By Ken Bediako
Let’s give three cheers for the Local organising committee of Africa Games 2023. The final funding
to complete facilities for this prestigious continental sports festival has landed, it is a whopping 140 million dollars. Hurray! It has been an anxious wait. Unlike the infamous Black Stars millions of dollars airlifted to Brazil for the 2014 World Cup, this one is safe in the organisers bank accounts through digitalisation, I am told.
Executive Chairman of the Local Organising Committee Dr. Kwaku Ofosu Asare could not hide his big relief emphasising that their major objective is to ensure they host one of the most memorable Africa Games in the competition’s history. In my capacity as a keen lover of sports, I was also exceptionally happy about the safe arrival of the cash for the Games.
But I must confess I nearly had a heart attack when I heard famous radio journalist Kwami Sefa Kayi asking on air whether the nation was truly going to spend this huge amount on Games at this time.
His subsequent comments that you cannot quantify the enormous benefits you get from such Games put me at ease. I realised it was an apparent tongue in cheek and Kwami was playing the Devil’s advocate for the anti-sports people and those with no sense of humour.
Kwami is a family friend and I know him to be a sports lover and keen supporter of Accra Hearts of Oak. He also plays tennis to keep fit so he actually appreciates the value of the sports industry. Let me just emphasise the fact that the Africa Games is a big event that started more than five decades ago. Taking a cue from the recent national census, it looks like more than half of the current population were too young at the time to know the genesis of the Games.
I would therefore like to take this opportunity to narrate how it all started and highlight Ghana’s maiden show in 1965 for the benefit of the younger generation.
The African Games is basically a transformation of the then biannual Friendship Games involving French speaking nations in Africa which began in 1958. France successfully used the Friendship Games as an effective instrument to hold together her “colonial empire” in Africa. The third Friendship Games held in Dakar, Senegal however happened to be the last in the series.
Incidentally, Ghana was among five non-French speaking African countries to be invited for the 1963 championships. The others were United Arab Republic (now Egypt), Liberia, Nigeria, and Sierra Leone.
Ghana sent a token team of five track and field athletes (one female and four men) and one boxer.
Rose Hart won 80 metres hurdles gold; Light-middleweight Joe Darkey also won boxing gold and the sprints quartet of B.K. Mends, Mike Ahey, M.F. Okantey and Bukari Bashiru won bronze.
At a conference of Ministers of Youth and Sports held in Dakar in early 1965, it was agreed to replace the Friendship Games with the All Africa Games. A contingent of 56 comprising 37 track and field, 10 boxers, 3 tennis players, and six officials represented Ghana at the First Games in Congo Brazzaville from July 18-25, 1965
The women athletes were Rose Hart, Alice Anum, Adisa Attah, Phyllis Laryea, Ivy Lamptey, Felicia Agyeiwa, and Beatrice Afriyie.
The men were Mike Ahey, B.K. Mends, E.W. K Donkor, S. F Allotey, EC O. Addy and M.F. Okantey. Sprints-400m relay-J.A. Addy, E.Q. Quartey, Sidiku Buari, Owusu Mensah and F.K. Gyempeh.
800m: E F Kessie, Ohene Asare; 1,500m: E D.Amevor, J.I. Kumodzi; 5,00m: E.K Tam and David Asante. 110m hurdles: Ohene Frimpong and S.M Botchway; 400m hurdles: J A.Addy, S A Badu; Pole Vault: M.K.Dawu, FC.K.Korsah; Long jump: Mike Ahey, F.K Ayivor and J.O.Amoah
High jump: J.O. Cruishank, V. W Dotse;
Triple Jump: J.O. Amoah, F.K. Ayivor; Shot Putt & Discus: Godwin Tengey; Javelin: K.Grumah
The boxing squad comprised flyweight Sulley Shittu; Bantamweight: Steve, Akushie; Featherweight: Carl Bobo.
Lightweight: Sammy Lee; Welterweight: Aaron Popoola; lightwelterweight: Eddie Blay;
Middleweight: Joe Darkey; Lightmiddleweight: R.A. Okine; Light-heavyweight, Ben Aidoo; Heavyweight: Thomas Arimi.
The tennis team comprised Odartey Annan, Anthony Dove and Narh Tetteh.
The medal winners were Rose Hart Gold 80 metres hurdles, Alice Anum gold long jump, Habiba Attah silver high jump, Rose Hart silver 100 metres, Bronze 100m Alice Anum, Ivy Lamptey, Felicia Agyeiwa, Rose Hart silver 100×4 m relay; J.A. Addy silver 400m: Mike Ahey, B.K Mends E W K Donkor, M.F Okantey bronze; 100mx4 relay: J.A. Addy, F.A Owusu, E Q. Quartey, Sidiku Buari silver 400mx4relay.
The boxing medallists were flyweight Sulley Shittu silver, Bantamweight Steve Akushie silver, Middleweight Joe Darkey bronze and heavyweight Thomas Arimi bronze.
The officials were Peter Renner team manager; Adjin Tettey athletics coach; Roy Ankrah, boxing coach; J S Wontumi, FIFA Referee; G.W. Amarteifio boxing referee/judge, Hope Adjepong chaperon, Kobina Hagan.
All this recollection is to show that Ghana has an impressive past sporting record to be proud of.
It is therefore no accident that the Africa Games is coming home in August 2023. We need to prepare well our sportsmen and sportswomen for medals to make the occasion truly entertaining and memorable. As a prelude, the original Black Stars will be in Qatar for the World Cup followed by the home based Stars now Christened Black Galaxies, at CHAN 23 in Algiers.
The Galaxies trip to Algeria is at the expense of Nigeria described by a section of our local media as double agony for Nigeria following a similar dose by the Black Stars in the FIFA world Cup qualifiers. I would prefer to call it double victory for Ghana instead of agony for Nigeria.
I prefer to look at the brighter side of life just like President Akufo-Addo who is hoping for the Black Stars to bring the FIFA World Cup to Ghana in December after seeing the glittering Gold Cup at close range on tour at Jubilee House last week.
Who can deny that football is the passion of the nation.
Cheers everybody and keep loving Sports.
