Ghana Olympic Committee president Ben Nunoo Mensah has targeted athletics, boxing, swimming, and weightlifting as sports that the country can medal in at the upcoming Commonwealth Games in Birmingham set to run from July 28 to August 8.
Approximately 120 athletes are expected to travel to England for the multi-sport event, a significant increase on the 78 that took part at Gold Coast 2018 – the last edition of the Games.
“In terms of participation by Team Ghana, we already have a record number of disciplines and athletes who have qualified,” said Nunoo Mensah, who is also President of the Ghana Olympic Committee (GOC), as reported by Modern Ghana.
“So it is now a matter of focused selection with adequate preparations and making sure resources are channelled to support our team.”
Ghana’s sole medal at Gold Coast 2018 came courtesy of Jessie Lartey when he finished third in the men’s under-64-kilograms boxing event.
Albert Frimpong, chairman of the GOC’s Marketing and Sponsorship Committee, believes that Ghana’s athletes would perform far greater if more of the country’s big corporations invested in them.
He commended Twellium Industrial Company and Ashfoam Ghana for their financial support but called on others to follow suit.
Frimpong claims to have held a series of meetings with potential sponsors and is hoping to secure deals for Ghana’s promising talents.
“Looking at the recent performance of our athletes like Benjamin Azamati and Joe Paul Amoah, I am sure that we shall win more medals, our boxers, the Black Bombers, and judokas are also potential hopes because they have been there before and capable of making the nation proud,” said Frimpong, as reported by Modern Ghana.
Ghana is set to host the next edition of the African Games, next year in Accra, in what is hoped to provide a strong foundation for a historic performance at the Paris 2024 Olympics.
“I can say preparations for the next Olympic Games have started and our athletes are registering very good times,” said Nunoo Mensah.
“We must try to qualify in football because it has been a while since Ghana presented footballers at the Olympic Games, we are working hard, and we shall succeed.”
