By Ken Bediako
Let me pretend to quickly forget about the embarrassing show of the Black Stars and return to my favourite topic of honouring our past sporting heroes.
I am very passionate about this issue since I was an active member of a committee set up in 2004 during the President Kufuor’s administration to identify and honour the nation’s past sports personalities. My research has revealed that there are no available records of the Committee work at both the Ministry of sports and the National Sports Authority. Indeed, a lot of knowledgeable sports journalists including Karl Tufuo, the famous GBC TV sports presenter seem to have lost track of the Committees work that produced identities like Baba Yara Stadium, Azumah Nelson Sports Complex, Theodosia Okoh Hockey Stadium, Hathiramani Sports Hall etc, etc.
The Committee headed by veteran sports administrator Dr Owusu Ansah included Kofi Aggrey of the Ministry of Information, Mrs Elizabeth Quarmye of Ministry of Education and four veteran sports journalists, Frank Apeagyei, Oheneba Charles, Randy Abbey and yours truly.
The Committee was inaugurated by then Deputy Sports Minister Joe Aggrey on June 2, 2003. After intensive research a well-documented report was presented to Mr Kwadwo Baah Wiredu then Minister in charge of sports.
The government expressed satisfaction with the report that made wide ranging recommendations including a Sports Hall of Fame.
On November 26, 2004 the Sports Ministry organised a memorable gala night at the plush Alisa Hotel in Accra where a selected number of outstanding sports personalities in Ghana were honoured. We were told it was the first of an annual event to honour outstanding sports personalities in Ghana. Unfortunately, 20 years down the line, nothing has been heard of this remarkable event on the nation’s sports calendar. What can the matter be? Your guess can be good as mine. I am going to take pains to enlist the sporting personalities for the Hall of Fame in my next instalment, and subsequently publish the full report in series. Before that let me recall in full the opening message delivered on the night of November 26, 2004 by Mr Kwadwo Baah-Wiredu, then Minister of Education, Youth and Sports.
THE ADDRESS
“Let me say how very elated I am to be part of a programme that seeks to register a nation’s profound appreciation to citizens who in their lifetime have recorded meritorious achievements to glorify the nation.
Tonight, we have assembled here in this enchanting environment to share a common meal in the company of our sports celebrities and to drink in toast to their honour and well-being. Our pleasure, our joy and our focus however must not be said to lie in the meal or in the toast.
It lies indeed in the acknowledgment that is now being expressed in tokens of rewards and in citations edged in gold which a grateful nation publicly exhibits and professes in admiration of its heroes as part of a national agenda. A cliché that is unavoidable here is that “a nation is not worth dying for if it does not honour its heroes. For Akans, it is “Onipa ye ade a ose ayeyi,” meaning an achiever is worth an appreciation. Certainly so with this Government for we are all aware of the track record of our President His Excellency Mr J. A. Kufuor in the area of sports administration and more specifically in football. His concern since assuming office, has been the institutionalisation of awards scheme for our heroes. The Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports was therefore tasked to fashion out such a scheme.
What is taking place tonight, therefore, is the first of an annual national sports awards scheme which should come happily to complement meaningfully the ongoing SWAG Awards programme which for close to 30 years has been a lifeline support to lift the spirits of our outstanding sports personalities. To SWAG the nation says Bravo.
It is the determination of my Ministry to ensure that such recognition and honour for athletes, individuals and companies are replicated at regional, district, and even town levels.
The persons who are to be honoured tonight as sports heroes and heroines, are only a sample of several others to be honoured annually.
Apart from the heroes’ ceremony tonight there are over 129 persons who have been inducted into the National Sports Hall of Fame this year. I am aware that a lot more individuals will be honoured next year. Nobody should therefore feel slighted for not being honoured tonight.
May I take this opportunity on behalf of the Government of the New Patriotic Party and on my own behalf to congratulate the award winners for this year and to assure all and sundry that we are a nation that appreciates and celebrates her heroes,” the end.
Here was a vibrant Minister in charge of sports in the country. When cometh another.
Cheers everybody and keep loving sports.
