Athletics coach wants mobile championship return

Head coach of the of the Ghana Athletics Association (GAA) Albert Nukpezah is calling for the return of the Mobile Athletics Championship if Ghana is to have competent athletes to compete at major events in the future.

Nukpezah who is currently preparing the Ghana athletics team for the London 2012 Olympic Games, said the collapse of the mobile championship is one of the major factors that had led to the decline of medal winning athletes for Ghana at world events.

“You see in Nigeria, they have what they call the Mobil Championship. We used to also have the same championship some 12 years ago but it was scrapped for no reason. I will entreat the authorities to go back to the drawing table and renegotiate with them to come back.”

Albert Nukpezah was however full of praise for the Professor Francis Dodoo led Ghana Olympic Committee even though he stressed that there is more to be done to get Ghana to the very top.

“The association with its head, Prof. Francis Dodoo, has been very supportive. He was the brain behind the team's training tour in Finland last year. “For the first time in Ghana, the team has been camping for 12 continuous weeks which has never happened in the past.

“The tartan tracks alone are very big challenges to us because they are not up to standard at all but the deputy minister for youth and sports, Dr. Omane Boamah has assured it would be replaced so we are just waiting. Apart from that I think we are on course”.

Team Ghana is hoping to win at least a medal in athletics at the Olympic Games in London in the summer.