The National Boxing Team, the Black Bombers will be in New Zealand in June this year to participant in the international professional and amateur boxing tournament in Auckland with their New Zealand counterparts.

According to Vice President of the Ghana Boxing Federation (GBF) Mr. Dauda Fuseni, the programme is to enable boxers of the two countries to test and sharpen their potential top boxers in preparing them for other Games.

He said while the main team would be in Thailand to participate in the second World Boxing Qualifier for Paris 2024, the reserve side comprising other top young budding pugilists like Mohammed Aryeetey and Abu Kamoko get the opportunity to travel to New Zealand for the project which is a bilateral relationship agreed by the Amateur Federations of the two countries.

Dauda Fuseni said the Black Bombers remarkable performance at the 13^th African Games where they bagged four gold, one silver and two bronze medals has been noticed and Ghana is still seen as a great boxing nation.

“We need exposure, our boys are good but they lack international exposure and experience, they must go out to fight or we must invite other nationals here and it is not easy, so when such opportunities come we should not let it slip” he told Yours Truly.

Mr. Fuseni said the Black Bombers must be in Paris at all cost.

“We should be at the 2024 Olympic Games, we have made the history and we should maintain it” he expressed.

By Sammy Heywood Okine

Incumbent Mr. Samson Deen has declared his decision to contest in the next Election of the National Paralympic Committee, NPC Ghana which takes place on October 4, 2024.

Speaking to Yours Truly exclusively after the first Extraordinary General Assembly At Airport West Hotel last Saturday, the President of NPC Ghana assured of building a better and bigger family to embrace all or most disabled sports disciplines and federations.

He called for love, peace, unity and desire for greatness and achievement.

He first term of office saw Ghana hosting the first African Para Games, where the Black Challenge (Amputee Football Team) excited and excelled as well as sourcing and providing modern equipment for athletes. He also facilitated the travel of athletes and coaches for exposure and experience.

He hoped that some athletes will qualify for the Paralympic Games in Paris, France which is the major international coming up after the 2024 Olympic Games.

Mr. Samson Deen is a Ghanaian Hospitality, Communication and Sports Management consultant since 2003 who founded the African Origin Travels and Sports Tourism, AOG Construction Services and African Origin Group of Companies in 2017.

He is currently the President of the African Paralympic Committee (APC). Deen polled 24 of the total votes cast, beating Morocco’s Hamid El Aouni who polled 15 votes to replace Leonel da Rocha Pinto, who reigned for 13 years. The APC Election took place in Morocco.

He was a member of the Local Organising Committee and Chairman of the Transport Committee of the 13th African Games which has been declared the best Games since 1965 with 53 countries participating in 29 disciplines across 10 venues in Accra and Cape Coast.

By Sammy Heywood Okine

Dreams FC aims for upset against Egyptian powerhouse Zamalek in CAF Confederation Cup semifinal

Dreams FC is gearing up for a David-versus-Goliath battle against Egyptian giants Zamalek in the first leg of the CAF Confederation Cup semifinal on Sunday.

Despite being labeled as underdogs, head coach Karim Zito remains optimistic about his team's chances of pulling off an upset.

Dreams FC secured their spot in the semifinals after eliminating Stade Malien of Mali with a 3-2 aggregate victory. The Ghanaian club won 2-1 in the first leg and held their ground in the return match, drawing 1-1 at home.

Zito acknowledged the daunting task ahead but emphasized that his team is capable of rising to the occasion. "It sounds frightening and so difficult, but I can tell you it is not impossible. We have to work on our attitude towards that game, and I can tell you we will surely get what we want there," he stated.

The coach also called on Ghanaians to rally behind the team.

"They should not be worried. We know the quality of Zamalek, but they should not also look down on Dreams FC. Nobody thought we would reach this stage. We need their support," Zito added.

Dreams held their first training in Cairo today ahead of the crucial clash.

From Sammy Heywood Okine

Ghana’s youth athletics team won total of 19 medals! 12 Gold, 5 Silver 2 and Bronze at the just ended 4-Nation Junior Athletics championships at the Stade Félix Houphouët Boigny. Abidjan, Cote D'Ivoire.

In the results update, Aisha Ibrahim and Latifa Haruna came 1st and 3rd in the women U18 400m finals in a time of 56.43sec and 1:00.01 respectively.

Naseera Quansah and Amanda Yeboah also came 1st and 4th in the women U20 100m finals in a time of 12.08sec and 12.76sec (+0.3) respectively, while

Joseph Andoh kwofie and Sarfo Isaac came 1st and 3rd in the men U20 100m finals in a time of 10.69sec and 10.83sec (+1.4) respectively.

Isaac Beniako was 2nd in the men U18 400m finals in a time of 50.22sec. as Gloria Amoh won the U18 women long jump finals with a jump of 4.62m.

Ghana U20 quartet came first in the women 4x100m relay finals in a time of 48.56sec. Team made up of Lois Owusu Asantewaa, Naseera Afuah Quansah, Abdulai Sakina, Christiana Amanda Yeboah.

Ghana U20 quartet came first in the men 4x100m relay finals in a time of 41.89sec. Team made of Joseph Andoh kwofie, Francis Liberty Fantivie, Isaac Sarfo and Abubakar Hamza.

Prince Yaw Gyasi Adu won the U18 men high jump finals with a jump of 1.90m.

The 4-Nation Junior Athletics championship was held at the Stade Félix Houphouët Boigny. Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire.

Source Sammy Heywood Okine

A 5- Member Ghana Para-Athletic of the National Paralympic Committee of Ghana led by Coach Ibrahim Aminu Suleman leaves Accra on 21st April 2024 to Morocco to participate in the 2024 Marrakech World Para Athletics Grand Prix which starts from 22nd April 2024 to 28th April 2024.

This event is part of the qualitative events to Paris 2024 Paralympic Games and it will serve as an opportunity for classification for the first Ghanaian Para Athlete in the field of shot put, standing javelin and discuss thro in the person of Edmund Govina. The other members of the team who have been classified already are 21 year old Amos Ahiagah, right arm amputee will be competing in  100 meters, 200 meters, 400 meters and men’s long jump events, whiles a 19 year old Diana Kuubetegr also an arm amputee will compete in the women’s 800 meters abd 1,500 meters events. Zinabu Issah who is an experienced para athlete will be competing in women’s sitting shot put, discuss throw and javelin events.

This young para athlete team are poised in qualifying for the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games and will call on corporate bodies to support the National Paralympic Committee of Ghana with funds to enable them attend other Paris 2024 Paralympic Games qualification events coming up in Japan, Switzerland and France respectively.

With the support of NPC Ghana, Ghana’s Dr Abena Tannor has qualified as a WPA international classifier and will be one of the doctors to embark on the classification for para athletes at the event

The team is been sponsored by the President of the National Paralympic Committee of Ghana, Mr Samson Deen with logistic support from the Ministry of Youth and Sports and the National Sports Authority.

For further information on this championship kindly contact Mr Ignatius Elletey - +233 24 272 6287

Source NPC

THE HON. EVANS OPOKU BOBIE (MP), DEPUTY MINISTER OF YOUTH AND SPORTS,

1. WILLIAM KARTEY, CHIEF DIRECTOR MINISTRY OF YOUTH AND SPORTS,
2. JEFFREY KUMI MANZAN OWUSU, HEAD OF THE TECHNICAL DEPT. NSA,

MY DISTINGUISH BOARD MEMBERS,

DEAR DELEGATES AND LEADERS OF NATIONAL SPORTS FEDERATIONS,

THE MEDIA,

LADIES AND GENTLEMEN.

Good morning, welcome and thank you all for honoring the invitation to this important event, the maiden Extraordinary General Assembly in the history of Paralympic movement in Ghana.

First of all, let me express my profound gratitude to the Honorable Minister of Youth and Sports, the Deputy Minister, the Chief Director, the Staff of the Ministry, NSA as well as the Paralympic Family and Friends for the support on this journey to this far.

I am particularly grateful to the Honorable Minister, His Deputy Minister Honorable Evans Opoku Bobbie and Mr. Ben Nunoo Mensah, President of the Ghana Olympic Committee (GOC) for your support as a candidate and my eventual election to head the African continental Region Organization - the African Paralympic Committee as its President. Unprecedented in the history of the Paralympic Movement in Ghana and the West African Sub-region. I will forever remain grateful and indebted to you.

Hon. Deputy Minister, about four years ago, precisely on the 6th of July 2019 the NPC-Ghana General Assembly elected me as the president, alongside seven (7) other elected officers including Mr. Frederick Otu – Vice President, Mr. Peter Adjei – Secretary General, Mr. Evans Yeboah – Treasurer, as well as Mr. Twum Barimah, Ibrahim Saani, Philip Otuo, Henry Larbi as members.  Thus, to form the Executive Board and run the affairs of the NPC for a four-year term; to inspire further transformation of the Paralympic Movement and its sports in Ghana, provide the needed leadership as well as offer hope and opportunities for our athletes.

Honorable Deputy Minister, the Board members have been phenomenal in their dealings, providing effective and good leadership support characterized by teamwork, collaboration, and dedication. The mix of technical and administrative experiences and expertise of members has been remarkable for which I am grateful.

Dear Delegates, a lot of gains have been made for the past four years despite the negative and unproductive activities of some individuals and groups just to thwart the effort of this administration. Some of these unproductive actions and activities include attempt to form splinter bodies, circulating letters to embassies and international sporting organization, court actions and attempt to stop legitimate national athletes and teams to represent the country in international competitions and events. This is not only negatively impacting the development and promotion of our sports, but also causing embarrassment to our dear country in the international scene as well as undermining the authorities of the country’s sporting governing bodies including the Sector Ministry.

Honorable Deputy, notwithstanding these challenges, we have remained committed, focused, and resilient and this has inspired the successes chalked so far. These Few years, Honorable Deputy Minister, para sports and athletes’ participation has increased tremendously, both at national and international levels. We have witnessed our athletes participating in all the major international and world events including the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games in Japan, the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games in the United Kingdom; the historic hosting of the First African Para Games by Ghana brought and left a lot of benefits for our sports including a dedicated office; variety of sports equipment which has been distributed to various Sports Federations, a 44 Seater Bus yet to cleared from the Tema Port, Training of national and international classifiers for para athletics, powerlifting, boccia, wheelchair tennis; training of coaches and technical officials for various sports are some of the remarkable achievements of this administration.

Inclusion Honorable Deputy Minister, the purpose of today’s meeting informed by Article 7(3) of our constitution that states, “Extraordinary General Assembly may be called by the President, on request of the Executive Board or by at least one-third (1/3) of the total number of members, to address urgent matters affecting or brought before the Committee and the purpose shall be clearly stated for notice of members and quorum of the meeting shall be 2/3 of members”.

We are here today dear delegates to consider following issues going forward:

1. Consideration for approval of Annual Membership Fees
2. Consideration for approval of New Para Sports and their respective Federations/Associations (Adaptive Boxing, Boccia Sports, Para Biathlon, Wheelchair Rugby, Para Archery, Wheelchair Softball,

iii.      Amendments to Article 2 Membership: Sections 1 to 5

7. Date for Elective General Assembly per Article 7. 1(ii) and 6(ii)

On this note, I wish once again to welcome you all to this august meeting and urge you to offer your invaluable contributions and suggestions to the issues.

Thank you and may Allah bless us all.

Source Samson Deen

… New Para Sports Federations Accepted Into Family

The National Paralympic Committee NPC Ghana at its first Extraordinary General Assembly has fixed its Elective congress for October 4 2024, after the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris, France.

Over twenty member federations unanimously endorsed the proposals for the Elective Congress at the Airport West Hotel in Accra.

In attendance was the Deputy Minister for Youth & Sports Hon. Bobie Ansah and members of Ghana Sports Supporters..

The Congress also approved its membership annual affiliation fees of One Thousand Ghana Cedis to help the board in all its management duties and other activities.

President of the NPC Ghana Samson Deen commended all the federations who attended and called for peace and unity among the rank and file of disable sports associations and personnel in Ghana.

He thanked the media who attended the Congress in numbers and managed to question some recent misunderstandings within the para sports fraternity in Ghana.  

Para Table Tennis and Boccia Para Sports, among others, were accepted as new members of the Ghana National Paralympic Committee.

With ten para federations, the General Assembly of the Ghana Paralympic Committee formed a quorum out of thirteen to admit the sports federations that successfully qualified the constitutional provision and Ghana's Sports Regulations 2023 L.I. 2477.

Some notable sports federations that practised or existed before 2019 and are affiliated with international sports federations with notable ones like Para Table Tennis, Boccia Para Sports, Amputee Football Association, Para Soft, Para Teqball, Para Judo, and Adaptive Boxing.

“Per the constitutional amendments, all recognized disability sports must register and be members of the NPC Ghana by default” said the President.

Meanwhile Mr. Samson Deen has declared his intention to go for re election to sustain the achievements gained since he became president of Ghana and Africa.

During his tenure, Ghana hosted the first African Para Games and also the first ever Extraordinary Congress which was well attended.

The federations invited for the EGA include Para Athletics, Para Powerlifting, Sitting Volleyball / Para Volleyball, Shooting Para Sports, Para Swimming, Wheelchair Basketball, Para Badminton, Para Taekwondo, Para Cycling Federation and Wheelchair Tennis,

Others are Blind Sports Federation, Cerebral Palsy Sports, Blind Football, Adaptive Boxing, Boccia Sports, Para Biathlon, Wheelchair Rugby, Para Archery, Wheelchair Softball, National Wheelchair and Amputee Sports Assoc. of Ghana, Amputee Football Association of Ghana and Para Table Tennis.

By Sammy Heywood Okine

PATH Ghana, GOC And Olympism365 Organise Multi-Stakeholder Meeting For NGOs And CBOs

PATH Ghana on Thursday April 18^th, 2024 hosted a Multi-Stakeholder Meeting at the Labadi Beach Hotel in Accra for Non Governmental Organisations and Community Based Organisations in the fields of Health and Sports.

Present were Mr. Ben Nunoo Mensah, President of the Ghana Olympic Committee (GOC), Mr. Ollie Dudfield Associate Director of Olympism365, Ms. Helen McGuire of PATH Global Program Lead, Ms. Patience Cofie Country Manager of PATH Ghana, Dr. Bella, Bello Bitugu Director of Sport at the University of Ghana, Dr. Wisdom Atowoto Director of Research, Statistics and Information Management at the Ministry of Health, Ms. Abibatu Bavug of UN Habitat, Alhaji Hafiz Adam, Chief Director MOH Mr. William Kartey Chief Director Ministry of Youth & Sports, Nana Adu Mankatta of Sports for All, Mr. Albert K. Frimpong of African Baseball and Ms. Patience Dapaah Snr. Advocacy and Communications Advisor, PATH.

The meeting attracted a number of Non Governmental Organisations (NGOs) in the education, sports and health sectors as well as media personnel with the objective of gathering information on Ghana’s national priorities, strategic plans and targets as they relate to physical activity/community-based sport and health.

They were also to raise awareness of the community sport and health cooperative Sport for Health Initiative in Ghana among diverse and relevant stakeholders, gather stakeholder input on the role of sport for health initiative towards achieving national priorities and targets and provide a forum for stakeholders to share their activities and assets that are aligned with the goals of the Sport for Health Initiative.

President of the GOC, Mr. Ben Nunoo Mensah in his presentation said it is refreshing news that, Ghana has been selected as one of the five countries to form the first phase of the newly initiated Community Sport and Health Cooperation between the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the World Health Organization (WHO) with PATH as the implementers.

“As President of the Olympic Movement in Ghana, I am particularly excited about this initiative as it falls in line with the Olympic Values and the UN’s Sustainable Development Goal (SDG)3, which is to ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages” he said.

According to Mr. Mensah, the new collaboration between the IOC and PATH will increase access to health-enhancing community sport activities for over one million people across five countries by the year 2025.  And as a Ghanaian, I am very glad that this country was selected as one of the first five.

“As you may all know the global optimism for sport, as ‘an important enabler for the SDGs by the United Nations appears in many countries’ policy documents. In Ghana, sport is linked to the social dimension of the SDGs. But the acknowledgement of the potential of sport as an enabler alone cannot be a decisive evidence of deep commitment or successful implementation”.

He said the positive and direct effects of engaging in regular physical activity are noticeably apparent in the prevention of several chronic or Non-communicable diseases, including cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancer, hypertension, obesity, osteoporosis and depression.

According to him the Report from the United Nations Inter-Agency Task Force on Sport for Development and Peace states that young people can benefit from physical activity as it contributes to developing healthy bones, efficient heart, and lung function as well as improved motor skills and cognitive function.

He called for the need to encourage Sports and Health well-being inclusion in sports by developing the interest of the youth from the schools in their communities.

He observed that although the Ghana Education Service requires at least 80 minutes per week of physical education in schools, in practice, this is often not achieved.

“When children and youth fail to achieve the minimum recommended physical activity levels, they are at risk of adverse health consequences” he stressed.

He noted that according to the IOC, the new cooperation with WHO and PATH, will strengthen the role of sport in building healthy and active communities with three main objectives.

1. Improve access and retention in targeted community sports and physical activity programmes, thereby supporting more people, particularly women and girls and people from diverse backgrounds and abilities, to be more active.
2. Enhance knowledge, understanding of, and appreciation for, the multiple benefits of regular physical activity and sports participation, which will lead to the prevention of non-communicable diseases, improved mental health and well-being and social connections.
3. Strengthen policy planning and investment in community sport and physical activity participation opportunities and infrastructure as well as the physical activity legacies of the Olympic Games and other Global sport events.

He assured of the GOC’s support, and appealed to key-partners; Sports, Health, Education and Local Government to make a conscious effort to link these policies and programmes to the vision of Olympism 365.

 “Sports is a low-cost but very high-impact tool which we can all use to build together a more peaceful, more equal and more sustainable world for everyone, 365 days a year”

“If we can all use this low-cost, high-impact tool to eradicate poverty, end hunger, give good health and education, provide clean water, sanitation and energy, push for climate action, strive for peace, justice and build strong institutions, this world will be a much much better place for generations unborn” he added.

The Associate Director of Olympism365, Mr. Ollie Dudfield said “as leaders in the health sector, sports leaders, actors in the health sector must respond to the lifestyle if the challenge and must as well be focused on the health well being.”

Mr. Dudfield called on the entities involved in championing Olympism 365 to have a common agenda in prosecuting this initiative.

Ms. Patience Cofie, Country Manager of PATH Ghana said health is very important, and has been connected to various sectors including sports.

She said PATH Ghana focuses on strategic priorities in Ghana such as maternal health, malaria prevention, WASH, non communicable diseases, reproductive health, digital health supplies and health system innovations and delivery.

Dr. Bello Bitugu who gave the summary of the meeting said lifestyles are different and every community has its priorities, while people living in high class residential areas like Trasacco cannot be communicated with same as people living at Ga Mashie or Tudu, while the sporting needs also defer, but it is idle for everyone to be active.

Olympism365 is the IOC’s strategy to strengthen the role of sport as an important enabler for the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), in line with Recommendation 10 of Olympic Agenda 2020+5.

The mission of PATH is to advance health equity through innovation and partnerships

By Sammy Heywood Okine

A contingent of 15 athletes and three officials have arrived in Abidjan, Cote D'voire for a 2 day Youth Invitational Athletics championships at the Stade Félix Houphouët Boigny in Abidjan.

Team Ghana made up of Under 20 years athletes drawn from Senior High Schools and athletic clubs across Ghana will come against Burkina Faso, Benin and the host, Cote D'voire in a 4-Nation Athletics event.

Ghana Athletics as part of building a new generation of future champions in track and field, invested to participate in the 4-nation event in creating competitions for our budding athletes and future champions.

Chief Executive of Ghana Athletics, Phillipina Frimpong says Ghana has begun the preparation for tomorrow today and calls on corporate Ghana to invest in track and field athletes before the maturity stage.

Ghana competes in 100m Boys & Girls, 200 Boys & Girls, 800m Boys, 110 Hurdles Men 400m Hurdles Boys, High Jump Boys, the relays for Boys & Girls etc. at the Stade Félix Houphouët Boigny on Friday and Saturday.

It will be recalled that Ghana in 2023 competed and dominated the Africa Junior Championship in Gambia using athletes from the Senior High Schools.

Team Ghana returns home on Sunday after the 2 day championship.

Source : www.ghanaathletics.org

The Eiffel Tower 

With less than 100 days until the Paris 2024 Olympics begins, here is a guide to everything you need to know about the Games.

80% of the competition venues will take place within 10km of the Olympic village

Team Ghana had one bronze medal at the Tokyo 2020 Games by young boxer, Samuel Takyi, then 21.

Tokyo 2020 was postponed by a year because of the Covid pandemic but now, three years later with the crowds back to fill the stands, what can we expect from Paris 2024?

How is Paris preparing for the Olympics and Paralympics?

When are the Olympics?    

Although the opening ceremony to signal the official start of the Paris 2024 Olympics will be held on Friday, 26 July, the sporting action actually begins on Wednesday, 24 July with pool matches in football, rugby sevens, handball and archery. The Games will run until 11 August.

Which venues are being used for the Olympics?

Most of the sporting events are in and around the heart of Paris, and the opening ceremony is set to be a spectacle, taking place along the Seine, the first time in Olympic history that the event will be held outside the main stadium.

The Stade de France will host the athletics and the closing ceremony. The Parc des Princes, home to Paris St-Germain, will stage football matches, and Roland Garros will host tennis and boxing. Surfing will take place in Tahiti, an island in French Polynesia nearly 10,000 miles away from Paris.

Some 95% of the venues already exist or are temporary, with the aquatics centre being the only new venue specifically built for the Games.

How can I watch the Olympics?

The Paris Olympics will be shown live on GTV television and other website and apps, and there will also be extensive coverage on the Olympic Channel.        

What are the new sports at the Paris Games?

The only sport making its debut in Paris is breaking. It was first introduced at the 2018 Youth Olympics and due to the combination of athleticism and urban dance, it has secured a spot on the programme.

The competition will take place as solo battles and the breakers will improvise to the DJ's tracks, including moves such as windmills, the six step and freezes.

Karate and baseball have been dropped from the Olympics since Tokyo 2020.

How many gold medals will be won in Paris and how many sports are at the Olympics?

There are 329 medal events across 32 sports. The first medal is set to be awarded in shooting on 27 July and the final medal event of Paris 2024 will be women's basketball on 11 August.

Can Ghana win a medal?

In sports anything can happen. Nobody knew featherweight Samuel Takyi will win a medal for Ghana at Tokyo 2020 as he was the youngest and inexperienced boxer in the team, but he brought glory and joy after many years. For the records Ghana has won only five medals at the Olympic Games,one bronze in football and the rest in boxing including one silver by Clement Quartey at the 1960 Rome  Boxing Men's light welterweight.

The others are Bronze by Eddie Blay at the 1964 Tokyo Games in Boxing Men's light welterweight, Bronze by Prince Amartey at 1972 Munich in Boxing Men's middleweight

Will there be prize money at the Olympics?

World Athletics has announced it will become the first international federation to award prize money at the Olympic Games.

The global governing body said a total prize pot of $2.4m (£1.9m) has been made available for this summer's Olympics in Paris, with gold medallists receiving $50,000 (£39,400).

Is Russia banned from competing in the Olympics?

Russian and Belarusian athletes will be allowed to compete as neutral athletes. They will not take part in the opening ceremony at the 2024 Olympics in Paris, says the International Olympic Committee.

Russia & Belarus athletes will not be part of opening ceremony

Who is competing for Team Ghana and how many medals could they win?

Ghana first participated at the Olympic Games in 1952

So far, not easy nut for Swimming, the nation will provide two swimmers on wild card.

In Track & Field, the 100x4 team is among the best 16 in the world and may make it. In High Jump, Rose Yeboah looks good to go with her accumulated points and recent performaces especially at the 13th African Games where she won gold.

Other athletes like Cadman, High Jump, Joe Paul Amoah, 2000m and Benjamin Azamati, 100m and others must ran at meets certified by the IOC to qualify.

Ghana lost in football as both the male and female teams crushed out sadly. The hope of the nation is Boxing, but none qualified at the African Qualifiers in Dakar, Senegal and the World Qualifier in Italy.

The last and final hope is coming up in May in Bangkok, Thailand where 12 boxers are going to try to make history.

By Sammy Heywood Okine