COVID-19: Non-team sports safer to return than the contact-sports: GOC president

President of the Ghana Olympic Committee (GOC), Ben Nunoo Mensah, says it is safer for the non-team sports to restart their activities than the contact-sports during this coronavirus pandemic as social distancing has been prioritized.

All sporting activities were suspended in March this year following the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic.

President Nana Akufo-Addo in his 10th address on measures taken to curb the spread of the coronavirus allowed the non-contact sport to resume their normal activities by adhering to the safety protocols.

According to Ben Nunoo Mensah, the non-team sport can only begin training and they will not require a lot of measures to restart, unlike the contact-team sport.

“During our discussions, we agreed that team sports and spectators cannot be allowed now.
So we came down to team sport and non-team sport. The non-team sport can easily open up for training whilst for the team sport, it requires some complex measures such as testing players, spectators and also they must be quarantined at a particular place which makes it difficult”, he told Ohene-Bampoe Brenya on Happy Sports on Happy 98.9FM.

READ MORE: COVID-19: Sporting activities suspended until July 31

He added that sports returning to normalcy will take time if there isn’t a vaccine any time soon.

“COVID-19 has come to stay and normal sporting activities will take time to return if we do not get a vaccine.

Meanwhile, The Ministry of Youth and Sports has announced the sporting activities that can resume their normal activities.
A statement from the Sports Ministry read: “State of Ghana’s Sports according to Presidential Directives issued last night, May 31, 2020, by President Akufo-Addo in the fight against COVID-19: With the exception of sports events, competitions or games (i.e., NO SPECTATORS OR FANS), individual, non-contact sports can go ahead. They include;

1. Athletics
2. Badminton
3. Table Tennis
4. Tennis
5. Golf
6. Powerlifting
7. Weight lifting
8. Cycling
9. Draughts
10. Para Sports (individual non-contact para-sports)
11. Rowing and Canoeing
12. Baseball and softball
13. Horse racing
14. Individuals exercising within our stadia

On the other hand, Team, contact sports including football, hockey and volley remain suspended till July 31, 2020.