Ghana to boycott All Africa Games?

Ghana’s participation in this year’s All Africa Games could be a one sport show after 35 disciplines, except football, have threatened a boycott if no funds are released by government by May 15.

The presidents of hockey, handball, tennis, table tennis, volleyball, netball, athletics, badminton, and the other least-financed sports yesterday stated that they would advise themselves if money was not released for camping and training barely five months to the Games slated for Brazzaville, Congo, in September.

“If there are no funds for camping  and training then automatically we can’t say we are ready for this major competition,” said Ken Dzirasah, president of the Handball Association of Ghana (HAG) who spoke on behalf of his colleagues at the Theodosia Okoph National Hockey Satdium.

The press conference saw the various presidents taking turns to pour their frustration on the Youth and Sports Ministry for leaving them to their plight.

According to Richard Akpokavie, the president of the Ghana Hockey Association (GHA), for the past three years not a single pesewa from the state had been doled out to any of the associations for the programmes.

“The players of these disciplines are children of Ghanaians, they are Ghanaians by birth, they represent Ghana when in competition and they win competitions in the name of Ghana, so why this treatment from government and the ministry,” he asked.

Mr Ben Nunoo Menash, the president of the Ghana Weightlifting Federation, noted that national teams of other sporting disciplines deserved the same treatment given to national soccer teams prior, during and after major international competitions.

He asserted that while these least-financed disciplines go at length to break even and self-finance their activities for the year, the State must be responsible in catering for the national teams of these disciplines during major competitions.

Professor Francis Dodoo of the Ghana Athletics Association, revealed that they always submitted their budgets to the Ministry on time but nothing happened thereafter, while Mohammed Sahnoon of the Ghana Cycling Federation blamed the State for deliberately looking the other way when those disciplines went for support.

The federation heads called on the government not to neglect these sporting disciplines but rather provide them support to be able to compete at the All Africa Games.