The Minister for Youth and Sports, Mustapha Usiff, has briefed Parliament on Ghana’s participation ahead of the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, United Kingdom.
Mr Usiff, speaking in Parliament on Tuesday, noted that 100 athletes from Ghana will take part in the games which start on 28th July, 2022.
“Mr Speaker, Ghana is being represented by 100 athletes, who will participate in 13 sporting disciplines including para weight lifting. The other disciplines Ghana will participate in are: athletics, badminton, beach volleyball, boxing, cycling, hockey, judo, para powerlifting, squash, swimming, table tennis, triathlon and weightlifting,” he said.
“Our commitment as a country to the Commonwealth Games, through successive regimes, has never been in doubt. It is the reason the Ministry of Youth and Sports has also extended strong support to the various sports disciplines to ensure that our athletes get ready for this event.”
He urged all Ghanaians to rally behind the athletes who will lead the country’s quest for a gold medal in the event.
“While the benefits to the nation, in terms of improving bilateral relations are enormous, participating in the Commonwealth Games also gives our promising young athletes in schools the opportunity to compete internationally and open doors for them.
“In conclusion, Mr Speaker, I wish to request the support and prayers of the House, as our athletes lift up our flag in Birmingham. May God bless our homeland Ghana.”
Meanwhile, the Ghana Athletics Association has been forced to make changes to the men’s 4x100m relay team ahead of the games.
This, according to Joy Sports, was after the duo, Joseph Manu and Emmanuel Yeboah failed to secure visas in time for the competition.
In their stead, local athletes, Barnabas Agerh of the University of Development Studies and Abdul Rasheed Saminu of the University of Ghana will complement the experienced trio of Benjamin Azamati, Joseph Paul and Sean Safo-Antwi.