tion indicates that it is an accumulation of previous debts owed and now running over GHȻ500,000.
And for a country that wants to be credited as a sports loving nation, producing some of the finest ath¬letes across boxing, football, table ten¬nis, tennis, athletics, taekwon¬do among others, the story or state of the Accra Sports Stadium leaves a sour taste in the mouth.
Clearly, it calls into ques¬tion the nation’s readiness to actually develop sports to the level where it begins to yield the desired dividends.
Within this period of ‘Ac¬cra Sports Stadium Dumsor’ administrative work of the several federations with offices located in the stadium have grinded to a halt.
Restaurant owners as well as other operatives within the facility have been affect¬ed.
But of greater concern to every lover of sports is the negative impact the outage has had on athletes that use the facility at night.
Badminton, table tennis, taekwondo, judo practi¬tioners and other users are now forced to close before dark¬ness sets in because the power from the stand-in generator is way above the capacity required.
Maybe, it was in this wisdom that members of the badmin¬ton fraternity decided to hire smaller generators to power lights to train in the evenings but with directives from the authorities to put a stop to it, they would be forced to re-adjust their times.
What this mean is that players’ training schedules have been truncated for a month, a situation that will definitely take a toll on preparations with the 2023 Africa Games and other qual¬ifiers lurking.
Certainly, money may be the huge factor to have occasioned this development and the earlier government through the MoYS steps in, the better it will be for Ghana.
With the Africa Games just about seven months to go, athletes at the ‘final stretch’ in terms of prepa¬ration, must be given the needed push in their quest to win laurels.
As usual, the MoYS would be singing the usual ‘no mon¬ey’ refrain but the entire Ac¬cra Sports Stadium plunging into total darkness is certain¬ly not a story anyone would want to tell about a country that hopes to raise new Abedi Peles, Anthony Yeboahs, Azu¬mah Nelsons, Frank Oforis, Ike Quarteys and other great sports personalities.
By Andrew Nortey
Sports
Armwrestling: Immigration, Prisons meet African champions
The Ghana Immigration Service (GIS) and Ghana Prisons Service (GPS) in separate ceremonies have welcomed officers of both security institutions who recently returned from Abuja, Nigeria after participating in the 14th Africa Armwrestling Championship.
The Director-General of the Ghana Prisons Service, Mr. Patience Baffoe Bonnie, and the leadership of the Service, were present to congratulate the champions, Daniel Acquah (four gold medals), Mabel Yeboah (four gold medals) and Henry Otoo (two silver, two bronze), on their impressive performances.
The champions presented their medals to the Director-General, and shared their experiences and insights with the top officials.
During the meeting, the Director-General of the GPS, Mrs Baffoe Bonnie, expressed her excitement about the potential benefits of sports for inmates.
She noted that sports could play a significant role in rehabilitation and pledged to support the development of armwrestling within the prisons service.
In a related development, the Comptroller-General of the GIS, CGI Samuel Basintale, commended his members – Edward Yamoah Asamoah (two gold medals), Blessed Abeka Nunoo (one gold, one silver, two bronze), Godwin Sackey (one gold, one silver) and referee Nii Otoo Larkyne, for the feat.
Mr Basintale promised to provide support for the development of armwrestling within the service, including training facilities, equipment, and sponsorship.
The African Armwrestling champions from the security services won a total of 20 medals out of Ghana’s 55 medal haul.
They expressed gratitude and promised to continue promoting the sport and inspiring others to take up armwrestling.
Mr Charles Osei Asibey, President for Ghana Armwrestling Federation, was thrilled by the promise and continuous collaborations and support for the development of armwrestling in Ghana by the security services.
—GNA
Sports
TTU to honour athletes at 2nd sports awards night
Takoradi Technical University (TTU) will tonight host its 2nd Sports Awards Night to honour outstanding athletes, teams, and contributors who have promoted the institution’s sporting reputation.
The event, which will take place at the Nicholas Aidoo Taylor Auditorium, will be chaired by Vice-Chancellor, Rev. Prof. John Frank Eshun, with Western Regional Minister, Joseph Nelson, as Guest of Honour.
Other dignitaries expected include Member of Parliament for Effia, Isaac Boamah-Nyarko, and Municipal Chief Executive for Effia-Kwesimintsim, Abdul Majeed Dokurgu.
TTU said the awards will celebrate a year marked by exceptional performances, record-breaking moments, and contributions that have boosted both the competitive spirit and institutional pride of the university.
The ceremony will be held under the theme, “Recognising Excellence in Scholarship and Sportsmanship.”
The university noted that it has become a powerhouse in university sports, winning back-to-back championships at the GHATUSA Games in Tamale and Cape Coast.
It attributed the success to integrating sports into academic life, introducing sports scholarships, building the TTU Sports Complex, providing strategic funding, and offering strong logistical support.
Director of Public Affairs and Secretary to the Sports and Recreation Committee, Joseph Mensah Oti-Asirifi, said the awards go beyond recognising individual winners, adding that they are also a tribute to the discipline, resilience, and unity that define TTU’s sporting culture.
He stated that every nominee is a champion whose efforts have brought pride to the university and enhanced its reputation on both national and continental stages.
The programme will feature two segments of award presentations, with categories covering football, volleyball, basketball, table tennis, tennis, handball, badminton, athletics, scrabble, and taekwondo, for both male and female divisions.
Nominees include Jane Membong in athletics, Hajara Ibrahim in basketball, Samuel Aidoo in football, and Prince Egyir in handball, as well as Papa Kwansa Baidoo, Prince Davies, and Ahmed Anas Salis.
Special awards will also be presented to individuals whose contributions have inspired the TTU community beyond the field of competition.
Chairman of the Sports and Recreation Committee, Joseph Danso, said the planning team has worked to ensure the event captures the spirit of sportsmanship, dedication, and unity that characterise TTU sports.
The university recalled that the inaugural edition honoured Raymond French, Sarah Quansah, and Rebecca Mba, setting a high standard for sporting recognition.
By: Jacob Aggrey
