Time to invest in sports

The exploits of Samuel Takyi at the just-ended 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo has once again drawn national attention to the sports of boxing and athletics in general.

It has brought to the fore the huge potential in Ghanaian athletes and their ability to compete at the highest level of world sports when given the right push through short, medium and long-term planning.

Must we celebrate our exploits at the Tokyo Olympic Games? Yes, we think so.

Winning the country's only medal in Tokyo is worth celebrating, especially as Ghanaian athletes have not been on the medal podium for nearly three decades since the Black Meteors won bronze at the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona.

It was the first time in 29 years that Ghana had won a medal at the Olympics. It was also the first time in 49 years that boxing won a medal at the Olympics. Additionally, the men’s 4x100 m team reached the final for the first time since the 1996 games in Atlanta, USA.

Again, it was the first time that a Ghanaian athlete was selected to represent Africa at the closing ceremony as Takyi stood by the IOC President, Mr Thomas Bach, as he gave his speech to close the games.

Even though other athletes did not win medals, they made a significant impact. Abeiku Jackson set a new national swimming record, Joe Paul Amoah set a new national record in the 200m, the 4x100 m quartet set a new national record to reach the final and it was the only African team in the final.

Overall, the performance of Ghanaian athletes in Tokyo was very encouraging as they competed against individuals and teams from countries which had better preparation, more exposure and support systems in place to ensure success at international competitions.

Nonetheless, winning just four medals at the summer Games over six decades is also a sad reflection of sports development in Ghana in spite of the abundance of talents.

On their arrival from Tokyo, Ghana Olympic Committee (GOC) President, Mr Ben Nunoo Mensah, stressed the need for the state and corporate partners to invest more in sporting disciplines such as amateur boxing, athletics, hockey, weightlifting and table tennis which have showed a lot of promise but received very negligible investment and support.

Even though Ghana did not win a medal in track and field events, the performances of the sprinters in Tokyo were very encouraging as national records were broken. Ghana's 4x100 metres quartet also beat mighty nations such as the USA and Trinidad & Tobago to reach the final for the first time since the 1996 games in Atlanta.

The Daily Graphic supports the call by the GOC President for a deliberate effort by the government and corporate bodies to invest more in sports if Ghanaian athletes are to reach their full potential and also compete with the best athletes from other countries at the global level.

As a country, we have concentrated our efforts and investment on the national football teams to the neglect of other sporting disciplines which do not get the needed support and go into competitions without the best of preparation but are expected to excel.

A few weeks ago, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo hosted corporate heavyweights at the Jubilee House to raise money to fund the Black Stars' Africa Cup of Nations campaign next year and the 2022 FIFA World Cup campaigns which had an estimated budget of $25 million. The two breakfast meetings, which took place at the time the Ministry of Youth and Sports and the GOC were looking for money to support Ghana's Olympic contingent, was a reflection of how we prioritised the Black Stars at the expense of other sports which require relatively smaller financial support but have proven to bring more honour to the country at global events.

It is important to note that sporting success is dependent on more than just raw talent but also require heavy financial investment and support systems. Top sporting countries such as the USA, Great Britain, China and others are very deliberate in their sports development which has produced consistent results. Ghana, therefore, cannot expect sporting success without investment and support for the sports federations, athletes and technical staff to reach their full potential and give of their best at major competitions.

With the 2022 Commonwealth Games a year away and the 2023 African Games to be hosted by Ghana, the Daily Graphic believes that the government, sports authorities, key stakeholders and the corporate community must begin planning immediately to ensure the needed resources are made available for early preparation of our athletes and teams to reach their full potential and be very competitive at these major events to bring honour to the nation.