By Ken Bediako
The massive national attention and support enjoyed by the National Science and Maths Quiz (NSMQ) for secondary schools confirms my belief we have to revive schools and colleges sports competitions to groom sporting talents.
The catch them young policy in the past that groomed a lot of talented student sports practitioners who grew to become national stars should be revived.
The enthusiasm young students attach to competitions of any kind is infectious and it’s no wonder that even people who have little clue to the quiz are attracted by the brilliant packaging of the programme.
Of course, the brain behind it Dr Kwaku Mensa Bonsu was a brilliant sportsman in his student days and played top class volleyball. In fact, I dont have his permission to disclose that he became a good sportswriter too and teamed up with Mr Oduro Kwarten and Oheneba Charles to produce the first all sports newspaper in the country, ‘The Sporting News’ in the late sixties.
Dr Mensah Bonsu later joined the prestigious advertising firm Lintas managed by the hard working Jake Obetsebi-Lamptey. It’s when he left to form his own company Primetime that he conceived this wonderful idea of the NSMQ that has grown to be a national event. His antecedent as a keen student sportsman and knowing how such well organised competitions easily gain support he went all out and has succeeded to make it a national event.
It’s good that the Ministry of Education has given the programme its full support.
I recommend that the National Sports Council must take a cue from the success of the NSMQ and bring back the schools and colleges sports programmes that would lay a foundation for the discovery of sporting talents. Yes it’s good to be good at science and maths but practicing sports is a good complement for it is said the human must have a sound mind in a sound body.
The list of outstanding footballers and track and field athletes discovered through schools and colleges sports will fill a whole book but let me cite few examples. Footballers Malik Jabir, Jones Attuquayefio, Frank Odoi, Willie Evans, Sam Acquah, Oliver Acquah, Anue Cofie.
In track and field we had Sam Bugri, Ohene Frimpong, Owusu Mensah, Stan Allotey, Okoe Addy, Ohene Karikari, Alice Anum, Hannah Afriyie, Myles Mills as well as Table tennis stars like Aryee Quaye, Ebo Bartels, Ethel Jacks, Ernestina Akuetteh and many more.
It is my suggestion that the upcoming Africa Games Ghana is hosting should give us the opportunity reorganise school and colleges sports to bring out all the hidden sports talents lurking throughout the country.
This has worked for us in the past and many countries are still doing it and achieving good dividends. It has been established that competitive sport is for the youth and there is no better place to find the youth than in schools.
Cheers everybody and keep loving sports.
