Ghana Athletics will organise a national open championship at the University of Ghana stadium on Wednesday, February 28, 2024.
The championship, is a pre-competition trial of the facility ahead of the African Games 2023.
It will last two hours, starting from 5 PM and ending at 7 PM to make way for the continuation of preparations and rehearsals for the opening ceremony of the event.
The Local Organising Committee (LOC), on Friday, February 23, handed the facility the opening ceremony team to fix their equipment prepare the ceremony slated for March 8, forcing Ghana Athletics to reschedule its National Invitational Students Athletics Championship (NISAC), which was slated for February 24 to 28.
The LOC, however, had to compromise as standard requirements from World Athletics makes it mandatory for the facilities to be tested before competitions begin.
With the athletics governing only likely to have access to the facility on March 10, 2024, they might not be able to organise any major event to test the tracks and equipment before the athletics competitions start on March 18.
Hence, the pre-competition event will be held on Wednesday without field events, per JoySports sources.
Meanwhile, the certification of the main stadium tracks for the games is expected to complete today, while the lane markings the warm up track will start on Wednesday.
Head coach of Accra Hearts of Oak, Aboubakar Ouattara has stated his opposition to mediocrity that has threatened the club’s status as the biggest club in Ghana.
The Ivorian trainer won his first match in charge of the club when he superintended over a a 3-0 win over Real Tamale United (RTU) on Sunday.
A brace of goals from Hamza Issa and a third by Enoch Asubonteng wrapped up a comprehensive win.
During the pitch side interview, the interviewer described Hearts as one of the biggest club in Ghana. Ouattara promptly interrupted him to correct what he thought was wrong.
Interviewer: ”Hearts of Oak is one of the biggest clubs in Ghana…”
Coach Aboubakar Ouattara (interrupts): ”Not in Ghana. One of the biggest clubs in Africa but the people are bringing this team to a lower level.”
Ouattara stated his abhorrence for any such performance or behavior that does not meet the club’s high standards.
”I can never accept that. We are going to try to bring Hearts of Oak to their past (successful) era.
”But only hard work will make that possible. Nothing else.”
Hearts are ninth on the league table with 24 points and are five points from fourth place.
The Phobians are also eight points from league leaders, Samartex 96 – who face Aduana Stars on Monday.
African Games 2023: LOC to spend GHS 33.4 million a day on ‘operational expenses’
The Local Organizing Committee (LOC) for the 13th African Games, has budgeted to spend a whopping US$48 million (GHS602 million) on “operational expenses”, 6 times Parliament’s approved GHS100 million.
The figure works out to around a 6-day weekly expenditure of GHS200.6 million, and a daily operational expense of GHS 33.4 million for the 18-day competition.
The details of the LOC’s spend are contained in a letter to the Chief Executive Officer of the Bulk Oil Storage and Transportation Company Limited (BOST), signed by the LOC Chairman, Dr. Kwaku Ofosu Asare, seeking sponsorship to support the LOC’s activities.
The letter was published on social media by the Member of Parliament for North Tongu, Samuel Okudjeto Ablakwa.
The LOC hopes to raise the monies through corporate sponsorships.
In that regard, President Akufo-Addo, held meetings with CEOs of both State Owned Enterprises (SOEs) and private businesses, to solicit for funds to support the project.
He held meetings with GOIL, GNPC, Ghana Gas, ENI Energy, McDan, Zoomlion and many others, and Hon. Ablakwa alleges that BOST has already paid US$500,000 to the LOC as part of their sponsorship.
This move is being criticized for its profligacy, and for targeting already struggling public and private companies, sparking ethical concerns and potential parliamentary actions.
Ghana won the rights in 2018 to host the multi-sport event, which was expected to take place in August 2023. But delay in completing facilities earmarked for the 29-sport event led to a postponement to 2024.
The country invested heavily in infrastructure for this purpose. They constructed the brand new Borteyman Sports Complex, completed the University of Ghana Stadium, and renovated accommodation facilities on campus to serve as the Games’ Village.
US$195 million has been invested of facilities to host the games, according to Ofosu Asare.
The games will take place from March 8-23, 2024. An estimated 8,000 athletes, technical officials and medical personnel are expected to be in Ghana during that period.
The LOC intends to procure 332 vehicles to serve transportation needs, with 55 buses, 29 Land Cruisers, 106 Saloon Cars, 26 minibuses, 78 Wagons, 30 Ayalolo buses, 5 trucks and 3 Prados.
The conveners of ‘SaveGhanaFootball’ demonstration has presented a 15-point petition to the Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, on Wednesday after the protest in Accra.
The petition was presented after a march that was held earlier in the day starting from the Obra Spot at Kwame Nkrumah Circle and ended at the Black Star Square.
The protesters were among others seeking significant reforms in the governance of Ghana football. They believe Ghana’s football industry is collapsing because of poor leadership and structures.
The Black Stars exiting the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations at the group stage is the final piece that necessitated the demonstration.
Among the demands in the petition, the conveners asked for the disbandment of national team management committees, that many see as not doing any work and taking outrageous per diems.
Read the full fifteen points in the petition below:
DEVELOP A NATIONAL FOOTBALL POLICY:
This policy if properly developed, with proper consultation and inputs will serve as a direct guiding principle or the fulcrum around which our football will revolve.
INSTITUTE A COMMISSION OF ENQUIRY:
A Commission of enquiries and investigations, akin to the Dzamefe Commission, must be established to probe the factors contributing to the poor performances of the National Teams, including administrative, coaching, and player-related issues. Specific terms of reference must be provided, and a Government white paper issued accordingly.
ACCOUNTABILITY:
There is a pressing need for accountability for individuals and entities responsible for the disbursement and utilization of the $10.5m prize money received from our World Cup participation in Qatar 2022, the $8.5 million budget in Ivory Coast. This we believe will guide us in future tournaments and our participation.
DISSOLUTION OF SEARCH COMMITTEE’S REPORT ON THE APPOINTMENT OF A NEW BLACK STAR COACH:
After three successive failed major tournament campaigns in three years, it is evident that Ghana’s football problems go beyond the appointment of coaches. The search committee tasked to look for a new coach for the Black Stars report must be discarded immediately, pending the review of the technical report, investigation into the issues that calumniated the horror show, management of the team, personnel, medical reports and challenges that bedeviled the team.
DISBANDMENT OF MANAGEMENT COMMITTEES:
The National Teams Management Committees have become an avenue for rewarding members of the GFA and their assigns with promises of travel and allowance. Thus, there are no criteria for selection members for these management committees. Besides, the competencies of some of the members are highly questionable. We recommend that, due to the palpable ineffectiveness of the management committees, the practice must be scrubbed. In its place, we propose the establishment of a ‘National Teams Board’ that will be responsible for the management of all national teams. This board must be a three-member board with a National Teams Coordinator as member. This would reduce the number of committees and build a robust system of governance for all the national teams. The National Teams Board would directly work hand in hand with the various back-room staff to uphold the highest standards required of the Ghanaian football.
LACK OF PLAYER DEVELOPMENT:
The development of Juvenile Football is the bedrock of success for all football nations. Over the years, Ghana has chalked remarkable success at juvenile and youth competitions at the continental and global level. The transition of these successes to significant achievements at the senior level however remains nonexistent. Talents unearthed at juvenile level unfortunately falloff without a deliberate succession plan to integrate them into the various age groups.
Since 2017, no National Male Team at the youth level or developmental stage of football has qualified for the World Cup. This has greatly hindered Ghana’s football developmental process. There is evidence of conflict-of-interest situations in the call of youth players with members of the current GFA administrations favoring players playing for clubs owned by these administrators and or clubs associated with the leadership. The resultant effect in the long run is the various teams no show at the global stage and depleted Black Stars.
STRUCTURAL REFORMS:
Structural reforms must be introduced at the GFA to ensure transparency, accountability, and good corporate governance, thereby improving financial management and enhancing professionalism in football administration. We recommend that, effective immediately, the Government order the agency responsible for sports in Ghana, the Ministry or National Sports Authority (NSA) to sign the FIFA Standard Corporation Agreement to ensure that government can get involved in the organization, technical direction, administration and the financing of football without the usual FIFA interference rhetoric.
NATIONAL TEAM FUNDING:
It is public knowledge, the level of financial investment the Government of Ghana makes into the National Teams. We are however of the view that, the mode of investment is wrong.
Substantial sums of tax payers’ monies only go into the Black Stars’ friendly games, tournaments at the expense of other National teams and sectors of the sport. It is quite astonishing the manner in which several Sports Ministers continue to approve unconscionable budgets prepared by the GFA for the Black Stars campaigns without proper scrutiny.
We suggest that, the GFA Collaborates with the National Sports Authority in the preparation of tournament or game budgets, as the NSA is the body mandated by Law, to undertake such exercise.
INVEST IN GRASS-ROOT DEVELOPMENT:
Government must invest massively in school sports, technical development, and infrastructure and grass-root football.
DOMESTIC COMPETITION:
The success of every Football Federation is measured by the strength of its domestic competitions. The Ghana Premier League and other competitions are in a very deplorable state. When organized well, it has the propensity of boosting the local economy with activities each week while offering employment opportunities to thousands of Ghanaians. As a matter of urgency, the government must endeavor to invest in the local league, through infrastructure development and also engage state and parasternal agencies to sponsor the leagues. An agreement should be reached between organizers of the league, club owners and such state agencies to have an oversight role in the use of these monies to ensure transparency at all levels. Adequate provision of infrastructure is crucial for football development in Ghana. The government should invest in the construction and maintenance of modern football infrastructure to support national teams and domestic leagues.
ESTABLISHMENT OF A NATIONAL TRAINING COMPLEX
ACCOUNTABILITY:
The GFA manages the national team in trust of Ghanaians. For accountability and transparency purposes we are calling for an extensive investigation into all the monies (FIFA & CAF and sponsorships) that have come to the GFA in the last five years. We are aware that MTN sponsored the Black Stars $2 million for two years when we qualified for the 2022 World Cup. Mara, Tecno Mobile, Puma, Flora Tissue, Zeepay, Chery Cars is part of Tanink Ghana Limited etc are some sponsors that came on board to sponsor the Black Stars during the World Cup in Qatar.
NATIONAL TEAM COACHES SALARY CHALLENGE:
All national team coaches must be provided with contract and be paid just as the Black Stars’ coach to cure the issues of bribery heavily associated with the management of the other national teams.
STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT:
Government to lead stakeholder engagements involving football clubs, fans, players, journalists, and civil society institutions to chart the way forward
REDUCTION OF TAX ON FOOTBALL-RELATED EVENTS:
Parliament to as a matter of urgency, consider reducing the 17 percent tax on football events to 3 percent as done for the creative arts.
sante Kotoko were eliminated from this season’s MTN FA Cup after losing 2-0 against Karela United in the Round 16 of the local competition.
The match took place on Monday, February 12, at the Aliu Mahama Sports Stadium, between both Ghana Premier League sides saw the Porcupine Warriors succumb to defeat.
Solomon Aboagye scored barely two minutes after the return from recess to break the deadlock for Karela.
Despite Asante Kotoko’s efforts to create scoring opportunities after conceding, they could not square the score.
In the 65th minute, Giyas doubled the lead for Karela United with a spectacular shot, clinching a 2-0 victory.
The win sees Karela advance to the quarterfinal with Kotoko sent packing.
On Tuesday, 13th February 2024, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo commissioned the beautiful edifice constructed for the organisation organization of the 13th African Games, to be held in the country, as well as to marked mark the 25th day countdown to the holding of the Games, arguably Africa ’ ‘ s biggest sporting event. In its fifty-seven (57) years of existence, this is the first time that Ghana is hosting the games, despite Ghana being, under the leadership of our first leader, Kwame Nkrumah, a founding member of the African Games.
Despite loud calls by some pessimists for our nation to withdraw from hosting the tournament, we remained resolute, and, today, our country can be proud of the massive sporting infrastructure we have put in place for the Games, which will be a huge legacy for the country.
The nation is expecting some five thousand (5,000) elite athletes, three thousand (3,000) experienced officials and thousands of fans in the country, together with an estimated global audience of 2.2 billion people watching through traditional and social media. The question is,” why has Ghana not hosted the African Games until now? The answer is simple: there is a time for everything; and this is our time. We are now ready and capable of organising and hosting the rest of the continent, here in Ghana. The people and Government Ghana are honoured and grateful to the Africa Union for the opportunity to host the rest of Africa for the first time in our history”
Ghanaian athletes abroad over the weekend delivered outstanding performances during week 3 of the 2024 indoor season, breaking national, meet, and school records in and around the USA.
Some athletes who have moved beyond the collegiate system also made impressive season openers. Here’s a summary of the noteworthy achievements:
High Jump:
Rose Yeboah, the Ghana national high jump outdoor and indoor records holder, shattered her own indoor national record and her school’s 25-year record, leaping to an impressive height of 1.88m.
In the men’s high jump, Cadman Evans Yemoah, who holds both indoor and outdoor national records, cleared 2.18m, setting a new meet record.
Long Jump and Triple Jump:
Abraham Seaneke opened his season in the long jump with a jump of 7.60m, his best season opener. Sakina Omar achieved a jump of 5.68m in the long jump. Rasford Nti recorded a triple jump distance of 13.32m.
Men’s 60m:
Benjamin Azamati started the season strongly, running 6.57 in the heat and 6.61 in the final. Joesph Manu ran 6.71 in the heat and matched his personal record with a time of 6.65 in the final.
Rasheed Saminu opened his season with a time of 6.72 in the heat and an impressive 6.67 in the final,breaking his school record. Brock Appiah ran 6.79 in the heat and improved to 6.72 in the final. He later clocked 21.40 in the 200m with Solomon Hammond and Wallace Aflamah competed in the 200m, running times of 21.57 and 21.73, respectively.
Women’s 60m:
Hor Halutie achieved personal bests throughout the day, running 7.57 in the heat, 7.55 in the semifinal, and an impressive 7.53 in the final. She also ran 24.64 in the 200m. Anita Afrifa recorded a time of 7.76 in the 60m.
Rafiatu Nuhu transitioned from her comfort zone of the 400m to test her speed in the 60m, achieving an impressive time of 7.76. She later ran 1:37.52 in the 600m. Grace Kombetto delivered a superb performance, running 1:36.89 in the 600m.
Benedicta Kwartemaa excelled in all three rounds of the 60m, running 7.57 in the heat, 7.52 in the semifinal, and 7.59 in the final. She also clocked 25.34 in the 200m.
Women’s 400m:
Fast-rising Ghanaian sprinter Pearl Awanya opened her 400m season impressively, running 54.61 seconds to break the facility record, her second facility record this season. Ethel Amissah ran 56.44 in the 400m and returned to run 24.67 in the 200m.
Women’s Throws: Rejoice Agbawodie achieved a distance of 12.70m in the shot put and 14.95m in the weight throw.
Distance Races:
William Amponsah set Personal best, running 8:09.84 in the 3000m. Ishmeal Acheampong ran 2:36.08 in the 1000m. Aziz Mohammed competed in the 800m, crossing the line in a time of 1:52.37. Sarah Koomson ran a personal best of 9:55.79 in the women’s distance event. Vanee Anchike set an NJCAA best in the 1000m, breaking away with a time of 2:57.62
In a significant stride towards the much-anticipated 13th African Games, the Technical Committee for the African Games (TCAG) and the Local Organising Committee (LOC) recently paid a courtesy visit to the Honorable Mustapha Ussif, the Minister for Youth & Sports. This meeting, the fourth and final of its kind, aimed to put the finishing touches on the preparations as Ghana eagerly prepares to host the prestigious sporting event.Welcoming the committee to the host city of Accra, Hon. Mustapha Ussif expressed confidence in Ghana’s ability to deliver a remarkable African Games.
He highlighted the nearing completion of facilities at Borteyman and the University of Ghana, underlining the commitment to ensuring top-notch infrastructure for the event. The minister took a moment to extend gratitude to H.E. Nana Akuffo Addo, the President of the Republic, for unwavering support and dedication to the success of the Games.During the meeting, Minister Ussif provided insights into the progress of various aspects of the Games, including the Games management system, the registration portal, and catering arrangements. These developments showcased Ghana’s commitment to creating a seamless and enjoyable experience for participants and spectators alike.
Chairperson for the TCAG and head of the African Union delegation, H.E. Ambassador Minata Samate Cessouma, conveyed her appreciation for the warm reception received by committee members. She took the opportunity to congratulate President Nana Akuffo Addo and Hon. Mustapha Ussif for their tireless efforts in ensuring the success of the upcoming Games.Ambassador Cessouma urged all stakeholders to join forces and support the preparations, emphasizing that the time for action is now as the Games draw near. As the host nation, Ghana is poised to set new standards for the African Games, promising an event that will not only celebrate sporting excellence but also foster unity and collaboration across the continent.
Hearts of Oak is interested in signing Gold Stars trio Ibrahim Laar, Augustine Randolf and Michael Ampadu according to a report by Asempa FM.
The Phobians are in search of new forward to replace Daniel Afriyie-Barnieh who is yet to pen a new deal with the club.
Laar has been identified as a suitable replacement by the scouting team.
The center-forward has scored four goals in eight matches in the Ghana Premier League this season.
His inclusion will be a big boost to the team as Hearts of Oak are short of attackers upfront.
Ibrahim Laar is contracted to Bibiani Gold Stars until 2024.
Augustine Randolf is also seen as a replacement for former captain Fatawu Mohammed.
Hearts of Oak have parted ways with Fatawu Mohammed and are looking to sign a replacement when the transfer window opens.
Randolf will be a priority signing for the Ghanaian giants if they are able to agree with Bibiani Gold Stars.
Randolf, a former Bechem United defender, joined Karela in September 2020 and is heading to the final year of his contract with the club.
Legon Cities’ right-back Michael Ampadu is another option for the Phobians are considering in case they miss out on Randolf who also has multiple suitors.
A Ludo board is in the shape of a cross, each arm being divided into three adjacent columns of six squares. The middle squares form the home column for each color and cannot be landed upon by other colors. The middle of the cross forms a large square which is the ‘home’ area and which is divided into 4 home triangles, one of each color. At each corner are colored areas where the pieces are placed to begin. The typical colors seen in Ludo boards are bright yellow, green, red, and blue.
Each player is assigned a colour and has four tokens of matching colour. The players put their tokens in the starting circle. The movement of the tokens is determined by the dice. During game play the token moves clockwise from the starting square around the perimeter of the board, and up the player’s home column to the finishing square. Players are not allowed to move a token out of the starting area unless they roll a 6 on the dice. In this game, players have to carefully play their token or they run the risk of sending it back to the starting point to start all over again. When a player 1’s token lands on square that is already occupied by Player 2’s token of different color, Player 2’s token is returned to its starting point. Player who brings all their tokens to the finish wins the game.
