Make backward cycling an Olympic sport - Backward rider

Alex Akwafo, Ghana's ace backward cyclist has called on the Ghana Cycling Association (GCA) and the National Sports Council (NSC) to lobby the International Olympic Committee (IOC) through the Ghana Olympic Committee (GOC) to make the event an Olympic Sport.

In an interview with the GNA Sports on Thursday, the unconventional cyclist said he believes he would become a world and Olympic champion if the sport gains international acceptability.

He said backward cycling could be an interesting segment of association cycling which has gained prominence in Europe and attracts a lot of sponsorship that facilitate many competitions.

Akwafo said a sporting discipline like swimming has various styles such as the backstroke and the butterfly, which are not conventional but have been accepted and competed for in international competitions.

"I invented this type of riding and I shall be delighted if the GCA and the NSC could forward it to the Supreme Council for Sports in Africa for its acceptance as an innovative cycling discipline which must be included in events at international competitions."

The backward cyclist said he believes the excitement his skills generate among the Ghanaian sporting public is a testimony that backward cycling could gain international recognition if the correct moves are made.

He said the GOC could be persuaded by the NSC to forward the discipline to the IOC and lobby them to accept it as an event at the Olympic Games adding, "the SCSA can also put pressure on the international bodies to accept it."

Speaking on how he took to backward cycling, Akwafo said he dreamt three times in 1988 that he was riding a bicycle backward and was convinced after the third dream that it could be possible to do so.

He said based on his conviction, he went into a bush near Big Ada with a bicycle and practised on a footpath for three hours. "After three hours I felt very comfortable with riding backwards and decided to make it my profession but ever since that time, there has not been any competition for me to showcase my skills.

"It is even difficult for me to earn a living but I have resolved not to give it up because I believe it would one day be an international sport if the right actions are taken by the GCA, the NSC, and the GOC or even the Ministry of Youth and Sports."

Akwafo said he has survived all this while through the benevolence of Mr William Mensah, one of his admirers and called on the NSC and the Ministry of Youth and Sports to give him a job to enable him to concentrate on his training, while waiting to compete and win laurels for Ghana in the future.