Ghana Athletics make strides despite challenges

 The leadership of Ghana Athletics has vowed to fierce­ly resist any attempt by individuals to tarnish the image of the association.

“Anyone who unduly tries to tarnish the image of the association or try to impugn its integrity and reputation will be met with the full power and authority of GA,” Mr Bawah Fuseini, President of the GA, said at a press conference yesterday at the Media Centre of the Accra Sports Stadium.

Mr Fuseini added that a few indi­viduals, including media personnel were currently facing legal cases for their wrong statements and publica­tions against the GA.

This position of the GA has been occasioned by the challenges it has faced with such actions, re­sulting in Corporate Ghana apathy against the association.

According to Mr Bawah, the period between 2011 and 2020 was a difficult one for the GA as it sponsors, ‘fled’, in the midst of the myriad of issues, with the infamous Martha Bissah controversy being the biggest.

“This situation was caused by Martha’s story together with sad comments from some old athletes, and past administrators aided by some media houses; they dealt a decisive blow to the GA’s funding sources.”

Mr Bawah said Corporate Ghana did not want to be associated with an institution with integrity and reputational issues or challenges and sadly, the GA brand was dam­aged and forced sponsors to ‘leave.’

He said despite the challeng­es, GA has recorded remarkable achievement since 2018 with the performance of athletes, both home and abroad, improving and setting multiple new national records.

“We have recorded new records in Men 100m and 200m, women high jump and long jump. For the first time in the history of Ghana athletics, an athlete ran under 20 secs in the men’s 200m (James Dadzie 19.79); Azamati clocked 9.90secs in Men’s 100m,

Deborah Aquah women’s long jump (6.94m) and 4x100m time of 38.07secs, the fifth fastest relay team in the world in 2022.”

Apart from the success on the tracks, GA, Mr Bawah disclosed, also some athletes chalked some success in the field events, especial­ly in high jump and long jump.

He said the Ghana-based athletes were also doing well as two athletes clocked 45secs in the Men’s 400m, (Raymond French and Solo­mon Diafo).

He said for the first time in the history of Ghana athletics in one season, five top sprinters were doing sub 10:10secs in the men’s 100m.

He also disclosed that Ghana was gradually growing to the level of U.S and Jamaica with multiple athletes qualifying for international championships in 100m.

“This is an indication Ghana athletics is getting to an appreciable level in the world. All these positive growths in the performance of Ghanaian athletes both at home and abroad do not come by acci­dent but through good and proper planning over a decade by the local coaches and GA.”

GA, he said, has therefore set a target to have multiple athletes running sub 10secs in Men 100m and sub 20 secs in Men 200m, sub 44secs in Men 400m and get field events to the level of more than 8m in long jump, 2.2m in high jump and beyond 80m javelin.

Similar targets have been set for the females, all in a bid to build a formidable Ghana team capable of winning medals at international events.

BY RAYMOND ACKUMEY

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