Sports
Are we ready for Ghana 2023?
Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe.
The aforementioned statement – made by Abraham Lincoln, the 16th president of the United States – clearly underpins the importance of preparation.
There are no secrets to success. It is the result of preparation, hardwork and learning from failure. Indeed, it is said that behind every brilliant performance there were countless hours of practice and preparation.
So, we have less than two years to hosting the continent’s biggest multi-sport festival – African Games; yet we cannot see any real preparation towards the event.
We were told that a new 50,000-capacity stadium was to be constructed for the 2023 African Games at Borteyman in the Greater Accra Region – with an amount of $200 million (£152 million/ €168 million) already earmarked for the project.
The President himself was thrilled by the fact that Ghana was going to have such facility which would include multi-purpose sports halls for all indoor sports, aquatic centres for swimming and tennis courts among others.
“Presently, none of the sports stadia in Ghana meets the required standard for continental games. It is, thus, necessary to construct appropriate sports facilities in the country that will be able to host the 25 sporting disciplines from the African Games,” President Nana Akufo-Addo said.
It is true that we do have the requisite facility to host the Games and the President could not have hammered it home better.
However, from the foregoing, many are beginning to cast doubt about the early completion of the project and by extension, the nation’s readiness to host the continent.
Interestingly, Chairman of the Local Organising Committee (LOC) for the 2023 Africa Games, Dr Kweku Ofosu Asare, has reiterated Ghana’s readiness to host the Games.
He said works were progressing steadily to ensure that the country hosted a successful competition, adding that the government was committed and fully behind the Committee to organise a flawless event.
Aside the infrastructural challenges, we expect selected athletes from the respective medal-pumping disciplines to be sent intermittently on training programmes abroad to prepare them ahead of the 2023 Games. That exposure is extremely important.
That is the only way we can expect to win medals.
Cote d’Ivoire performed creditably well at the African Games in Morocco, picking five gold medals as against two by Ghana simply because they prepared better. Their feat did not pop up from nowhere! Years of investment and quality preparations paid off.
Four weightlifters were supposed to have gone for the Tokyo Olympic qualifiers in Kenya this week, but the trip had to be postponed because the Federation thought it was waste of funds since only one of them – Forrester Osei, had made it to the Games per the recent ranking by the World Weightlifting Federation (WWF).
Ideally, the rest should have been allowed to compete in the qualifiers, having trained vigorously ahead of the trip in which they had three domestic trials.
For sure, we know we cannot host and win! That is incontestable. However, we have got to put up a remarkably gleaming performance and garner home, perhaps, our biggest haul of medals in the Games history.
It is achievable! It is doable!
But the sector ministry must sit up and draw up an efficacious strategy as they seriously engage eggheads of the various potential medal-winning disciplines in the scheme of things – and chart the way forward.
We ought to get it right, this time around! No excuses!
Let us burn the candle at both ends now because 2023 is going to be more fiercely competitive than what was witnessed in Morocco.
The media have made it clear that they are ever ready to support the sports ministry, the National Sports Authority (NSA) and its associations to achieve their targets; but would not hesitate to whip them into line when they go off-course!
Once again, let the preparations start now!
We need more international competitions for our various athletes; that is the only way they can be in fine fettle for the onerous assignment ahead!
If South Africa wins many medals in Tokyo, we should not be surprised. Their team to the 2019 world university games was bigger than Ghana’s team to African Games. South Africa was 10th on the medals table, meeting some of the emerging names who show up at subsequent Olympics as winners. Already, some of their athletes made Olympic qualification time.
So before Tokyo, the State has invested in their preparation and test of medals potential. We have hammered on this over and over again but it is almost always fallen on deaf ears.
We set unimaginably high targets for our athletes with huge, cyclopean prizes to go with it when deep down our hearts we know they are not achievable!
Limpidly, you do not reap where you have not sown! Things do not work like that! The theatrics are increasingly becoming an eyesore now.
PlainTalk with JOHN VIGA
THE Ghana Premier League (GPL) enters another exciting weekend with Asante Kotoko and Medeama SC set for a crucial showdown while Accra Hearts of Oak seek to strengthen their title challenge and FC AshantiGold 04 begin life after the departure of Coach Abdul Karim Zito.
The Matchday 9 fixtures, scheduled for today and tomorrow, promise another round of compelling contests as clubs battle for early season supremacy, continental ambitions and stability.
The headline fixture is the meeting between the Porcupine Warriors and the Mauve and Yellow at the Baba Yara Sports Stadium tomorrow where both sides will be eager to make a statement.
Kotoko will have the advantage of home support but the Tarkwa-based side are expected to provide a stern test for the Porcupine Warriors.
The Kumasi giants have endured an inconsistent opening to the campaign, with their recent results highlighting the need for greater consistency if they are to mount a serious title challenge.
Their 1-1 draw with FC AshantiGold 04 in the previous fixture underlined the difficulties they have faced in turning competitive performances into maximum points.
Against Medeama, the Reds must combine defensive discipline with greater attacking efficiency. Playing before their home supporters could provide the necessary lift, but they would need to avoid giving the visitors opportunities to exploit any defensive lapses.
Medeama, meanwhile, will travel to Kumasi determined to demonstrate why they are among the teams expected to challenge for the title.
For both clubs, victory would offer more than three points. It would provide an important psychological boost and strengthen their position in an increasingly competitive title race.
Hearts of Oak will also be among the teams attracting considerable attention as they travel to face Debibi United tomorrow.
The Phobians have made encouraging progress in recent weeks, with their defensive solidity and growing confidence giving supporters reasons to believe that a sustained title challenge is possible.
Their 1-0 victory over Basake Holy Stars, secured through Martin Karikari’s late strike, strengthened their position at the summit of the league after eight matches. The result also extended their winning run to three matches.
However, maintaining that momentum away from home will be another test of their credentials.
Debibi United will be determined to frustrate the visitors and use home advantage to their benefit.
Hearts must, therefore, approach the encounter with patience and discipline, particularly if their opponents adopt a compact defensive approach.
With the standings still capable of changing significantly at this early stage, maximum points could help Hearts consolidate their position at the top or reclaim it, depending on the results of their closest challengers.
Another major talking point is the decision by FC AshantiGold 04 to part ways with Head Coach and Technical Director, Abdul Karim Zito, Assistant Coach Ernest Okyere, and goalkeepers’ trainer, Robert Dabo.
The development comes as AshantiGold prepare to visit Swedru All Blacks tomorrow, presenting an immediate test for the club’s caretaker technical team.
The question is whether the coaching changes will produce the desired reaction or further unsettle a side still searching for consistency.
Swedru All Blacks, who will enjoy home advantage, will be keen to capitalise on any disruption within the visitors’ camp.
Elsewhere, Aduana FC would host Berekum Chelsea in a potentially tight contest, while Basake Holy Stars welcome Dreams FC.
Heart of Lions will face Bechem United, and Samartex take on Bibiani Gold Stars in another intriguing fixture. Vision FC will meet Port City today, while Young Apostles host Karela United tomorrow.
By Enoch Ntiamoah Siaw
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THE 24th edition of the Accra Seniors Tennis Open Championship, organised by the Accra Lawn Tennis Club, is scheduled to take place from Monday, November 23 to Saturday, December 5, 2026, organisers have announced.
Consequently, registration for the tournament has opened, offering professional and amateur players an opportunity to participate in the competition that assembles the best of the aged in the tennis fraternity.
Registration will close on Friday, November 20, 2026, with the draw and viewing for the competition scheduled for Saturday, November 21, 2026 and Sunday, November 22, 2026, respectively.
Entry fees have been pegged at GH¢150 for the singles event and GH¢200 for the doubles event.
Matches will be played on weekdays from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. and on weekends from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
The competition will feature various categories, including ladies’ singles, men’s singles, ladies’ doubles, men’s doubles, advanced social singles and doubles, as well as mixed doubles.
In the ladies’ singles event, players will compete in different age categories, including those aged up to 39 years.
The men’s singles event will feature players in the 25–34, 35–44 and 55–64 age categories.
For the ladies’ doubles event, participants will compete in the under-40 and 40-and-above categories, while the men’s doubles event will feature players aged 35–44, 45–54, 55–64, 65–69 and 70 years and above.
The advanced social singles and doubles categories, for both men and women, are designed for high-level amateur players seeking competitive matches outside the demands of professional and semi-professional circuits.
The mixed doubles event will also provide an opportunity for players to compete in combined male and female pairings.
The tournament is expected to attract players of different ages and skill levels, with spectators anticipated to witness exciting displays of skill, technique and sportsmanship throughout the competition.
By Benjamin Arcton-Tettey
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