Sports
Faint hopes for Paris 2024 medals
Joseph Paul Amoah – Captain of Team Ghana
The United States of America last weekend announced a 592-member Olympic Team for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games and the Paralympic Games scheduled to start from July 26.
The team includes more than 250 Olympians who will be competing in the Games for the second time. It also has three five-time Olympians, four four-time Olympians, 16 three-time Olympians and more than 50 two-time Olympians.
The veteran group includes 122 Olympic medalists, including 66 Olympic champions who have won a total of 110 gold medals. Forty-five athletes have won multiple Olympic medals, while 23 have won multiple Olympic gold medals.
Other powerful sporting nations including the France, Germany, Netherlands, Ethiopia, Kenya and others have all announced impressive squads for the showpiece with not less than 10 medal prospects.
For Ghana with a squad number of nine athletes to be captained by Joseph Paul Amoah (Athletics) with virtually no Olympics credentials, it would be a time to embrace the assuring Olympic motto that motivates countries with less pedigree to keep participating.
But for that principle which reads that, “The important thing in the Olympic Games is not to win, but to take part; the important thing in life is not the triumph, but the struggle; the essential thing is not to have conquered but to have fought well,” Team Ghana would have no business being at the Games.
Far from sounding skeptical, one can comfortably urge Ghanaians not to be highly expectant as far as winning medals was concerned.
Thankfully, the team’s preparation and discussions on winning medals have been on low key, perhaps due to this reality.
For the Team Ghana captain, Amoah, it will be his second appearance at the Olympics and would ride on the back of that previous experience to lead the team.
The nine-member team would also have Fuseini Ibrahim (4×100), Isaac Botsio (4×100), Benjamin Azamati (4×100, 100m), Edwin Gadayi (4×100), and Abdul Rasheed Saminu (100, 200m).
Others include Joselle Mensah (swimming), Harry Stacey (swimming), and Rose Yeboah (high jump).
But they lack the promise of a side capable of adding to Ghana’s five medals from the Olympics Games made up of one silver and four bronze.
Amoah was unable to qualify for the 200m race for failing to meet the competition’s 48-athlete quota with his 62nd world ranking.
He would, however, compete in the 4x100m after leading the relay team to qualification at the World Athletics Relay in the Bahamas.
He would compete in the 4x100m relay alongside Benjamin Azamati, Edwin Gadayi, and Solomon Hammond.
Abdul-Rasheed Saminu only gained qualification to run in the 100m race via the World Athletics ranking system and not by a competitive time.
Of the 56 top athletes expected for the event, he is ranked 54th.
Azamati also secured qualification through the ranking system after placing 39th.
The statistics present a gloomy picture and put Team Ghana in the category of firm believers of this Olympics principle, aiming at participation and not necessarily to win.
By Andrew Nortey
The battle for supremacy in the Ghana Premier League will continue this weekend with both Medeama SC and Bibiani Gold Stars continuing their close battle for the title.
Defending champions, Bibiani Gold Stars, are breathing down heavily on the neck of the leaders Medeama SC as they aim to hunt down the Premier League leaders from the top.
Fresh from their 2-1 home victory over in-form Hearts of Oak, which saw them cut the lead at the top to just one, Gold Stars will travel to the Bono Region, precisely the Wenchi Sports Complex, to test their mettle against relegation candidate, Young Apostles.
Gold Stars are on a four-game winning streak, having blown apart Swedru All Blacks, Basake Holy Stars, Heart of Lions and Hearts of Oak, and are gunning to add Apostles to their list of casualties tomorrow.
Apostles, the last but one team on the log, have vowed to escape the drop, indicating their resolve to wrest a point or more in the game.
Medeama SC returns to their fortress, the TnA Stadium, to host Hohoe United in a tricky tie.
Head coach of Medeama SC, Tanko Ibrahim, believes they are still on course to win the title despite the threat from Gold Stars.
Vision FC will look to continue their strong home form when they welcome relegation-threatened Berekum Chelsea to the Nii Adjei Kraku Sports Complex in Tema New Town today with the Nsenkyire Sports Arena in Samreboi, also hosting the Samartex FC versus Dreams FC clash today.
In other games, the University of Ghana Stadium will play host to the Hearts of Oak versus Basake Holy Stars game; Asante Kotoko will trek to the Aliu Mahama Sports Stadium in Tamale to face Karela United FC; Aduana FC will seek to add to the woes of bottom club, Eleven Wonders, at the Nana Agyemang Badu I Park with Heart of Lions seeking a return to winning ways when they host Swedru All Blacks at the Kpando Stadium.
BY RAYMOND ACKUMEY
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The battle for supremacy in the Ghana Premier League will continue this weekend with both Medeama SC and Bibiani Gold Stars maintaining their close contest for the title.
Defending champions, Bibiani Gold Stars, are breathing down heavily on the leaders Medeama SC as they aim to hunt down the Premier League leaders from the top.
Fresh from their 2-1 home victory over in-form Hearts of Oak, which saw them cut the lead at the top to just one point, Gold Stars will travel to the Bono Region, precisely the Wenchi Sports Complex, to test their mettle against relegation candidates, Young Apostles.
Gold Stars are on a four-game winning streak, having defeated Swedru All Blacks, Basake Holy Stars, Heart of Lions, and Hearts of Oak. They are gunning to add Apostles to their list of casualties tomorrow.
Apostles, the second-last team on the log, have vowed to escape the drop, indicating their resolve to wrest a point or more in the game.
Medeama SC returns to their fortress, the TnA Stadium, to host Hohoe United in what promises to be a tricky tie. Head coach Tanko Ibrahim believes they are still on course to win the title despite the threat from Gold Stars.
Other Premier League Fixtures:
- Vision FC will look to continue their strong home form when they welcome relegation-threatened Berekum Chelsea to the Nii Adjei Kraku Sports Complex in Tema New Town.
- The Nsenkyire Sports Arena in Samreboi will host the Samartex FC vs Dreams FC clash.
- University of Ghana Stadium will play host to Hearts of Oak vs Basake Holy Stars.
- Asante Kotoko will trek to the Aliu Mahama Sports Stadium in Tamale to face Karela United FC.
- Aduana FC will seek to add to the woes of bottom club Eleven Wonders at the Nana Agyemang Badu I Park.
- Heart of Lions will aim for a return to winning ways when they host Swedru All Blacks at the Kpando Stadium.
- By Raymond Ackumey
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