Ghana’s 69 Medals, Significant Take Away From African Games?

 

This is the first time ever in the 67 year history of Ghana that our dear country has hosted the All African/African Olympic Games.

This is the 1st time ever that Ghana has won more than 30 medals in the African Games.

The total number of medals of 69 won by Ghana in the just ended Games represents 93% of the total number of medals won for the combined periods of 2007, 2011, 2015, and 2019 (see Excel table below).

The total number of Gold won of 19 is the highest in two decades (2003-2023/4).

This is the first time, since our independence, that Ghana has built an indoor Olympic size swimming pool equipped with Trial or Warm Up Pool. During my 5 years of Expatriation in neighbouring Togo, I always envied my host country because they had an Olympic size swimming pool at Hotel Sarakawa where I lodged for 2 months before moving into residence and about 8 months before departing from Lomé. I kept asking when would Ghana also have an Olympic size swimming pool.

Today, we have a beautiful indoor Swimming pool in Ghana equipped with Trial or Warm up Pool. I’m equally glad to have been informed recently that the Bukom Boxing Arena has an outdoor Olympic Size swimming pool albeit with no Trial or Warm up Pool. In addition, we also have a lovely VolleyBall Court, Basketball Court, and a Badminton Dome all in a new Sports Village called Borteyman Sports Complex, located at the outskirt of the capital Accra.

The University of Ghana Stadium project which was started 20 years ago during the regime of President Kufour was finally completed before the commencement of the Games.

The stadium was used for most of the athletic events (tracts and fields). It also served as the site for the opening and closing sessions of the 13th All African Games.

A lot of investment was also put into rehabilitating the existing Accra, Kumasi and Cape Coast Stadia. Maintenance works on these stadia must be made regularly to avoid the decadence of these facilities.

It’s worth noting that Bukom Boxing Arena built by SSNIT and the Cape Coast Stadium, built under the previous regime of Mills/Mahama presidency, became handy.

The very modern Kotoka International Airport also constructed by the previous Mahama regime became the first point of entry of the numerous sports men and women, officials and tourists who arrived in our country.

This shows that governance is a continum and every regime leaves and must leave some form of a legacy. The appereciation of the contribution of past governments to our current infrastructure-mix is an important factor for social cohesion.

The role played by most of our media in promoting the games in my view was very abysmal. Not only did they neglect to actively promote the games as they did for their in-house organised Ghana Tour programmes, but they dwelled too much on negative reportage in such a triumphant and joyous manner. I found that very unpatriotic.

The call by the leader of a political grouping for the cancellation of the games based on lack of funds was equally appalling and not forward looking. We would have blown away all the numerous shines and records enumerated in points 1 to 7 above. Let’s pray to be as wise as Solomon and be careful not to divide the baby into two.

One would therefore understand from point 10 above why, in his congratulatory message to Ghanaians in his speech at the closing ceremony of the 13th All African Games, over what he described as a successful event, the President of Ghana thanked the general public for their support behind the state ensuring the expectation of “naysayers” did not materialise. This is what the President said:
“To the people of Ghana, I thank you for believing in the ability of the Government to host the games, the first in our history. I am also grateful that you did not listen to the naysayers who doubted our nation’s resolve, and urged us to cancel the games’’.

The said cancellation call mentioned in point 10 above augmented the disinterested attitude showed by a section of the population and some of the known press towards the Games, as already highlighted in point 9 above.

Some underground work was made by the ruling party to invite their members at various constituencies to join free buses to Cape Coast to support the Black Princesses during their Final football match against Nigeria. From the grapevine, 20 buses of party supporters from Accra and an equal number from Kumasi stormed Cape-Coast which got the Stadium filled to its capacity. The electrifying support given to our women made them beat our arch rivals Nigeria 2-1 to win the Gold.

With the success achieved in 13 above, all who had remained aloof throughout the Games, suddenly realised the need to join in the new national euphoria. The men’s football finals, hosted in Accra three days after the Cape Coast victory, suddenly got some of the dormant and non-challant media and press now talking about the need for all Ghanaians to go to the Accra Stadium to support the men to replicate the feat of our ladies by winning the coverted Gold. On match D-day, most football pundits said they didn’t remember the last time they saw the Accra Sports Stadium filled to its bursting capacity. Ghana beat Uganda 1-0 in a pulsating match to cling the Gold, with the lone goal coming in the 90th minute. This made Ghana the 1st and only country, in the anals of the All African Games, to win GOLD in the finals of both the men and women football. It’s purely and incredibly historic!

I once thought the manifesto of the ruling party to embrace all the lessor sports was a fluck. Didn’t realise it required huge infrastructural development. Thankfully it’s been done.

Hopefully, the achievement of our gallant sportsmen and women in the just ended All African Games would serve as a wake up call to our National Men’s Football Team the Black Stars to also desire to kill themselves for our country as they’ve been doing for their foreign based clubs. The eyes of Ghanaians are wide awake and are watching.

The eventual success of the 13th African Games changed the social psych of the citizenry. It brought so much joy when Gold medals were being won in a pop-corn manner such that the national atmosphere completely eclipsed the reported feud between the presidency and the legislature on the LGBT Bill cum deferral in the approval of Ministers.

Give Ghanaians their happiness and they don’t bother what else takes place in higher circles. When Ghanaians are happy two Elephants can fight, but we would SNORE!

Ghana!!! Ghana!!! Ghana!!!!
Oseeeeiìi Yeeeeeiiiiii
Yeeeeeeiii Yeeeeeiiiiii
Ghana O Yeeeeiii
Ghana O Yeeeeeeyeeeeeiii

I cannot conclude this write up without joining all well-meaning Ghanaians to extend our huge and warm félicitations to all our gallant sportsmen and women who brought the needed happiness to our citzenry and ignited a great sense of hope for the future.

May you use these new facilities to achieve more and more successes for our dear nation. This is the humble plea and cry from your one and only Motherland

Source :WILFRED KOJO EPHRAIM
(Chartered Accountant and Auditor)

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