2025-04-19

World

African Games 2023: Ghana Athletics to organise open championship at Legon Stadium on Wednesday

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.

Paris 2024Q: Nora Hauptle confident Black Queens can overturn Zambia first leg deficit

lack Queens Nora Hauptle believes the team can cause an upset in Ndola when they face Zambia in the second leg of their Olympic Games qualifier.

The two teams are set to meet again on Wednesday, February 28, in the return leg of their third-round qualifier for the 2024 games to be staged in Paris, France.

The Copper Queens claimed a 1-0 advantage in the earlier meeting at the Accra Sports Stadium on Friday, February 23, which puts Ghana on the brink of elimination.

However, Hauptle is backing her side to cause an upset against the 2023 Women’s World Cup participants.

“Unfortunately we couldn’t deliver or succeed against Zambia in the first leg, but we have the second leg against Zambia,” said the Swiss trainer.

“I think when we put one goal in, it will explode down there and then we back in April for the fourth round against Morocco and then I hope that the stadium [Accra Sports Stadium] here is cooking and we can get a sold-out stadium.”

The Ghana team are already in Ndola as preparations begin for the second encounter against Zambia. The team left Ghana right after the defeat at the Accra Sports Stadium.

The Queens are hoping for a first appearance at the Olympic Games while chasing a first football appearance for Team Ghana since the Black Meteors in 2004.

African Games: Abdulai Mukarama & Stella Nyamekye receive late Black Princesses call-ups

Hasaacas Ladies striker Abdulai Mukarama will join the Black Princesses camp in a surprise call up for the Accra 2023 African Games.

The former Black Maidens captain, and Dreamz Ladies striker Stella Nyamekye are the two late additions to Princesses camp as they continue preparations towards the tournament.

On Monday, Ghana’s U-20 Women’s football team, the Black Princesses moved to Cape Coast to begin camping ahead of the 13th African Games.

Coach Yussif Basigi’s side will kick off their campaign against Ethiopia on March 9th at the Cape Coast Sports Stadium before playing against Tanzania and Uganda in the other Group A matches.

The Princesses have just returned from a training tour in France, where they trained at the National Football Centre in Clairefontaine.

Basigi’s ladies played out a goalless draw with the Under 19 female team, of Paris Saint Germain in the only friendly match they played in France.

The 13th African Games is scheduled to take place from March 8-23, 2024.

Here is the full Princesses list:

Kelvin Kiptum funeral: Thousands mourn Kenya’s marathon star destined for greatness

Trying to hold back the tears, Kelvin Kiptum’s widow, Asenath Rotich, led the mourners at the funeral for the young Kenyan marathon world record holder.

She broke down when revealing that the couple had been planning a big wedding celebration in April.

Kiptum was just 24 when he died in a car accident nearly a fortnight ago.

He had stunned the world in his short marathon career and figures from sport and politics came to pay tribute to a man whose life had promised so much.

Kenya’s President William Ruto was there as well as Sebastian Coe, who heads athletics’ world governing body.

The funeral ceremony was held at the showground in the village of Chepkorio, where Kiptum trained in western Kenya.

His widow said she and Kiptum, who had a traditional marriage in 2017, had planned to hold a “colourful wedding ceremony” in April.

Her presence reminded everyone that the modest, softly spoken star had also left his wife, two children and parents bereft.

“I mourn my love,” she said, “I’ve cried until no more. I’ll miss you and you’re the love of my life forever. Until we meet again.”

Mourners queued up to view the body before the funeral service

Kenya is home to some of the world’s best runners and many came to pay their respects.

Amos Kipruto, the 2022 London Marathon champion, was a pall bearer at the service.

“The hands are not strong enough,”

“My heart is heavy it is painful, and I still feel it’s a movie… We are all rivals in races but in friendship we are together.”

Multiple world record holder Faith Kipyegon described Kiptum as “unique” and wondered what could have been, saying that this was the year that the young long-distance runner was going to break the two-hour barrier in the marathon.

“Since he arrived… he has re-written history,” He has a legacy that we’ve never seen in this world. We are here… to celebrate what he has achieved in a very short time.”

Athletes accompanied the coffin as it entered the grounds for the funeral service

Kiptum only ran his first marathon in December 2022 recording the fastest debut time over the distance. He then broke the London course record last year and smashed the world record, held by Kenyan great Eliud Kipchoge, in October 2023.

Overall, he ran three of the fastest seven marathons of all time in less than a year.

Reflecting on this record Lord Coe said Kiptum had reached “the highest peaks of achievement”.

But he was also a local hero who was said to have done a lot for people in his home area.

“I feel pain and shock,” local resident Susan Jerotich said.

“He would have been a great support to the community and family. He was our light. He’s motivated many.

“We used to say to our children: ‘Be like Kiptum.'”

Paris 2024Q: Zambia edges Ghana 1-0 for crucial first-leg advantage

Zambia has taken a crucial first-leg advantage over Ghana in their third-round 2024 Olympic Games qualifiers at the Accra Sports Stadium.

The Copper Queens secured a 1-0 win over the Black Queens in the all-important third round first leg match played on Friday evening.

The goal was scored very early in the match but Ghana’s senior women’s national team, who had lost just one game in their 11 recent matches, could not find the equaliser.

The task has now become herculean for the Black Queens as they head to Zambia for the reverse fixture in five days – on Wednesday, February 28.

The Black Queens did not have a good start to the match as they looked jittery from the start which was eventually punished by the imperious Zambia team.

18 minutes in, the world’s most expensive female footballer, Racheal Kundananji, gave the visitors the lead.

The Bay FC player chipped the Ghana goalkeeper to give her side the lead, a lead that ultimately secured them the win.

Hearts to play RTU in Accra following NSA approval

Hearts of Oak will host Real Tamale United (RTU) at the Accra Sports Stadium on Sunday after securing approval from the National Sports Authority (NSA).

Sunday’s match will be the first Ghana Premier League game at the venue since the NSA closed down the facility to sporting activities.

Since the NSA communicated its decision, Hearts of Oak, Great Olympics and lower tier clubs who use the facility were forced to find alternate venues.

Hearts were forced to host the super clash against Asante Kotoko and the Ga Mashie Derby, in Kumasi’s Baba Yara Stadium.

On Monday, the NSA opened the Accra Sports Stadium to a sporting activity for the first time when the Black Queens used the facility for their training.

The Queens have since been training ahead of the third round Paris 2024 Olympic Qualifier versus Zambia at the same venue.

The match is scheduled to kick off at 4 PM on Friday.

Paris 2024Q: ‘First leg against Zambia is a must-win’ – Nora Hauptle

Black Queens head coach Nora Hauptle says her girls are ready to step up to the next level when they face Zambia on Friday, February 23.

Ghana face Zambia in the third round of qualifiers for the 2024 Olympic Games to be staged in Paris, France, later this year.

The Queens have won 10 of their last 11 games across all competitions including two ties in the pursuit of a first-ever Olympic appearance.

The fixture against the Copper Queens will be the first real test for the Ghana senior women’s national team as they face a team in the top five places on the continent.

Speaking during her presser ahead of the game, the Swiss trainer said her side will be ready for the tough task ahead.

“Zambia, of course, is a big opponent. They have been at the World Cup. They played 21 games last year and have good individual players so I think it’s a must-win and we want to win,” she said.

“We want to face the top individual players with a top team. This is our cradle and we are working properly and excited that we can start tomorrow.

All 23 players have been involved in the team’s last two training sessions with the head coach boasting a full house for the game.

This will be the second meeting between Ghana and Zambia after the former lost 3-2 in a friendly game in 2018.

The game at the Accra Sports Stadium kicks off at 17:00 GMT with the second leg set for February 28.

CAF Champions League: Al Ahly writes to CAF to postpone match against Medeama SC

Egyptian giants Al Ahly SC formally have written to the Confederation of African Football (CAF) to postpone their upcoming match against Ghanaian champions Medeama SC.

In a statement on Wednesday night, Ahly said the plane carrying the delegation from Accra to Kumasi could not to complete the journey.

Although the flight landed at the Accra airport to refuel, a gastric collision with the front of the fuselage, resulted in a malfunction.

The plane was no longer able to fly despite efforts to fix the problem.

To make matters worse, attempts to find a substitute flight for the Al Ahly contingent yielded no results.

The contingent have therefore been forced to spend the night in Accra and are expected to be on the first flight to Kumasi on Thursday morning.

Competition rules stipulate that visiting teams must have at least one training session at the match venue before matchday.

With the team set to arrive on Thursday, it is unlikely that Ahly will train on the same day amidst fears of jetlag.

Ahly have therefore written to CAF ostensibly to postpone Friday’s match to Saturday.

The defending champions are top of Group D with six points while Medeama SC are bottom of the pack with four points, with two matches to conclude the group stage.

Paris 2024Q: Youth and Sports Ministry pays Black Queens outstanding bonuses ahead of Zambia game

The Ministry of Youth and Sports has cleared all bonuses owed the Black Queens ahead of their crucial qualifier against Zambia.

GSN 24 LIVE gathers the Ministry has now cleared all outstanding bonuses owed to the games from their previous three qualifiers.

The Black Queens had been owed bonuses for games against Benin, Rwanda and Namibia which were all played last year.

Ahead of the game against Zambia, there were reports of unrest in the team’s camp due to the unsettled bonuses.

The development also led to public outcry demanding payment for the Queens who have been on an excellent form since Nora Hauptle took over as head coach of the team.

The Sports Minister, Mustapha Ussif, Ghana FA President, Kurt Okraku and Gifty Oware-Mensah visited the team on Wednesday night to have a dialogue after which their per diems were paid before the bonuses were eventually paid.

They were issued cheques for GH₵85,000 each, the equivalent of $7,500 at the Bank of Ghana rate.

Ghana faces Zambia in the first-leg encounter on Friday, February 23.

The Black Queens are two ties away from a first-ever appearance at the Olympic Games with this year’s edition set for Paris, France

‘Thank you for your concern’ – Baba Rahman expresses gratitude following harrowing collision in cup game

PAOK left-back Baba Rahman has conveyed his appreciation to well-wishers following a harrowing collision with Panathinaikos defender Georgios Vagiannidis that led to an emergency situation.

The former Augsburg defender suffered a head injury during his team’s cup game against Panathinaikos, where he collided with Vagiannidis and lost consciousness. Fortunately, the medical team acted swiftly to resuscitate him.

In a statement shared on social media, Rahman expressed gratitude for the overwhelming concern and well wishes he received. He reassured everyone that scans have indicated no major damage from the incident.

“Hello, just wanted to thank everyone for their concern and well wishes in the last 12 or so hours. Thankfully I’m recovering well and scans have shown no major damage.

“I’d like to also say a big thank you to Georgios Vagiannidis for personally checking in on me at the hospital.

“It was a tough night but I’d be back running up and down again soon,” Rahman wrote on X, formerly Twitter.

Rahman, who has been a pivotal player for PAOK since joining from Reading, has displayed impressive performances in 18 league games, scoring three goals and providing two assists.

Despite his significance to the squad, he opted out of the recent Black Stars squad for the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) to focus on recovery and regain strong form.

Rahman’s positive update on his recovery provides relief to fans and the football community as a whole.

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