Sports
School Sports Authority, way to go
The Sports Writers Association of Ghana (SWAG) held the Golden Jubilee edition of its annual awards last Saturday with the Vice President, Prof. Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang, as the Special Guest of Honour.
It was a beautiful evening to behold as guests enjoyed the honour of seeing some of the nation’s finest sporting heroes share the same stage, reminiscing the past where they kept sports fans awe-struck with the skill they exhibited in their respective trades.
Alberta Sackey, Adjoa Bayor, Abedi Pele, Andre Ayew, Asamoah Gyan, and the professor, Azumah Nelson were honoured for what they showcased in their active years.
The cheers and applause that filled the auditorium confirmed their status in Ghana sports. These were heroes and heroines that paid their due to Ghana sports.
But a country like Ghana with an avid desire for success continues to demand more from the athletes and officialdom for sporting honours. AFCON glory has eluded football fans for over 20 years despite the fact that Ghana was one of the foremost countries to win it four times.
Boxing has struggled to keep Ghana at the very top after the reign of Azumah Nelson, Ike Quartey, Nana Yaw Konadu, Joshua Clottey, Joseph Agbeko, Richard Commey, and Isaac Dogboe.
Despite the efforts in place to get to the very top, the over 54 federations are struggling with the pace of other countries in the sports space.
This is why one finds Vice President Opoku-Agyemang’s disclosure of the establishment of a School Sports Authority (SSA) very gratifying and pleasing to the ear. There’s no doubt about the fact that the way to the top is by targeting the youth for talent-hunt.
From the basic level to the tertiary/varsity, a lot of talents abound, but the lack of structured sports makes it difficult for the selectors to discover these raw, hidden talents.
The days of ‘Interco’ and Super Zonals seem lost on the minds of people. Meanwhile, the excitement it generated among sports faithful could be compared to some of the high-profile sporting events in Ghana now.
Where we are now is as a result of ‘killing’ sports at the basic level, but the School Sports Authority brings hope.
In the words of the Vice President, the sports and recreation sector was determined to rebuild grassroots systems in the country’s bid to unearth and develop talents to become a force in sports. Central to this was the creation of a dedicated School Sports Authority to oversee athletic programming from the basic school levels through to the universities.
According to her, the School Sports Authority has been tasked to organise regular inter-school and inter-university competitions, drive talent identification, and provide a structured pathway for young Ghanaians.
Indeed, this is the way to go. It could be the launchpad to a bright future in sports for Mother Ghana.
By Andrew Nortey
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Otto Addo is taking a calm and focused approach to the World Cup after being drawn against England, Panama, and Croatia in Group L.
“I look forward to every game as special,” he told ghanafa.org.
“Very important for us that we don’t underrate any team. For sure, England is the favourite in that group,” he acknowledged. “But for me as a coach, to be honest, I’m looking at each and every game equally.”
Addo is particularly focused on getting a strong start against Panama. “I’m hoping that we have a good start against Panama, that will be very, very crucial,” he said. “It will make the other games a little bit more relaxed and easier for the players psychologically. We will use the window of March for test matches, and then see,” he said.
Despite being a young team, Addo is proud of his squad’s progress. “I think we did very well in the qualifiers ” he said. “We didn’t lose a single official game, like the qualifying games, we did very well. We just played one draw and the rest we won, so we had quite a good year in 2025, after a bad year in 2024’’.
“Even though we have a very young team, we really, really did well, had a good harmony in the team, good union,” he added.
Ghana will open their FIFA World Cup campaign against Panama in Toronto on June 17 before facing England and Croatia in the other Group L matches on June 23 and 27 respectively.
The unbeaten away run of Accra Hearts of Oak will be put to the test tomorrow when they visit the Aliu Mahama Sports Stadium in Tamale to play as guests of Karela United. Described as one of the top-liners of the weekend games, the match will pitch one of the best home teams against the best away team, with their records on the line.
After playing a pulsating 2-2 draw with Kumasi Asante Kotoko last week, league leaders Medeama SC return to their fortress, the TnA Stadium, to welcome Berekum Chelsea FC in a clash of former league winners. Medeama have struggled in recent times to hold their own against the ‘Bibires’, losing their last four games both home and away.
However, according to Head Coach of Medeama, Tanko Ibrahim, that sequence of results will come to an end tomorrow as they look to crawl out of the claws of their opponents with victory. Eleven points separate the sides, with Berekum Chelsea lying a distant 14th position on the log. They have been a pale shadow of themselves this season, and it remains to be seen if Coach Samuel Boadu’s side can keep the bragging rights over the Yellow and Mauves in what has been described as one of their worse starts to a league season.
Today, second-placed Kpando Heart of Lions will trek to the Kwame Kyei Sports Complex in Abrankese to play as guests of struggling Nations FC. Having suffered a 1-0 away loss to Basake Holy Stars in their last game, Nations FC would look to pick all three points to better their current 12th position.
In other games, the Hohoe Sports Stadium will come alive as new boys Hohoe United FC welcome Kumasi Asante Kotoko. The Nii Adjei Kraku II Sports Complex in Tema will host the Vision FC versus Young Apostles FC game, the Tuba Astro Turf will host the Dreams FC versus Bechem United FC clash, while the Nsenkyire Sports Arena will host the Samartex FC versus Bibiani Gold Stars game. High-riding Aduana FC will sort things out with Basake Holy Stars at the Nana Agyeman Badu I Park in Dormaa.
By Raymond Ackumey
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