A man and his legacy! Talk of braveness, boldness, loyalty and ingenuity; these are the words that best describe Hon. Ray Quarcoo. He is a man who needs no introduction when it comes to Ghanaian sports and has effectively invested his time, energy and resources into the promotion and development of sports in the country, from boxing to football at all levels.

My first encounter with the man who has masterminded the success of several Ghanaian boxers was in the year 2014 when Africa’s premier sports broadcaster, SuperSport Africa, announced its partnership with Box Office Sports Promotions to broadcast live the then much-anticipated boxing bout between Brimah Kamoko (Bukom Banku) and Ayitey Powers.
I served as a member of the Organizing and Promotions team for what was dubbed the Biggest bout of the time and Ambassador Ray Quarcoo was one of the key stakeholders and connoisseurs of the game of boxing that we had listed for an exclusive interview on the phases of boxing in the country and how the bout was going to project Ghanaian boxing as a buildup to the coverage of the fight.
We were warmly received at his residence, which is not very far from his Bridge Boxing Gym, a multipurpose boxing facility. I remember Ambassador Quarcoo indicating the need to restore the past glory of Ghanaian boxing and the lost fortunes of amateur boxing being the primary reason for setting up his Bridge Foundation Boxing Club and also adding to the government’s effort at developing the sports across the country.
It was a great recording with him. He detailed the state of boxing in the country at the time with clear facts and figures and also walked us through his involvement in the game and his reign as the head of Ghana Boxing which witnessed a lot of changes as he started to build systems and structure for the sport. Sponsorships, capacity building for players within the sports and building amateur boxing were his top priorities.
Renowned for his exploits in the areas of sports sponsorship and development, Ray Quarcoo, was appointed Goodwill Sports Ambassador by President John Evans Atta Mills. The appointment which was made on Tuesday, 1st June 2011 was communicated by Hon. Alhaji Muhammad Mumuni, the then Minister of Foreign Affairs. A patron of the Sports Writers Association of Ghana (SWAG), he remains one of the few personalities who have contributed immensely to sports development in the country.
The appointment of Ambassador Quarcoo as Goodwill Sports Ambassador was in full acknowledgement and recognition of the significant role he has played and continues to play in developing sports in the country. The President charged him to use the good office of his new appointment to mobilize both national and international goodwill, solidarity and support to further enhance requisite infrastructure and capacity for the advancement of sports in the country.
Some of the nation’s great boxers, who directly benefited from his counsel and assistance in their respective success stories, include Ike Quartey, Alred Kotey, the Clottey brothers (Joshua and Emmanuel) and many others. In 1984, he supported the Ghana Olympic committee with $5,000 towards the Los Angeles Olympic Games; and solely sponsored the Black Bombers to participate in a Pre-Olympic International Tournament in the USA; funded other training programmes for the team in Denmark, Norway and Lagos, Nigeria before finally enplaning to the Los Angeles Games at his own expense.
In 1994, he received a Certificate of Honour for sports promotion and development from the International Olympic Committee and subsequently, was honoured by the Ghana Olympic Committee (GOC) for his immense contribution towards Ghana’s participation in the Barcelona Olympics.
He has held various positions in the administration of sports in the country. From 1991 to 1993, he served as the Vice-Chairman of the Welfare Committee of the National Senior Soccer Team, Black Stars and a member of the National Sports Council within the same period. In 2001, he was the First Vice-Chairman of the Ghana Boxing Authority (GBA); and from 2009 – 2013, was the President of the Ghana Boxing Federation.
Since his appointment, in fulfilment of his mandate, the Goodwill Sports Ambassador  has been working closely with both the Ministry of Youth and Sports and the National Sports Authority, to seek sponsorship for the national sports teams; training of coaches, officials and athletes; and procurement of equipment, 
He has also arranged exchange and joint training programmes with friendly countries in Europe, the United States, Asia and Africa; as well as scholarships for young brilliant athletes to study abroad and more importantly, help build strong cultural and strategic bilateral sports relations between Ghana and other countries in the area of sports.
He is a trained Electronics Technician; with over 47 years of working experience, Ambassador Ray Quarcoo is the Honorary Consul General of Haiti to Ghana with Exequatur since 2013. He is expected to facilitate multiple and deep engagements with political bodies, commercial organizations, Haiti nationals in Ghana and also undertake political, commercial and cultural activities for Haiti.
He worked with Grundig; as well as served as Director of International Projects and West African Sole Representative of FlexPlan International, a Danish Hospital Engineering Company in Nigeria. He returned to Ghana from Nigeria and set up Planet Electronics Company Limited, dealing in Motorola Communication Systems; and also specialized in assembling radio and television in partnership with Hitachi, a reputable Japanese television manufacturing company.
He also served as Ambassador at Large (Special Envoy) to the Former Head of State of the Republic of Sierra Leone, His Excellency Valentine Strasser from 1992 and in 1996. Upon his return to Ghana, he set up TransContinental Financial Services Limited (TCF) in partnership with Travelex of the United Kingdom.
By Chris Koney (chriskoney@gmail.com)