The National Disability Sports Fraternity, a group of Ghanaian disability athletes staged a protest on, November 6th, 2024, outside the Ministry of Youth and Sports to denounce the ongoing visa racketeering that exploits persons with disability.
The protesters, led by Frederick Asor, Athlete Commissioner on the National Paralympic Committee Board, reiterated their concerns about the misuse of disability sports for illegal visa acquisitions.
Frederick Asor, speaking to Happy Sports, expressed frustration over the government’s inaction on the issue. He stated, “We have once presented a petition concerning this issue already, and we are here again about the same old story. We’ve seen that it’s still happening. So we are here once again to draw the ministry’s attention that we persons with disability are being used for Galamsey. If I say galamsey, people are using us for visa racketeering here and there. Traveling that we are not involved. We just see our names, our events, being used to travel out of the country whilst we are not aware. And it is tarnishing the image of we persons with disability.”
The protest comes on the heels of a petition submitted earlier today, which detailed specific instances where individuals with disability were allegedly recruited to form fraudulent sports teams to obtain visas. The group accuses the National Paralympic Committee (NPC) of complicity in the scheme and calls for a thorough investigation into the matter.
The protesters demand immediate action from the government, including an investigation into the matter , prosecution of those involved, and the implementation of measures to prevent future occurrences.
They also call for greater transparency and accountability within the sports sector, particularly regarding the selection and participation of athletes in international events.
