The Ghana Olympic Committee (GOC) has in solidarity with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) begun a one week Level 1 Technical Course for Badminton Coaches across the country at the GHAPOHA Sports Complex at Tema.

The course, which started on last Thursday, October 8 and expected to end on Thursday, October 15, is GOC's third after organising one for taekwondo and volleyball earlier this year.

Addressing the media at the launch, the president of the Badminton Association of Ghana (BAG), Nestor Ghalley, noted that the course would go a long way to help in the development of the sport in the country.

"This course will help develop badminton in the country since this represents a good beginning for the sport," he said.

Rev. Richmond Quarshie, who represented the GOC, emphasised on the need for fair treatment of all sporting federations and said the course would improve the participants know-how.

However, the course expert, A

Vision F/C booked their ticket to the Middle League when they beat arch rivals, Medina Miracle, 2-1 in a play-off of their Zone 4 of the Greater Accra Division Two at the Tema Sports Stadium last Saturday.

Youngster Michael Baidoo, opened the scores with a classic thunderbolt in the 12th minute, after a solo run.

Elite sportsmen and women are usually not considered among the smartest of investors of their fortune in Africa. However, long distance legend, Haile Gebrselassie, believes that  perception, arising from experiences of the past, could be banished soon as successful sports stars of today have what it takes to make a big economic impact in their societies.

Consequently, he has challenged African sports stars, who have made a fortune to re-invest their wealth in Africa instead of indulging in lavish lifestyles which do not last.

The Ethics Committee of the Ghana Football Association (GFA) has demoted two Division One League (DOL) clubs, Techiman City and Wa African United, to Division Two for conniving to fix a league match in the ongoing Zone 1 league.

The committee found the two clubs guilty of engaging in bribery and match-fixing in contravention of Article 68 (2) of GFA Regulations.

Emmanuel Kwame Dickson from Cantonments last Friday defeated Wilfried Romeo to be crowned this year's "Red Bull King of the Rock" at the Lebanon House in Accra.

Dickson beat Romeo 15-13 in a close final which saw both athletes showcasing their one-on-one prowess in the national finals.

In an interview with the Daily Graphic after the contest, Dickson said "I dedicate this win to my family. In one-on-one basketball, it's all about being strategic and that's exactly how I performed".

Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) will be aiming to move to the summit of Group B in the ongoing BEIGE Knockout hockey competition when they play Amazing Grace on Saturday at the Theodosia Okoh Stadium.

The game which pits last year's losing finalists in the ladies category, GRA, against Amazing Grace, who finished bottom in this year's Greater Accra Hockey League, is expected to be a one-sided affair, with GRA being the favourites.

A novel Taekwondo competition aimed at encouraging the youth to develop keen interest in the sport has been launched by the Korean Embassy in Accra.

The competition, dubbed “I Love Taekwondo Video Contest” and sponsored by Rana Motors, is expected to attract many taekwondo practitioners and clubs accross the country.

Briefing the Graphic about the event, the Korean Ambassador to Ghana, Lyeo Woon-Ki, said there were 90 taekwondo clubs in Ghana and those clubs were expected to send video clips on their perspective about taekwondo and what the sport meant to them to organisers.

Exchequers of the Bank of Ghana will be trying to cause a major upset in the men’s final of the BEIGE Capital Knock-Out when they engage the undisputed champions of the Greater Accra Hockey League, Trustees, at the Theodosia Okoh Stadium.

Trustees, who represent the Social Security and National Insurance Trust, have shown no will to relent despite an already bulging trophy cabinet and the loss of two of their most influential players, former captain Matthew Damalie and his deputy Ernest Opoku, to the  Ghana Revenue Authority.

The duo played a key role in Trustees’ triumphs in retaining the league and gala but in their absence, the likes of Insalbini Salya, Samuel Afari and the talented Johnny Botsio have thrived with efficient dismissals of Goldensticks (2-0) and the Ghana Revenue Authority (3-0) in the BEIGE

Students of Accra Polytechnic, the Universities, Polytechnics and Colleges (UPAC) basketball champions, dominate the list of awards nominees for the 2015 Ghana Basketball Awards.

The final shortlist of the awards, scheduled for October 16 at the TV3 premises in Accra, was released last Tuesday with the Accra-based tertiary institution leading the nominations following a trophy-laden year with victories in the UPAC and Ghana Polytechnic Sports Association (GHAPSA) games.

Coach Avram Grant has been forced to lead a limping Black Stars side into Tuesday’s international friendly against Canada in Washington.

As of press time yesterday, it was clear that Grant was going to miss the services of his reliable captain Asamoah Gyan and and his vice Andre Dede Ayew, as well as Christian Atsu, Rabiu Mohammed and Abdul-Majeed Waris, all through injury.

Samuel Osei Kuffour who is expected to take charge of affairs of Kumasi Asante Kotoko today is assured of a good start financially as the club awaits its share of the transfer fees of ex-Kotoko defender, Baba Rahman, to Chelsea which is in the region of GH¢250,000.

The high-profile transfer of the gifted Black Stars left-back to Cheslea in a five-year deal fetched his German Bundesliga side, Augsburg, 14 million pounds (30 million euros). Kotoko, who gave the player the needed exposure three years ago, are expected to receive over 57,000 euros as training compensation and solidarity contribution, courtesy FIFA’s International Transfer Matching System (ITMS).

Ghana’s Under-20 female football team, Black Princesses, are poised to cruise to the next round of the 2016 Women’s World Cup qualifiers as they host Equatorial Guinea in the second leg match in Kumasi on Sunday.

Meeting for the second successive time in a similar qualifier, the Princesses know their guests will come into the game slated for the Baba Yara Stadium with a lot of fire, hopeful of avenging the loss they suffered in the last qualifier.

Sam Addo, manager of Black Stars captain Asamoah Gyan, has confirmed that the striker will not feature in the Ghana-Canada friendly match to be staged at the RFK Stadium, Washington DC, USA on October 13.

 The Shanghai SIPG star suffered an injury during a match against Guangzhou Evergrande in the Chinese-Super League and he is recovering.

Bank of Africa last Saturday demonstrated its commitment to the development of sports by donating an amount of GH¢22,500 to the Celebrity Golf Club at Sakumono, Tema.

The donation was made for the reconstruction of Tee-boxes (nine holes) at the club’s facility during the Dean of the Diplomatic Corps Invitational Tournament.

The chairman of the Greater Accra Regional Football Association (GARFA), Nii Komiete Doku, says he expects to be retained for the next four years after achieving a lot for the sport in the region.

Nii Doku, who took office after the demise of the late Jordan Angblah in 2012, is being challenged by Eugene Jacquaye in their upcoming RFA elections on Monday.

In an interview with the Daily Graphic, the incumbent said "I expect my people to retain me in office after acheiving a lot for the region".