Kevin-Prince Boateng has announced his retirement from football. He played for 15 clubs in his career:

They include Hertha, Tottenham, Dortmond, Portsmouth, Genoa, AC Milan, Schalke, AC Milan, Las Palmas, Frankfurt, Sassuolo, Barcelona, Fiorentina, Besiktas, Monza and Hertha.

He chose to feature for Ghana at the FIFA World Cup.

By Sammy Heywood Okine

The Ghana Athletics Association (GAA) has selected a strong team of athletes with current good form to represent the nation at the up coming World Athletics Championships in Budapest.

The team comprise of James Dadzie - 200m, Raymond French - 4x100m, Edwin Gadayi - 4x100m, Isaac Botsio - 4x100m, Deborah Acquah - Long Jump, Joseph Paul Amoah - 200m and 4x100m,

Rose Amoanimaa Yeboah - High Jump (No Visa) and Ansah Sarfo - 4x100m (No Visa) could not make it.

Record holder Benjamin Azamati - 100m and 4x100m (Injury) could also not make it.

Currently, the team is camping in France.

Bukom is the cradle of Boxing in Ghana, and as the boxers look for something to motivate and ginger them every time, they look out for sports / entertainment events and programmes that they can fit into.

One of such tourism backed ventures is the Marathon, and after experiencing the 2023 Accra Inter-City Marathon, the boxers want more.

Lucky for them the Millennium Marathon is around the corner. On September 2^nd the 2023 edition, which is the eighth time it is happening (apart from the Covid era) live in Accra.

Bukom and James Town are the most popular areas in Accra the capital of Ghana that produces boxers for the country. When you go to Bukom, everyone one presumably wish to become a great boxer and have passion for boxing.

Boys and girls, old men and old women, everyone in Bukom knows something about boxing.

And boxers need to run to gain stamina and full fitness, than makes it necessary to be associated with the marathon races

On September 2^nd all the boxers are taking part in the Millennium Marathon.

Registration is going on at the Accra Sports Stadium, Frankies Hotel at Osu and GHOne office. The organisers of the Millennium Marathon are trying to get a closer place for the boxers to register.

The winner of the 21km takes home a cool 75,000ghc, while the second place gets 50,000ghc and third pocketing 30,000ghc.

There is also a raffle package with a Nissan Almera at stake for anyone who registers and crosses the finishing line.

Another surprise offer is 10,000ghc going to the first Ghanaians male and female to cross the finish line in the 21km, as well as 5,000ghc for the oldest man and woman to participate and finish.

For the 5km, the winner gets 1,000ghc, 600ghc for the runner up and 400ghc for the second runner up. The fun continues after the race at the Independence Square. Souvenirs of the sponsors will be available.

You can dial *800*17# to register on your phone.

By Sammy Heywood Okine  

Kezia Asiedua Sanie, the 23-year-old budding lawyer, visionary social entrepreneur, advocate for quality, inclusive and holistic education and the founder and president of For The Future (FTF) Ghana, a Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) dedicated to addressing child poverty and educational inequalities in Ghana on Friday, 11th August 2023 was sworn in as part of the 13-member of Trustees for the Head of State Awards Scheme at the Jubilee House by the President of the Republic of Ghana, His Excellency President Nana Addo Dankwah Akuffo-Addo

The Head of State Award Scheme( HosA ) is a leading structured (non-formal education and non -political) youth development program, empowering all young people aged 14-24 to explore their full potential and find their true purpose, passion and place in the world, regardless of their location or circumstance. By recognizing the amazing things young people can do and learn outside the boundaries of formal education, the Award empowers them to discover hidden talents, develop untapped leadership potential and make a difference in their community.

The Board of Trustees of the Head of State Award Scheme is established as the governing body of the Award Scheme with a three-year mandate, charged with the responsibility of ensuring the future sustainability of the Scheme in Ghana and as a member of the Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award Association. It. is a group of volunteers from diverse backgrounds who seek to improve and grow the National Award Operators (NAO). They are responsible for fulfilling the purpose, strategy and mission of the NAO. The Board exists to: carry out its purposes for the benefit of young people, ensure compliance with NAO’s governing documents and the law, act in an NAO’s best interests, manage the NAO’s resources responsibly, act with reasonable care and skill and ensure an NAO is held accountable. The new Trustees are Harry B. Sintim-Aboagye, the Chairman of the board; Gladys Amoah, Vice-Chairman; Kwadwo Addeah-Safo, Secretary; Daniel A Adotey, Trustee; Hajia Muniratu Lamptey,Trustee; Dr Juliet Yayra Tengey, Trustee; Ohenewa Sakyi Bekoe, Trustee, and Kezia Asiedua Sanie, also a Trustee.

The rest are Stephen Oduro; Trustee; Pius Enam Hadzide, Trustee; Gifty Sakyi-Bremansu, Trustee; Abena A Antwi, Trustee; and Peter A. Anum, the Chief Executive. 

Oath

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, who led the board to swear the official oath and the oath of secrecy, advised them to provide direction to the operationalization of the award programme, as trustees, to reach out to more young people and maintain public confidence in the scheme.

He also urged them to mobilize resources and funds to sustain and grow the awards scheme for more young Ghanaians.

He said the secretariat was constructing an award house for the scheme saying that also required the trustees to see to its completion.

He pledged his support to the scheme to help create avenues to enable the youth to explore and be innovative and use creative ways of solving societal problems to ensure the development of the nation.

Additionally, President Akufo-Addo expressed the readiness of government to continue to provide adequate financial resources to enable the scheme to reach out to more young people in the country.

“The skills gap thus exist but I believe programmes such as the award scheme create opportunities for young people to up their skills, bridge the skills gap and be all round citizens.

“I am unable to accept the saying that the golden age is always in the past.  It is obvious that Ghana’s golden age is yet to come, how can we not hope for a golden future when we are blessed with such enormous wealth and human potential,” he added.

“I place great hope in their potential to shape the future of Ghana to make the Black Star shine,” he asserted.

Fifty years

The President said the head of state award had been in existence for well over 50 years in Ghana and had been responsible for equipping many young Ghanaians with skills and experiences aimed at preparing them for life.

The programmes under the scheme, he indicated, were tailored towards instilling the virtues of discipline and civic responsibility and the obligations of leadership in the youth of the country.

In addition to that, he said, the awards scheme equipped, empowered and transformed the lives of young people to be successful in life by giving them a platform to discover and develop themselves through volunteerism, skills development, adventurous journeys and physical recreational activities.

Currently, President Akufo-Addo said, half of the world’s population was under the age of 30 with 90 per cent of that age group living in emerging development economies.

He said the aspirations and needs of young people and their ability to meet their full potential remained largely unmet due to the myriad of economic challenges currently confronting the world.

Despite the odds being stacked against the youth, he expressed confidence that when youths were empowered, development outcomes improved.

The Chairman of the Board of Trustees, Harry A. Sintim-Aboagye, in his response, implored the President to initiate legislation to protect the intellectual property rights for the youth in Ghana.

That, he explained, was to stop the exploitation by the poachers. He expressed gratitude to President Akufo-Addo for the confidence reposed in them to lead and guide the award scheme and gave an assurance that they would work to the best of their ability.

He stressed the commitment of the trustees to the cause saying, “we will work as a team with the support of all stakeholders to make more young Ghanaians ready for life and work through the award programme.” Mr Sintim-Aboagye also promised that the board would work assiduously for the completion of the award house.

Awards

“The award used to be delivered in seven regions. As at the beginning of 2021, through your support for the national revival and expansion programme, we have extended the reach of the programme to nine regions with over 60 new award centers established in 2022.

“We engaged over 12,000 young Ghanaians in various activities in the four mandatory sections of skills development, voluntarism, sports and adventure,” he said.

Conclusion

Kezia Sanie's story is a testament to the transformative power of one person's dedication and vision. Given Kezia’s passion for children and youth, being a trustee allows her to actively contribute to a program that aligns with her values and provides tangible support to the demographic she cares deeply about. As the youngest trustee, she is happy to directly influence the direction and strategies of the Award Scheme, bring fresh ideas and perspective of the youth for discussions, ensuring that it continues to make a significant positive impact on the lives of young individuals, helping them find their purpose and make a difference in their communities. Her belief that every child deserves access to quality learning opportunities resonates with the inclusive nature of the Award Scheme.

Source: Samuel Kwame Boadu

The Ghana Table Tennis Association (GTTA)  has secured a programme from the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) to organize a Level One Coaching Course for its members.

The one week non residential course will take place in Accra from August 23 to 30, under the supervision of ITTF official, Ramzi Mabrouk who will be aided by Anthony Owusu Ansah, Chief Coach of Ghana and others from the Technical Directorate.

This is the first time in over ten years since Ghana organized such a coaching course and at least 29 Ghanaian and two Senegal Table Tennis coaches are listed to attend, upon recommendation from the ITTF.

Priority will be given to female coaches, active coaches. PE teachers and members who are committed to take the game to the grassroots for development and promotion.

Ghana currently boasts of only two Level Two coaches in David Senyo Ahiaba and Andoh Kwesi Koomson.

Ghana also has 18 ITTF umpires and three national referees and one competition manager, William Asare.

Ghana Table Tennis has seen some progression under Mawuko Afadzinu who is also Vice President of the GOC.

By Sammy Heywood Okine

UK-based Ghanaian boxer Seth Gyimah aka ‘Freezy Macbones’ has expressed his excitement after he was invited by the Ghana Boxing Federation (GBA) to represent Ghana at the upcoming qualifiers for Paris 2024 Olympic Games,

He placed on his official Twitter handle indicating his willingness to help Ghana achieve their aim in boxing as far as the Olympic Games is concerned.

Freezy said he is already training hard to make sure his dream of representing his country becomes a reality.

“I have been called on to represent my country Ghana at the upcoming 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, France. This will commence after the African qualification bouts next month.

“In Dakar, Senegal which I’m currently training hard for, in order to make it past the qualifiers & bring back the Gold next year.

“This opportunity to represent my home country at the world’s biggest sporting event is a dream come true. It’s time to make my country, family, and friends proud. I’ll be joining the Black Bombers of Ghana soon to make this dream a reality.

“Thank you all for the support so far, I hope I can continue- ue to count on your support as my journey continues Let’s Go! See you guys again soon!” he stated.

After defeating Darryl Sharp at the London-based Copper Boxing Arena in April, the boxer attained national prominence.

During the Joe Joyce vs. Zhilei Zhang main event, he competed in a preliminary bout and won by unanimous vote of the judges.

By Sammy Heywood Okine

38 years old Cristiano Ronaldo lead Al Nassr to won the Arab Club Champions Cup on Saturday August, 12, 2023, first time in Al Nassr’s history.

Paris St-Germain have agreed a deal to sell Brazil forward Neymar to Saudi Pro League side Al-Hilal for about 90m euros (£77.6m) plus add-ons.

The transfer is subject to the 31-year-old completing a medical and all necessary paperwork.

Neymar, who joined PSG for a world-record fee of £200m in 2017, was left out of their squad for the Ligue 1 draw against Lorient on Saturday.

He was not part of coach Luis Enrique's plans for the new season.

His exit also fits PSG's strategy of moving away from the 'Galacticos' era of signing high-profile players for big fees and significant wages, with Lionel Messi also leaving the club earlier this summer.

Neymar was understood to be earning in the region of 25m euros (£21.6m) annually at the French side.

He will reportedly be paid 150m euros (£129.2m) a year in Saudi Arabia - six times the amount he earned at PSG.

The Brazilian made 173 appearances for PSG, helping the club win 13 trophies, including five Ligue 1 titles, as well as reaching the 2020 Champions League final.

However, his time in the French capital has also been hampered by a number of ankle injuries.

The former Barcelona player had surgery in March that caused him to miss the rest of the season and he only resumed training in July.

He missed two of Brazil's matches at the 2022 World Cup after being injured in their opening group match.

The forward also missed the 2019 Copa America after suffering torn ligaments in his right ankle and was out for several weeks in 2021 with a similar injury.

Why is Saudi Pro League signing European clubs' stars?

'The eyes of all are on us' - Saudi Pro League kicks off

Who has gone where in Saudi Pro League

News of the Neymar deal comes just 24 hours after PSG's Kylian Mbappe was reintegrated back into first-team training after positive talks with the club.

The France forward, 24, had been in a contract stand-off amid a desire to join Real Madrid but could now extend his contract at PSG, with his current deal due to expire next summer.

Mbappe was also left out of the squad for the Lorient game and watched the match from the stands.

Last month, PSG gave Al-Hilal permission to talk to Mbappe after the Saudi side made a world-record £259m bid.

If completed, the Neymar deal will continue a remarkable summer spending spree by Saudi clubs, underlining the league's ambition to be one of the top competitions in the world in the next few years.

The likes of Karim Benzema, N'Golo Kante, Jordan Henderson, Ruben Neves, Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino have all moved to Saudi Arabia.

Portugal superstar Cristiano Ronaldo joined Al-Nassr from Manchester United in January.

After Riyad Mahez left Manchester City to join Al-Ahli in July, Pep Guardiola said the Saudi league's financial muscle has "changed the market".

"A few months ago when Cristiano [Ronaldo] was the only one to go, no-one thought this many top, top players would play in the Saudi league," the City manager said.

"In the future there will be more and that's why clubs need to be aware of what is happening.

"I don't know how long they will sustain it, but the feeling is that they will stay. The players want to take this experience to play in that league and they are able to do it."

Analysis

This is another big name signing for the Saudi Pro League that a major European club is privately relieved has happened.

It was Neymar's move to PSG six years ago that triggered the huge hike in transfer fees, but it did not really have the desired effect in delivering the Champions League to the French capital.

It took them a while but PSG eventually concluded the 'Galacticos' model was not the right one and getting Neymar off their wage bill - following Messi's move to Major League Soccer - is a major plus when it comes to meeting their Financial Fair Play obligations.

If Neymar is even earning close to the salary being speculated at, it is far more than the 25m euros a year he was on at PSG, so the deal makes sense for him.

It also keeps the Pro League in the spotlight when it comes to attracting the biggest names, even if injuries mean the Brazilian's best days are probably behind him.

A bit like Messi, who is much older, Neymar tends to play in moments these days. But, just as with Messi, those moments can be magical.

By Simon Stone / bbc

The Ghana Swimming Association is organizing the 3rd Africa Aquatics Zone 2 Junior Swimming and Open Water Championship at University of Ghana, Sports Directorate.

According to General Secretary of the Ghana Swimming Association, Mr. Mohammed Kassim the event is from 18th to 20th August, 2023, at 9am – 12noon (morning session) and 3pm – 6pm (evening session) each day.

The opening ceremony of the programme is scheduled for 18th August, 2023 at 3pm at the same venue.

He said Twenty-Two (22) West and Central African countries including Ghana are expected to participate.

The Championship forms part of preparation towards the Accra 2023 African Games.

The Ghana Swimming Association requests support from corporate Ghana and the media for this important event.

Miss Farida Iddris, Treasurer of the Association says most of the young home based swimmers have improved, and they will prove their strength, skills and speed in water at the Championship.

She urged the general public to show interest in watching Swimming as it is very exciting.

By Sammy Heywood Okine

… Promises To Bring His Experience Into The Sport

Coach Lawrence Carl Lokko, founder of the Bronx Boxing Gym at James Town with over 50 boxers training to become champions has been elected as an Executive Member of the Ghana Mixed Martial Arts Federation (GHAMMAF) Board.

The free, fair and peaceful election took place at the Media Center of the Accra Sports Stadium on Saturday 12^th August, 2023 where Carl polled 28 votes.

Other Executive Members elected were Kendrick Aryee who got 31 votes, Ibrahim Ahmed also had 31 votes. Alhaji Dauda Fuseni polled 29 votes, while Francis Dzorgborku got 21 votes.

Collins Kofi Zoiku (unopposed), Ali Ajami (unopposed) and Wonder Zoiku were elected President, Vice President and Treasurer respectively.

Coach Lokko in his speech after the elections thanked the delegates for the confidence they had in him and promised to support the GHAMMAF with ideas, equipment and whatever he can do to develop and promote MMA to the highest.

“My Gym is open to anyone who wishes to train, we need to groom more champions especially as the 13^th African Games steers at us” he said.

Carl Lokko who is known to have led Richard Commey to his first world title shot which he did extremely well has a number of African champions in his stable like John Laryea, the WBO Africa Featherweight title holder and Sheriff Quaye, the WBO Lightweight Champion.

Also in the Bronx Gym is Alfred Laryea, the West African Super Welterweight Champion and Jacob Dickson, the National Cruiserweight Champion, not to forget Daniel Gorsh, the National Bantamweight Champion.

Bronx Gym has a number of budding rising stars who are the future of Ghana Boxing.

By Sammy Heywood Okine