By Ken Bediako
A close observation has shown to me that you need to be really addicted to sports and games to become a successful practitioner or manager of this worldwide vocation.
It’s a real passionate affair. No two ways about it.
As the pundits put it “you must eat, drink and make sports part of your life like breathing in order to make it to the top. It shouldn’t just be a vocation. It requires a lot of sacrifice and self-determination before you can yield the expected rewards and dividends. Nowadays Sports and Games that were given proper organisational attention by visionaries like Pierre de Coubertin, originator of the Olympic Games in 1896, have become a Multibillion enterprise, especially football. Unfortunately, therein lies the problem.
Football has become so globally popular that many footballers from the truly well organised professional national leagues in Europe and the Americas have become instant millionaires from their salaries much to the chagrin and unnecessary envy of those of us in the developing countries especially my own country Ghana.
There is so much talk about the low salaries in our domestic league but the arm chair critics conveniently forget that low standard of play affects gate takings and don’t, in the least, attract TV sponsorship and advertising companies who dish out the fat cheques.
Our football people would need to profitably spend the annual grants from FIFA and CAF on good pitches that would enable the players to adopt good skill and train coaches who can identify talents, instead of spending time and money on fanciful administrative niceties frantically searching searching for who should head the FA and control the Bucks.
Everybody wants to be an Exco member and possibly form a team to be among the overloaded premier league.
I am told the motivation to get into the Premier league is to discover one potential star player to be shipped abroad for the almighty dollar. I believe this is not the way to develop the game. These self-styled bank rollers don’t appear to be passionate lovers of the game. They are not the type who eat, drink and make football part of themselves like breathing which is a big minus. This kind of behaviour will make pioneer administrators like Ohene Djan, H.P Nyemitei, S.K Mainoo, Zac Bentum, Tommy Thompson and Co shake their heads in disbelief in their graves.
When you listen to rancorous discussions in sporting circles you could really sense the public is baffled with the loud inactivity of the Sports Ministry in football affairs. From time immemorial the Sports Ministry which constitutionally has supervisory role overall all sports disciplines in the country, has been making their voice heard in football affairs because it is arguably the most patronised sport. Passion of the nation, so to speak it is on record that the Ministry funds all activities by the Black Stars, Meteors, Satellites, Starlets, Black Queens, Galaxies Princesses, etc and build national stadiums on top. Currently we have Astro turfs around the country. History tells us that as far back as in 1972 when the 20 club national league was found wieldy, the Ministry then headed by Col Nkegbe authorised the number to be reduced to 12. And it happened that Clubs like Panbros, Koforidua Rovers, Highlanders, All Blacks, Gbewaa, Savanna, Stars, Ho Sunset and Ho Mighty Eagles lost their top division status.
Some sort of sanity was brought into the league. The system became quite manageable with 12 clubs. Subsequently, however, the number was increased to 16. This number stood for a long time until inconsistency set in and now we have 18 that we are told will form a private company to run the league from next season. Since the 70s the Ministry has been playing a front row in football affairs starting from Lt Col Simpe Asante, Ato Austin, Amarkai Amarteifio, Saarah Mensah, E.T Mensah, Osafo-Maafo, Baah Wiredu, Osei Kwaku, Nii Lante Vanderpuye, and Isaac Asiamah. Each of these past administrators left some indelible marks behind and it is up to the current occupants of the stool to stand up and be counted.
Luckily, there is this massive opportunity to make a mark with Ghana hosting the 13th African Games in March 2024.
It’s exactly 50 years ago, 1973 in Lagos, where Ghana hit the international headlines with a superb performance in the 2nd African Games winning seven gold, seven silver and 12 bronze medals.
Please permit me to. take you down memory lane with the detailed results so that the current generation of our sportsmen and sportswomen will take inspiration from it and fight hard to make Ghana proud once again.
In Lagos 1973, Ghana set five Games records in athletics to place second to Kenya the powerhouse of track and field. Of the record breaking medal winners, sprinter Alice Anum, affectionately called “Baby Jet,” emerged the fastest African lady in both 100 metres and 200 metres in 11.7 secs and 23. 8 secs respectively.
Male sprinter Ohene Karikari also won the gold in both 100metres and 200 metres in 10.5 secs and 21.9 secs respectively.
Shot putter Rose Hart 4×100 metres relay team of Josephine Ocran, Elizabeth Bruce, Rose Asiedua, Alice Anum (46.2 secs).
Long jumper Joshua Owusu (8metres) were the other gold winning record setters.
Full details:
1. Rose Hart, shot putt 41.00metrrs gold(record)
2. Alice Anum,100m 12.7 secs gold (record)
3. Alice Anum 200m 23.8 secs gold(record)
4. Josephine Ocran, Elizabeth Bruce, Rose Asiedua Alice Anum 4x400m 46.12 secs gold(record)
5. Joshua Owusu long jump 8m gold(record)
6. Ohene Karikari 100m 10.5secs gold(record)
7. Ohene Karikari 200m
21. 07 secs gold (record)
8. George Daniels 200m silver
9. Rose Asiedua 100m silver
10. Grace Bakari 400m silver.
11. George Daniels, K Okyir, Joe Apraku, Ohene Karikari 4x400m silver
12. Rose Yeboah
1,500m bronze
13. Helena Opoku,800m bronze
14 M.K. Pomaney triple jump bronze
15. Josephine Ocran 200m bronze.
For the records Mercy Adoma collapsed in the 1500 race. Team Doctors K.G. Korsah and Sarkodee Addo had advised that Mercy should be rested since she had caught fever. Coach Adjin Tettey however thought it was stage fright and fielded the young girl who collapsed midway through the race.
Table Tennis medallists:
1. Nancy Okwan Comfort Eshun, ladies
doubles bronze
2. Nancy Okwan, Esther Lamptey Joana Konor ladies team event bronze
3. Ebenezer Bartels men’s Singles, bronze
4. Ebenezer Bartels, E A Quaye, E.A. Owusu Ansah men’s team event Bronze
Swimming:
1. Laura Brako Salome Ametepe, Faith Opare, Dorothy Gordon 4x400m freestyle bronze
2. Selome Ametepe Laura Brako, Faith Opare, Dorothy Gordon 4x200m medley bronze
Boxing:
1.Young Chucks light
weight silver
2. Flash Emma Welterweight silver
3.Kwao Kuleho, Flyweight bronze
4. Ricky Barnor Light-middleweight bronze
Football.
The Black Stars failed to win a medal when they were beaten 2-0 by Egypt in the match for third place. Earlier in the opening game Ghana were beaten 4-2, by Nigeria.
In the second match Ghana beat Tanzania 1-0. Thanks to a 53rd minute goal by Kwasi Owusu who connected a rebound from Abdul Razak’s shot which the goalie failed to save.
In the third match Ghana beat Algeria 2-0 to reach the semi-final Isaac Eshun scored from the spot in the 37th minute and Yaw Sam netted the
second with a classic shot in the 81st minute.
Ghana was beaten in the semi-final 2-1 by Guinea.
Kwasi Owusu gave Ghana the lead in the 13th minute but dribbler Sogibe scored twice in the 25th and 32nd minute to carry the day.
The football squad was John Eshun (captain), Alex
Mingle, Henry Lante France, Emmanuel Kingston, Ibrahim Sunday, Joe Sam, Yaw Sam, Abdul Razak, Ayi Acquah, Tetteh Gorleku, Sam Amarteifio, Enoch Asumadu, Isaac Eshun, Oheneba Siaw, Akuetteh Armah, Eric Amankwaa, Dan Oppong.
Officials were Major. George Lamptey, Ben Koufie, Armah Amartey.
Cheers everybody and keep loving sports.
