If You Care, Please help save Ghana some money

......we don't have too much foreign exchange to spend, and not sending our very best athletes constitutes waste. I've always been conflicted in my ability to speak on this, because I was a competitive athlete (nevertheless, I did and often got into trouble for doing so). It is sad that this “sadness” continues...but now I feel free to speak against it. Besides, the athletes recently elected me Chairman of their representative association...a fact that makes me even more committed to ensure that things get done right for them...THAT is what will enhance motivation; certainly not selections based on reasons other than performance.

We are about to spend so much of the nation's scarce money and yet we can't even select folks who are CURRENTLY in good form (based on results). What were the selections based on? Here is Christian Nsiah running 20.48 seconds, Andrew Owusu jumping 16.95 meters, and Samuel Okantey jumping 16.80 meters (in 2002) and they do not even get mentioned?

Anyone can go to the world rankings of 2002 (indoor and outdoor) to see how many of the names our country has selected even appear on the world lists. This is extremely sad and exploitative of a nation that can simply NOT afford it. I wish "zero tolerance" could filter "down" to our sports world.

It is ironic that the official Dr Owusu-Ansah is quoted as saying they have decided to send "only the best"...the BEST? please verify from the global rankings whether we are indeed sending THE best...or whether we did last year, to the world championships...indeed, he also says selection was based on "recent performances and ratings by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF)"...well, find below the websites of the IAAF. See for yourself whether the statements he makes are true. I don't think they are and only Ghana loses...I (and indeed the athletes do too) also have questions about whether for athletes the training tour is actually beneficial or detrimental, and if the former, to who...athletes OR officials. Over the years, athletes have come back from training camps in worse shape than they were going in. Yet we insist on taking them to facilities that more often than not, are ill suited (equipment/service) to serve our needs

Here are some websites to check:

http://www.tilastopaja.net/top20.asp (outdoor 2002) http://www.iaaf.org/Results/index.asp?Filename=/Results/lists/2002/Outdoor/G/index.html (outdoor 2002) http://www.tilastopaja.net/top20i.asp (indoor 2002) http://www.iaaf.org/Results/index.asp?Filename=/Results/lists/2002/indoor/G/index.html (indoor 2002) You can also go to this page and enter an athletes last name and find out what their performances from 2001 and 2001 were http://www.tilastopaja.net/

Moreover, here are the facts: * indicates athletes selected by Dr Owusu-Ansah and Co.

Samuel Okantey----Triple Jump------Ranked 20th in the world (indoor 2002)

Andrew Owusu ----Triple Jump------Ranked 8th in the world (outdoor as of 17/04/2002)

Christian Nsiah-----100m, 200m-----Ranked 19th and 13th respectively (as of 17/04/2002)

Monica Twum------100m, 200m-----Ranked 33rd in the world, 100m (as of 17/04/2002)

*Adu Duah----------100m, 200m-----Name does not appear on the IAAF rankings (top 50)

*Adu Duah----------100m, 200m-----Name does not appear on the IAAF rankings (top 50)

*Ernest Osei---------100m, 200m----Name does not appear on the IAAF rankings (top 50)

*Kenneth Andam---100m, 200m----Has not competed this year, Name not on world list

*Aziz Zakari---- --100m, 200m-----Has not competed this year (starts in May in Osaka, Japan)

*Vida Anim---------100m, 200m-----Not listed on IAAF website (but has a hand time of 11.00)

*Margaret Simpson—Javelin---------Not in the top 40 in the world

*Margaret Simpson—Heptathlon----Has not competed yet this year

We the athletes will put out a list (later this week) showing the relative rankings of each Ghanaian athlete within Commonwealth nations to give an even better idea where these athletes rank.

Let us do the right thing BY and FOR Ghana.