The Vice President of Ghana Athletics, Charles Osei Asibey, has disclosed that the lack of a test run for the 2026 African Athletics Championships contributed significantly to the organizational challenges.

According to him, a test run prior to the event would have helped the Local Organizing Committee (LOC) identify possible setbacks and address them before the commencement of the championship.

He indicated that incidents such as broken poles and other mishaps could have been avoided, questioning why organizers failed to push for a test run to prevent such embarrassment.

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“What I feel we missed was a test run [for the athletics championship]. For any major event, you must do a test run. I think that, whether it was out of pressure or oversight, we did not do this. As for the equipment, the least said about them. I feel if we had done simulations a day or two before the event, we would have realized that there were problems with the poles,” he told Sporty FM.

Charles Asibey vowed that Ghana Athletics will work with the LOC to resolve the issues and ensure a better experience for athletes.

“I won’t be able to give a fair assessment of two or three days of the African Athletics Championships. What I can say is that the commentaries are not good, and we will work to fix them,” he added.

Meanwhile, reports indicate that there has been massive improvement in the concerns raised by athletes, as the LOC continues to work hard to provide full support.

SB/JE

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