Ghana's Golden Arms set for World Armwrestling Championship in Moldova

Ghana’s national armwrestling team, the Golden Arms, is set to compete in the 45th World Armwrestling Championship, scheduled to take place in Chisinau, Moldova, from August 15-25, 2024.

The team will feature a strong lineup, including double gold medalist and African champion Grace Minta of the Ghana Police Service, Edward Yamoah Asamoah of the Ghana Immigration Service, and civilians Blessing Abeka Nunoo and Godwin Sackey, both associated with the Ghana Immigration Service.

Leading the delegation is Mr. Charles Osei Asibey, President and Founder of the Ghana Armwrestling Federation, who also serves as President of Africa Armwrestling and Vice President of the world body. The team is scheduled to depart on Thursday, August 15, with Head Coach Nii Otoo Larkyne, Husseini Akuetteh Addy, Head Referee for the Armwrestling Federation of Africa, and Ms. Abigail Fremah, a senior referee, accompanying them.

In a pre-departure statement, Mr. Osei Asibey expressed a mix of optimism and concern: “As a Federation, we would have loved to take a bigger team, but due to limited funding, we have had to reduce our numbers. Participating in world events is crucial for building our athletes’ capacity and confidence. While we’re disappointed by the reduced team size, we’re encouraged by the opportunity to give our athletes and officials valuable exposure, thanks to the Ministry of Youth & Sports, the board of Ghana Armwrestling, and the athletes.”

The World Armwrestling Championship will be hosted by the Moldovan National Sport Federation of Armwrestling (FNSARM), under the leadership of President Alexandru Grumeza and General Secretary Ms. Anna Belenciuc. The event is set to attract over 1,500 competitors, officials, and supporters from more than 60 countries.

The competition will feature various categories, including Sub-Junior, Senior, and Grand Masters, as well as para-armwrestling events for both left and right arms. The high-stakes finals and Senior Semi-Finals will be broadcast live on television, accessible to all WAF Members’ media partners. Additionally, the entire championship, from preliminaries to finals, will be live-streamed on the Olympic Channel platform and the WAF YouTube Channel, promising fans around the world an action-packed experience.