Ghana Prepares for Commonwealth Games

The situation whereby many athletes are sent on international competitions but are not able to win any medals would henceforth be a thing of the past.

Consequently, the National Sports Council (NCS) has laid down criteria to ensure that only athletes capable of being in the medal zones are sent out for competitions.

Briefing the press on Tuesday on Ghana's preparations towards the Commonwealth Games, Mr Emmanuel Owusu Ansah, Acting Chief Executive of the NSC gave the assurance that athletes who have been selected for the Commonwealth Games this year are capable of winning medals.

He said Ghana would participate in boxing, athletics, judo, badminton and weightlifting.

The Acting Chief Executive affirmed that 26 capable athletes and 14 officials would form Ghana's contingent. He said, however, that four additional boxers are being monitored and would be added to the contingent if they are able to make appreciable progress.

He said for now there would be eight boxers and four officials, five players and two officials for badminton and four players and two officials for judo while the two weightlifters are Albert Abotsi and America-based Amorkor Maria Ollenu-King.

Five foreign-based and two local athletes have also selected based on their ratings by the International Athletics Amateur Association (IAAF). Four officials would manage them.

He said the IAAF has among 200 best athletes on the Internet listed the five. The five foreign based athletes are Aziz Zakari who is currently rated sixth in the world and third on the Commonwealth and Kenneth Andam who is 47th in the world and rated 20th by the Commonwealth.

Others are Abu Duah who is 96th in the world and 46th at the Commonwealth.

Dr Owusu Ansah however said the two local athletes, Ernest Osei and Harry Adu-Mfum who would do the 4x100 relay should be able to clock 10.3 on the electronic watch otherwise Ghana would not participate in the relay competition.

He also named Vida Anim who is currently the best in the junior division, 30th in the senior division and 15th at the Commonwealth and Margaret Simpson who is rated 12th in the Commonwealth and has past 6000 points in heptathlon for the women's division.

He said all the teams are in camp whiles preparations are being made for their international training tours.He said local preparations towards the games would cost 200 million cedis while the entire cost for the games would be 350,000 dollars.

Dr Owusu Ansah said bonuses for the athletes would be the same no matter the disciplines explaining that each athlete would receive 500 dollars bonus which would be increased as the individual athlete advances in the game.

This year's Commonwealth Games, the 17th of its kind will be held in Manchester from July 25th to August 5.

The game village opens on July 15.