Hockey: Ghana to host Junior Africa Cup

The National Sports Authority (NSA) has sworn in a 17-member Local Organising Committee (LOC) to organise the Hockey Junior Africa Cup from March 22 to 28 at the Theodosia Okoh Stadium in Accra.

The LOC is chaired by Reverend Joseph Ben Lomo-Mainoo and has been tasked to ensure Ghana organises the 12-team competition to meet all COVID-19 protocols.

The Director General of the NSA, Professor Peter Twumasi, noted that the Under-21 tournament provided an opportunity for hockey players in the country to remain competitive as well as continue their preparation towards the 2023 African Games to be hosted in Ghana.

“We are looking at organising a coronavirus free tournament and that is why we extended the membership of the LOC,” Prof. Twumasi said.

“The focus is to win gold medals at this tournament and to help the athletes continue to be competitive. We see the championship as preparatory grounds for athletes for the 2023 edition of the African Games which will be hosted by Ghana,” he added.

Ghana will compete for honours with Nigeria, Kenya, South Africa, Namibia and Egypt, each of which will be represented by a male and female team.

The Hockey Junior Africa Cup was originally scheduled for last year but was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic which disorganised the global sporting calendar.

For his part, Rev. Lomo-Mainoo said the competition served as a qualifier for the Hockey World Championship and the two teams each from the male and female categories would be chosen to represent the continent on the global stage.

“We accept the challenge to ensure that we host a successful competition in the middle of a pandemic and we are ready to use the tournament to educate the public on COVID-19. It is a competition we hold in high esteem because it serves as a qualifier to the world championship,” Rev. Lomo-Mainoo explained.