‘Martha Bissah needs USA experience’

Former national 400 metres record holder, Frank Quartey, has urged the 2014 Youth Olympics gold medalist, Martha Bissah to accept the scholarship being offered her to study in the United States of America (USA) in order to save her budding track career.

The 1954 Commonwealth Games participant expressed worry that Martha's performance appeared to be sliding after she finished last in last Saturday's Open Championship 800 metres race as she made a time of  2.12.78 compared to her gold medal winning feat of 2:04.90 in Nanjing, China.

He said, "She should accept the opportunity to enrol in American College because it would give her the chance to improve her academic performance, as well as acquire invaluable race experience because of the high-level of competition in America.

"I would like to advise her to reconsider and help her in terms of coaching because she is very talented," said  Quartey who in 1954 missed out on a scholarship to study at the Philander Smith College in Little Rock, Arkansas on account of the Civil Rights struggle.

Quartey also proposed an alternative source of funding for Ghanaian athletics which  involved affluent citizens contributing towards the development of the next generation of future athletes.

"In America, their local IOC receives a lot of donations from the rich and people who have the expertise to support the government in developing athletics.

"Ghanaians must do same if the nation wants to produce excellent athletes who are also literate and have important values such as honesty and truth.

 There is too much focus on football where we already have a great team, it is now the time to focus on the track”, he added.