By Ken Bediako
Ghana was at the Los Angeles Olympiad with contestants for boxing and athletics.
The athletics contingent was made up of Cynthia Quartey, Doris Frema Wiredu, Grace Armah, Mary Mensah (sprints relay) Martha Appiah 200 metres, Grace Bakari 400m & 800m; Francis Dodoo long jump and triple jump: Collins Mensah 100m and 4x100m Ernest, Obeng,100m” Phillip Attipoe 100m, and 4x100m James Idun 200m Charles Moses 400m, Wilson Amakye 800m Makarious Djan 4x100m Rex Brobbey 4x100m, Fred Kwasi Owusu 400m.
None of the athletes could enter the medals zone.
Phillip Attipoe placed 4th in the 100m first heats in 19.6 secs but crashed out in the second round placing 7th in 10.78 secs. Collins Mensah was fifth in his 100m heats in 10.92 secs.
The sprints relay team of Phillip Attipoe, Makarios Djan, Collins Mensah and Rex Brobbey survived two rounds.
The squad placed 4th in 40.20 secs but crashed out in the next round placing fifth in 40.1 secs.
Francis Dodoo jumped 51.01/4 m failing to make the qualifying mark of 54.5m in the triple jump. Grace Bakari placed 8th in the 800m heats in 2mins 24.5secs and Doris Frema Wiredu was 6th in the 100m heats in 11.85 secs. The sad news was that
athletes Ernest Obeng and Fred Kwasi Owusu had their entries withdrawn by the Ghana Olympic Committee (GOC) on the eve of the athletics competition accused of gross indiscipline and lack of patriotism.
UK-based Obeng and US-based Owusu should have competed in the 100m and 490m. However, their entries were withdrawn by the GOC which felt “the behaviour of the two athletes were too unbecoming.” The two were accused of leaving camp without permission and staying out for days.
In the case of Obeng, he did not attend the flag raising ceremony and when asked to run in the 100m relay he flatly refused. Eye witness accounts said not even the intervention of the Secretary for Youth and Sports, Amarkai Amarteifio could make him change his mind.
Obeng later told reporters that no rule existed that an athlete should ask permission to go out from camp and no curfew was established by any official. He alleged that the action taken against him was the result of “personal hatred.”
In boxing, apart from lightweight Douglas Odame, all our boxers lost their first fights.
Odame gained a third round TKO win over D Kossy of Central African Republic in his first fight. The referee stopped the fight in the second minute of the third round.
Odame however lost his second fight against Jose Antonio Hermando of Argentina after putting up a courageous display.
Light flyweight Ebo Danquah was outpointed by Yehuda Ber Hain of Israel.
Featherweight Christian Pappoe was beaten by Kenyan Skipper John Wanjau, Bantamweight Aaron Neequaye lost clearly on points to, Ndaba Dube of Zimbabwe.
Lightheavyweight Taju Akay was stopped in the third round by Evander Holyfield of the USA. The referee stopped the one sided affair 2mins 14 secs in the third round to save the UK-based Ghanaian from further punishment.
Very poor show by our athletes and boxers if you ask me.
Next episode Seoul 1988 Olympics.
Cheers everybody and keep loving sports.
