OlympAfrica assures GOC of support

The Executive Director of OlympAfrica International Foundation, Mr Alassane Theirno Diack has assured the newly elected board of the Ghana Olympic Committee (GOC) of their support.

He said his office will work closely with the GOC ensure that Ghana’s OlympAfrica project becomes a reality.

Mr Diack gave this assurance when he paid a day’s visit to Ghana to inspect the OlympAfrica project site at Amasaman yesterday.

His visit formed part of efforts been made by the President of the GOC, Mr Ben Nunoo Mensah to revive the Amasaman project after it was abandoned about five years ago.

The Executive Director explained that the project was abandoned because most of their recommendations were not met especially with the walling and that resulted in the withdrawal the funding of the project.

He added that the project was supposed to be a community based centre for young talents to have access to and not limited to the elite and professional athletes and the design then did not match that of his office and that also resulted in the withdrawal.

He said since there is a new leader at the GOC, they will revisit the books and redesign the project to suit the current format and assured that as soon as the paper works are done, funds would be released to the commencement of the project.

Mr Diack however cautioned the board that any form of financial misappropriation on the project will result to the project been cancelled and accounts frozen.

On his part, Mr Nunoo Mensah thanked the Director for coming and assured him of Ghana’s commitment to ensuring the construction of the project.

He said with this, there was the need to redesign the project and also bring on board partners who will then be given the naming rights of the project and noted that he would begin talks with corporate bodies for this initiative.

The GOC President again noted that as a matter of urgency, he has been directed by the President of the Association of National Olympic Committees of Africa (ANOCA), General Lassanne Palenfo to transfer the name of the project site from the Ministry of Food and Agriculture to the Ghana Olympic Committee.

Mr Nunoo Mensah held talks with General Palenfo at the ANOCA General Assembly in Djibouti last week to review the project hence the Director’s visit.

The OlympAfrica project was launched in 1988 on the initiative of the IOC President.

It is a programme for the construction of centres to serve the expansion of Olympism; these offer young people opportunities in terms not only of sports activities but also of cultural, educational, social and economic activities, the idea being to contribute as much as possible to solving in a practical way the multitude of problems facing young people today.

This programme is implemented at low cost in villages or rundown city districts, with the participation of the target populations.