I remember very well when Sampson Deen told the gathered Ghanaian journalists at one of the offices of the University of Ghana Sports Complex to write and speak something positive about Ghana before and during the 13th All-African Games.
The man who is in charge of anything transportation of the All African Games, Sampson Deen, delivered a 16-minute monologue as a quarter of the minutes was all about advising the press.
The 13th All-African Games is fully underway as Egypt has taken a commanding lead in terms of medals winning.
The host Ghana has won 4 medals at the time of writing this article. News about the host has been partly negative as we have heard an athlete claiming instead of size 47 of his shoe size, he was given 36.
A cyclist (Naaba) revealed that they bought their equipment and the bicycles with their cash.
The latest news is the president of the Ghana Badminton Federation, Evans Yeboah, revealing that “their bus broke down” which is why they were transported by the bucket of a pickup truck.
Are news writers supposed to write on the positive side alone? Is there anything wrong with a journalist announcing negative news that could have been prevented?
Ghana failed to assist its athletes ahead of the 13th All-African Games, they must admit that in the first place. This is an event in which the Country has invested more than 200 million dollars in infrastructure but failed to invest in the athletes.
Kudos to everyone involved in the planning and construction of the ultra-modern edifices for the competition as I witnessed the beauty and the authenticity of the facilities when the media was invited for the 3-day tour of the Borteyman Sports Complex and The University of Ghana Sports Stadium.
In terms of preparations, we have not been up to the level required.
Ghanaian Badminton have all exited the competition and the president’s speech suggested Ghana was not ready for its athletes.
“On that morning, the bus that they were using had broken down on the expressway. So the coach in his wisdom decided to bus them, as an interim measure, to bus them. By the end of the day, their regular bus schedule resumed and there was no problem,” he said.
“We have also gotten the players a top psychologist to work with them and I can say that emotionally they are okay now,” said Evans Yeboah, badminton president of Ghana.
His excuse is quite shocking because the Local Organizing Committee has secured over 336 vehicles to serve transportation needs during the games, including transporting athletes to and from games.
