Mr. Mawuko Afadzinu, Vice President of the Ghana Olympic Committee GOC is very sure that the Black Meteors will qualify for the 2024 Olympic Games to be held in Paris.

Speaking to the Director of Communications of the GOC in Kumasi during the qualifier against Algeria, he expressed that Ghana has missed the Olympic football event since 2004, and it is about time they reappears at the biggest sports festival in the world with football, the passion of the nation.

He was in the Garden City to support the Black Meteors who they did what was expected as Fatawu Isawaku headed home the winner.

The young playmaker of Sporting Lisbon was responsible for the marvelous goal in the first leg in Annaba in Algeria.

Ghana won by a 2-1 aggregate and will play at the Afcon Under 23 Tournament in Morocco, where the best will gain qualification to the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

In another development,, the Treasurer of the Ghana Olympic Committee, Mr. Fred Acheampong who is Chairman of the Black Meteors Management team has also commended the coach and his players for making Ghana proud.

He urged them not to be swollen headed by know that the main achievement is to win the Afcon U23 and make it to the Olympic Games and get a medal.

Qualified Teams  are Morocco  (Hosts), Egypt  (Holders), Congo  (Debut), Gabon  (2nd), Ghana  (2nd), Guinea  (Debut), Mali  (3rd), Niger  (Debut)

The tournament will run from June 24 to July 08, 2023.

Top 3 teams qualify for 2024 Olympics.

By Sammy Heywood Okine

Young Ghanaian boxer based in the United States of America (USA), Joseph Awinongya Jr., also known as “Jojo” has received a scholarship to study at the University of St. Francis in Joliet, Illinois.

Jojo, who recently won the USA Eastern Boxing qualifiers, would graduate from Joliet Junior College with an associate’s degree in the coming months and has bagged a scholarship with the University of St. Francis.

Jojo, who is currently the number one ranked juvenile boxer in the USA, is an 18-time national champion and had received congratulatory belts and medals from the International Boxing Federation and World Boxing Council (WBC).

The 15-year-old boxer who is making a name for himself in the world of boxing says his goal was to win gold at the Olympics and also win various golden gloves.

Jojo also aspires to continue his higher education and running for mayor of Joilet in the future, as he looks to impact society.

His coach and dad, Joseph Awinongya Snr., who was once a professional boxer, has been the pillar behind Jojo’s success, which had propelled him to greater heights.

Some titles won by Jojo include the Silver Gloves National Championship in 2017 and 2018, the St. Louis National Championship, the Junior Olympic National Championship, the Wisconsin National Championship, and the USA National Championship, all on multiple occasions.

newsghana

The Ghana Olympic Committee (GOC) has saluted the Black Meteors of Ghana for securing a slot at the U-23 Afcon to be hosted by Morocco in June.

A 2-1 aggregate win ensured that Ghana eliminated Algeria at the Baba Yara Sports Stadium thanks to a resilient team effort.

The tough encounter was  spearhead by solid performances from Fatawu Ishahaku and  Ernest Nuamah as well as goalkeeper Danlad Ibrahim.

The GOC President reserved special mention for Frederick Acheampong; the head the Black Meteors Management team who is also the Chief Treasurer of the Ghana Olympic Committee.

The U-23 Afcon will be stages from June 24th to July 8th 2023.

Mr GOC statement commended the technical team headed by Coach Ibrahim Tanko who was ably supported by former national team stars Ablade Kumah, Godwin Attram and Michael Osei.

"A big thumbs up to the entire playing body and the technical who have made the entire nation proud and it is our prayer that the football team qualifies for the Olympic Games in Paris, France 2024 alongside our track and athletes and boxers.

The top 3 teams in Morocco will book their places at the Summer  Olympics.

GOC COMMUNICATIONS

…Its early days – Coach Dr. Ofori Asare

Coach Dr. Ofori Asare’s Wisdom Boxing Gym are leading the Ghana Professional Boxing League after the second Fight Night of the second season.

The have the maximum six points, from two fights after they won against Fit Square, making Assistant Coach Addo very happy and hoping to lead to finish.

But Head Coad Asare says time will tell as there are other strong gyms in the competition.

He feels it is too early to determine who will win, because they have a long way to go.

Ghana Armed Forces and Panix are placed second and third with Ghana Prisons at fourth position. All of them won their second bouts.

In season one, Wisdom was last after an exciting experience which was won by the Charles Quartey Boxing Foundation.

At stake for the best gym and best boxer are Renault cars donated by Premium Motors, which the security agencies have targeted.

14 boxing gyms are battling for honours and it would be really tough and hectic for the competitors, both boxers and coaches.

The league has been recognized by the world bodies and they have commended the Ghana Boxing Authority (GBA).

By Sammy Heywood Okine

Ghana’s U-23 side, Black Meteors will face Algeria in the final Under-23 African Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualification decider at the Baba Yara Sports Stadium this afternoon.

Algeria managed to pull a shocking 1-1 draw in the first leg encounter in the first leg, but Ghana is positive to triumph over the North African side in Kumasi.

Coach Ibrahim Tanko said the Meteors would beat their opponents at the Garden City following the preparations they had put in place with hopes of booking a slot at the continental competition.

This was not the first time the two sides had clashed in the AFCON qualifiers stage.

Ghana in 2019, eliminated Algeria in the AFCON qualifiers to make it to the competition where they placed fourth.

The West African side still stands a chance of making it to the tournament following the inclusion of some experienced players in the team.

With players like Afriyie Barnieh, Fatawu Issahaku and Danlad Ibrahim, who were with the Black Stars, Ghana would count on them to go for the slot.

A win for Ghana would see them advance to the tournament in Morocco this year.

The 2023 U-23 AFCON tournament is scheduled for June 24 to July 8, 2023.

From Sammy Heywood Okine

The Ghana Olympic Committee (GOC) has sent a goodwill message to the Black Meteors of Ghana ahead their final elimination encounter with Algerian U-23 side.

Currently on an official working visit in the French capital Paris, the President of the Olympic and Commonwealth movement in Ghana, Mr Nunoo Mensah stated that the Olympic family is solidly behind the team led by Coach Ibrahim Tanko.

Ghana's last  appearance at the Olympic Games was Athens 2004 which was 19 years ago.

"On behalf of the board, executives and sports federation heads I wish you all the luck to break the jinx that has denied football an appearance in almost two decades".

I also humbly urge the passionate Kumasi crowd to turn up in their numbers and roar the team to victory at the Baba Yara sports stadium.

 The Black Meteors drew 1-1 in the first leg and are slight favorites to overcome the much fancied North Africans and qualify for the U-23 Afcon to be hosted by Morocco in June.

The Communications Director of the GOC and head of Sports at iMAX Media Yaw Ampofo Ankrah, has confirmed that  the match, which kicks off at 4pm local time in Ghana, will be telecast LIVE and exclusive on Max TV.

The top four placed teams at the Afcon, would automatically

qualify for the Olympics next summer in France.

GOC COMMUNICATIONS

… 5 regions to participate as Sunyani hosts starter

The second edition of the kids’ competition was launched in Accra on Monday at the GNAT Hall.

Five regions in Ghana will experience the Season II of the HD+ Kids Armwrestling competition as the Ghana Armwrestling Federation targets more numbers at the event.

Three regions competed in the maiden 2022 edition of the competition, made up of Western, Ashanti and the Greater Accra region.

The 2023 edition of the competition will see the Greater Accra, the Bono and Ahafo Regions, Eastern Region, Western Region, and the Ashanti Region all hosting the event.

President of the Ghana Armwrestling Federation, Charles Osei Asibey, speaking at the launch of the 2023 edition said “Season I was three regions plus the final, season II is going to be five regions plus a final. So we will do the Bono and Ahafo Regions, Eastern Region, Western Region, Greater Accra Region, and Ashanti Region. After all this round-robin we settle on a region to host the final,”

He revealed that the GAF has targeted 15,000 Junior and Senior High School students for season II of the HD+ Kids Armwrestling challenge.

SES HD PLUS Ghana Limited, the parent company of HD+ Ghana, has partnered with the Ghana Armwrestling Federation to introduce the sport to talented youngsters in the Junior and Senior High Schools in the country.

Armwrestling has become the fastest-growing sport in the West African nation with the breeze of the sport blowing fast and reaching many in the country and beyond.

By Sammy Heywood Okine

Pacey winger, Osman Bukari scored under 30 seconds after coming on in the second half for the game between Angola and Ghana in the qualifiers for the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) tournament.

Thanks to his goal, the Black Stars managed to secure a 1-1 draw against the Group E opponent of the 2023 AFCON qualifiers.

In a game played at the 11th November Stadium in Luanda, Angola started strongly and piled pressure on Ghana.

However, the defense of the visitors stood strong and gradually grew into the game to also threaten to score.

At the end of a goalless first half, Angola had the chance to score five minutes after recess when they were awarded a penalty kick.

Attacker Lucas Joao accepted the responsibility from 12 yards and scored to give the home side the lead.

While it appeared Angola would go on to win the game, Ghana head coach Chris Hughton had different ideas. The forward came on as a substitute and scored to force the match to end in a 1-1 draw.

Ghana stays top of Group E with 8pponts, and is on course to qualify for the 2023 AFCON to be hosted in Ivory Coast.

From Sammy Heywood Okine

The Black Stars of Ghana can secure early qualification to next year’s Africa Cup of Nations tournament to be staged in Cote d’Ivoire with a win against Angola today (Monday).

Angola host Ghana in the reverse fixture of the AFCONqualifiers in Luanda.

The two teams met in match day three last Thursday at the Baba Yara Sports Stadium in Kumasi where Antoine Semenyo secured a late winner to ensure that Ghana topped Group E with seven points.

The Black Stars now have  a three point lead on top of the table and can secure qualification with a win in today’s game with just two games to end the qualifiers.

A win will also mean the Black Stars have qualified for the AFCON tournament on 10 consecutive occasions.

The Black Stars lead the table with seven points after match day three followed by Angola and Central Africa Republic tied up on four points whilst Madagascar are bottom in the group with one point.

Meanwhile, Ghana skipper, Andre Ayew has been ruled out of the game against Angola after sustaining a knee injury on Thursday.

Other players to be missed are defenders Alexander Djiku, Mohammed Salisu and Dennis Odoi. They were left out of the travelling party due to injuries.

Meanwhile, Coach Chris Houghton has called Nicholas Opoku to revamp the squad.

By Sammy Heywood Okine

Nicholas Opoku has joined the Black Stars in Luanda for the Africa Cup of Nations Group E clash against Angola on Monday.

The Amiens defender has been drafted in to provide options for Coach Chris Hughton following the absence of Salisu Mohammed and Alexander Djiku. The two defenders who have been key members of the Ghana squad in recent times were left out of the travelling party due to injuries.

Nicholas made his Black Stars debut in July 2017, and has gone on to play for Ghana 13 times and scored one goal. He is expected to provide competition for Joseph Aidoo and Daniel Amartey who are the only recognized central defenders in the team.

The former Berekum Chelsea played stayed on the sidelines for close to one season after rupturing his cruciate ligaments in 2021 just one month after the commencement of the 2021-22 season.

The game which is scheduled for 16:00 GMT kick-off will be played at 11 November stadium in Luanda on Monday, March 27, 2023.

Source JoySports