Black Bombers, tonic for a toxic past
The biggest sporting event, this year, takes place in Brazil, where the Olympic Games will be staged.
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Already qualified for that great showpiece, are the Black Queens, the national senior women's football team, that in spite of official discouragement, are not afflicted by expiration of inspiration.
Since February last year, the Black Queens have not been paid their bonuses, in a typical Master-servant relationship, condemned to living on shoestring budget while sports ministry hierarchy live it up with lavish lifestyles.
Yet, an even worse fate could befall their male compatriots, Black Bombers, the national amateur boxing team.
It has a chance to qualify for the Brazil 2016 Olympics, and join the Black Queens to raise the flag of Ghana, in a quest to mark a new territory and win for the nation her first gold medal at the senior Olympics.
In a preemptive strike to avert non-qualification, the president of the Ghana Amateur Boxing Association,
According to Quartey, that amount would cater for the airfare, accommodation and logistics for the 20 boxers, coaches and other team officials, to participate in the African Olympic qualifier, scheduled from March 9-20, this year in Cameroun.
Since that competition is the last ditch opportunity for the Black Bombers to qualify for Brazil 2016, nothing short of serious attention and prompt incentives would be acceptable to the long-suffering boxing community.
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Incidentally, for the last Olympics in London 2012, the Black Bombers managed to qualify, at a similar competition hosted by Morocco.
Eventually, that team returned empty-handed from that Olympics. That, in itself, is no indication of a similar fate in the professional ranks. For, though neither Ike Quartey nor Alfred Kotey won a medal at the 1988 Seoul Olympics, they had successful pro careers, winning world titles in 1994.
Besides, that London 2012 failure was more in line with the faded glory of Ghana boxing at the Olympic Games than a reflection of the quality of that Black Bombers team and or their quality of preparations for that Olympics.
For, over the course of a wretched 44 years, thanks to lack of basic infrastructure and official neglect, boxing has won no medal for Ghana since Prince Amartey won bronze in the middleweight division, at the 1972 Olympics in Munich, then of West Germany.
It must be emphasised, though, that boxing alone has accounted for three of the four medals Ghana has amassed in her Olympic history, football accounting for only one such medal (bronze) at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics.
Clement 'Ike' Quartey set it off when he won silver in the light welterweight division, at the 1960 Rome Olympic Games, a trail followed by Eddie Blay, who earned a bronze medal in the same division, at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics.
In light of the rich history of Ghana boxing at the Olympics, versus other disciplines, it is of necessity for the Sports ministry to put that sport front and centre, and provide the necessary wherewithal to best prepare the Black Bombers for Olympic qualification and possible glory.
It is a failing that would not be tolerated by the laurels-starved sports community. So, the sports ministry, in liaison with the Ghana Olympic Committee, ought to make it top priority, to earn Ghana a chance at redemption at the Brazil 2016 Olympics.
Also, all arrears due the Black Queens must be paid in full, to provide them, and a properly incentivized Black Bombers, the necessary input for the anticipated glorious output that could win for Ghana her first Olympic gold medal(s) and reignite the passion for excellence.
That would provide a proper tonic to flush out the toxic past few years, and feed the appetite of sports-crazy Ghanaians for grandstanding by national athletes in all sporting competitions around the globe.