Story by Michael Okuley, Paris.
The uninspiring campaign by Ghana in the ongoing Paris 2024 Olympic Games has gotten much talking, and one such individual is the Member of Parliament for South Tongu, Kobina Mensah Woyome.
Ghana, in her final event, got disqualified at the semi-finals of the men’s 4x100m relay in the early hours of Thursday at the Stade de France.
Apart from Benjamin Azamati and Abdul Rasheed Saminu, who qualified for the next stage before their eventual exit, all the athletes Ghana paraded ended their participation after their respective first rounds.
The disappointment in Ghana’s inability to make the desired impact has forced the 3-time MP and ranking member of the select committee on Sports, Youth and Culture in Ghana’s parliament to call for reforms at all facets for the development of sports in the country.
“We must invest in capacity building and engage the technical persons at the federations. The school sports must be revived, and the various federations will get the needed materials to beef up the various national teams. Investments into athletes’ preparations and infrastructure for a period to adequately develop our athletes. We are being let down by the people we choose to represent Ghana because they are not well-trained.”
Ghana has been struggling to stage a return to the medal podium after Samuel Takyi won bronze in the last edition in Tokyo, which became Ghana’s first Olympic medal in over 40 years.
