London 2012: Who is to blame for Ghana's poor showing ?

When Ghana’s boxing professor predicted that no Ghanaian boxer was going to win a medal at the ongoing London Olympic Games many were those who chastised and demonized him. In the eyes of some he was unpatriotic but with the way things have gone for Team Ghana at the Games perhaps Azumah Nelson saw something that we all did not see.

With the benefit of hindsight we all agree that the boxing professor has been vindicated.

All four boxers, Duke Micah, Isaac Dogboe, Sulemanu Tetteh and Maxwell Amponsah sent to the Games have been sent packing.

Boxing was once upon a time Ghana’s best bet for a medal at the Olympics not long ago with the likes of Isaac Quartey serving as good examples. But all that has changed and it appears Team Ghana takes consolation in the Olympic spirit which places more emphasis on competing rather that winning.

Boxing is not the only sport that Ghana is competing in at the Games but similarly there is very little good news from the Track and Field athletes, the Judoka and the weightlifter.

The abysmal performance of Ghana at the Games is depressing considering the fact that we tout ourselves as a sports loving nation. That assertion is hard to comprehend vis a vis our mannerism and attitude towards major championships like the Olympics.

Our poor preparations have always let us down and each time we promise to learn from our previous mistakes only to repeat them.

It is inexplicable that two of our nine member contingent for the Games had to withdraw at the eleventh hour due to ill health. The events leading to their withdrawals are inexcusable and someone must take blame and be punished.

Boxer Emmanuel Amponsah’s jaw problems that forced him to withdraw from the Games beat imagination. If the medical team knew it was impossible for the young man to compete why did we take him in the first place? Isn’t it a clear case of causing financial loss to the state?

It is laughable that we do things haphazardly yet we want best results. To be an Olympic champion it takes a great deal of sacrifice from officialdom and athletes as well as discipline and at the moment those virtues are absent from our dictionary.

We have certainly performed woefully at the London Games but the future is not all gloomy.

Going back to the drawing board sounds like a cliché but that is exactly what we must do. We must decide that the preparation for the next Olympic Games in Brazil 2016 begins today.

Let us invest in the talents available and hopefully the story would be a fulfilling one for Team Ghana in Brazil 2016.