Bigwigs of the Ghana Olympic Committee (GOC), led by the President, Richard Akpokavie, embarked on inspection tours of designated venues and facilities for the upcoming Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games after attending the landmark Commonwealth Sports General Assembly in the Scottish capital at the weekend.
Following fruitful discussions with the Glasgow 2026 Organising Committee, the GOC leadership decided to assess Ghana's readiness to host future international events, including ticketing, accommodation, logistics, pre-Games camping arrangements, visas, and accreditation issues, to stay abreast of international best practices.
Accompanied by the GOC General Secretary, Muniru Mohammed and Ghana's Chef de Mission (CDM) for the following year's Glasgow Games, Ernest Danso, the delegation also paid a courtesy call on the Ghana High Commissioner to UK and Ireland, Mrs Sabah Zita Benson, to solicit collaborative support to ensure Ghana’s successful and impactful participation at the Games billed for July 23 to August 2 next year.
Aside from plans for Ghana to be part of a purported African Village for all of the continent's representatives during the quadrennial competition in Glasgow, the meeting also agreed to have a liaison from the High Commission work with the CDM to ensure smooth collaboration towards Ghana's preparation and participation.
“The 2026 Commonwealth Games will be hosted in Glasgow and the importance of the various advance engagements is to ensure a smooth preparation to offer Team Ghana the best chance to win medals to make Ghana proud and also to find ways to promote Ghana during the Games," Mr Akpokavie highlighted.
Meanwhile, in a transformative new chapter signalling a broader mandate beyond just the Games, the General Assembly ushered in a historic change of the organisation's name from the previous Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) to Commonwealth Sports, which will continue to serve as organiser of the Commonwealth Games, as well as everything sports within the Commonwealth of Nations.
In a moment of immense African pride, Uganda Olympic Committee President, Dr Donald Rukare, was elected as the new President of the rechristened Commonwealth Sports.
Dr Rukare, a lawyer, lecturer, member of the World Aquatics Bureau and head of the Ugandan National Council of Sports, becomes the first African to head the Commonwealth Sports.
In another development, Ahmadabad, India, was awarded hosting rights for the coveted centenary games in 2030 after beating a highly competitive bid from Nigeria, whilst the Commonwealth Youth Games 2027 was also confirmed to be hosted by Malta.
