The historic first African Para Games – Accra 2023 will involve disciplines like Amputee Football, Para Athletics, Para Powerlifting, Goalball, Sitting Volleyball, Wheelchair Basketball and Wheelchair Tennis.

According to Mr. Samson Deen, President of the African Paralympic Committee (APC) September 3rd to 12, 2023  have been fixed for the event in Accra Ghana.

36 countries including Ghana, Gambia, Cameroun, Senegal, Egypt, Cape Verde, Mali, Guinea, Ethiopia, Tunisia, Sierra Leone, Guinea Bissau, Mozambique, Benin Namibia, Zimbabwe,  Zambia, Eritrea, Burundi, South Africa, Comoros, Nigeria, Sao Tome, Burundi, Cote d’Ivoire, Libya, Botswana, Gabon, Sudan, Rwanda, Liberia, Togo, Kenya, Uganda, Morocco and Central African Republic  have confirmed participation.

The LOC for the organization and a new office complex have been inaugurated by the Minister of Youth & Sports, Hon. Mustapha Ussif.

By Sammy Heywood Okine

George Ashie Redeems Pledge To Support GBA With Percentage From His Purse

Team Ashie led by Coach Vincent Akai Nettey (Head Coach of Attoh Quashie Boxing Gym) and supported by the elder brother Jonathan Ashie visited the Ghana Boxing Authority (GBA) Secretariat to discuss issues pertaining to George Ashie’s performance in his Welterweight fight against American boxer Alexis Rocha last month at the California Theatre, USA.

George Ashie, a natural Lightweight boxer was handed a round 7 knockout by Alexis Rocha in the WBO and NABO Welter weight title fight on 28th January,2023.

George Ashie undeniably put up a sterling performance and endeared himself to the international Promoters and Sanctioning Bodies. Preparations are far advanced for a strong comeback in his next title fight.

On behalf of George “The Red Tiger” Ashie, his trainer, Vincent Akai Nettey paid his percentage of his fight purse against Alexis Rocha to the Ghana Boxing Authority as his contribution towards the development of Ghana Boxing.

The GBA President,Abraham Kotei Neequaye who received the money, expressed his profound gratitude to Team Ashie especially the boxer, George Ashie for the surprise package and urged other boxers to emulate this magnificent gesture.

Geoege Ashie is the second Ghanaian Professional Boxer after Isaac Dogboe who fought in the United States to have paid his percentage purse to the GBA.

The GBA wishes George Ashie the very best of luck in his subsequent career endeavours.

GBA Communications Directorate

The Local Organising Committee (LOC) for the first African Para Games - Accra 2023   has been inaugurated at North Ridge in Accra, Ghana amidst flamboyance and excitement by Hon. Mustapha Ussif, Sports Minister of Ghana.

He also commissioned the new modern secretariat of the African Paralympic Committee (APC) and unveiled the logo for the Games.

He sworn in and urged the members who were specially selected based on their expertise to deliver, as expected of them and prove that Ghana has the men who are capable of staging a successful event.

The appointees include Chris Boadi-Mensah (Chairman), Dr. Bella Bello Bitigu (Director of Sports), Julian Addo-Yobo (Director Legal), Reks Brobbey (Director of Operations), Henry Tachie-Mensa (Services Director), Saddick Adams (Communications), Gifty Afia Oware Aboagye (Director of Marketing) Osman Ali (Director of Finance), Eric Kissi (Member of NPC Ghana) and Mr. Hayat Kaitab (Member of APC).

Chief Director at the Ministry of Youth & Sports, Alhaji Hafiz Adam said Sports plays a key role in the socio development of nations, and the Africa Para Games will bring many positives to Ghana and Africa, especially for physically challenged people.

Mr. Samson Deen, President of the African Paralympic Committee (APC) and National Paralympic Committee  (NPC Ghana) whose initiative and proposal for Ghana to host the event was backed by the President of Ghana HE Nana Akuffo-Addo expressed that the organizing the first African Para Games is doable, and was optimistic that the LOC will deliver.

He promised the APC will deliver the ‘Stand Alone for Athletes Multi Purpose Sports Event’ which able athletes have enjoyed since 1965, and also seek for qualification for the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris.

Mr. Adjetey Sowah, former President of the Ghana Amputee Federation described Samson Deen as a Maestro in Sports Administration and advised other federation leaders to emulate his example.

Present at the event were the Ghana Olympic Committee (GOC) President Ben Nunoo Mensah, Deputy Director General of the National Sports Authority (NSA) Mr. Majeed Bawa, Board Chairman of the NSA Mr, Seth Panwum, former and present Para Athletes and the Ghana Sports Supporters. Many others from all over the world also witnessed the event via zoom and other social media channels.

By Sammy Heywood Okine

Ghana’s Isaac Dogboe believes he has what it takes to beat Cuban Robeisy Ramirez because the latter has not fought anyone like him, and will prove that he is the best in the weight class.

Ramirez has a record of 11 wins with one defeat and 7 knock outs, while Dogboe aka ‘The Royal Storm’ has lost twice in his career to Mexican WBO Super Featherweight Champion, Emmanuel Naverrete and won 24 of his fights with 15 knock outs.

Isaac Dogboe also held the WBO Super Bantamweight before losing it to Naverrete.

He represented Ghana at the London 2012 Olympic Games.

The date for the WBO featherweight world title clash between Dogboe and Robeisy 'El Tren' Ramirez is April 1, 2023 at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, Tulsa Oklahoma and news from the USA states that the man from the Volta Region who wants to make history again has intensified his preparations.

Isaac Dogboe who is handled by trainer Barry Hunter and Patrice Harris at the Headbangers Gym in the Bald Eagle Recreation Center in Washington DC are really working hard for victory in his second title.

In an recent interview with Team Dogboe PRO, Nana Ama Akyere, she said they will organize a press conference to update Ghanaians on preparations.

However news from the camp of the two-time Olympic gold medalist, southpaw Robeisy Ramirez states he is also ready for his first world title opportunity.

The 29-year-old joined forces with Cuban trainer Ismael Salas, who has helped channel his talents into a more professional style. Ramirez scored three straight knockout wins in 2022.

He stopped Irish veteran Eric Donovan and outsmart then-unbeaten contender Abraham Nova with a single straight left hand. Last October, he beat Jose Matias Romero via ninth-round TKO.

Ramirez who faces his biggest test had to say about his first world title shot:

“Main event. World championship on the line. This is what I have always wanted and have asked for since I became a professional boxer. I see this fight as the perfect stage from which to present my credentials to the world and make the case that I am the best fighter in the featherweight division.”

“For me, life has always been about continuously being hungry. Talent alone is not enough at this level. True success means continuing to evolve, moving ahead, and conquering hurdles and failures to become great. I’ve experienced true hardship in life, so moving up to the mountains for a few weeks won’t break me. It will only make me stronger, like all of the difficulties I endured on the road to where I am.”

“I am proud of my career as an amateur and being a product of the ‘Cuban School of Boxing.’ But I have always added my own elements to the equation. I want to come forward and entertain, too. ‘El Tren’ is not just a nickname, it characterizes who I am as a fighter. At the end of the day, boxing is for the fans. And if they find my style agreeable, I will not shy away from the responsibility of leading the way for many others who want to break the mold of the highly skilled but boring Cuban boxer. On April 1, I will fulfill the goal of becoming world champion, but I am convinced that my greatest accomplishments in this sport are ahead of me.”

But Isaac Dogboe 28, the brave warrior who also loves to be called ‘Neho’ is not afraid of words or anyone in the ring.

He believes it is an onother opportunity to give the people of Ghana a title once again and he will nail it.

Vice President of the Ghana Boxing Supporters Union (GHABSU) Mr. Samuel Gyan feels the title is coming home, likewise President of the Ghana Boxing Authority (GBA), Mr. Abraham Neequaye who is certain that Dogboe will win for sure.

Mr. Eugene Sackey, a boxing Promoter / Manager also thinks Dogboe has the uppoer hand looking at the records.

Ramirez-Dogboe headlines a stacked card streaming live and exclusively in the U.S. on ESPN+.

By Sammy Heywood Okine

The three-day AIPS Africa Congress began today, February 23, and will come to an end on Saturday, the 25th

DAKAR, Senegal, February 23, 2023/ -- On the eve of the AIPS Africa (https://AIPSAfrica.com) Congress in Dakar, Senegal, Mitchell Obi, AIPS Africa President, received a goodwill letter from the Confederation of African Football (CAF), dated February 22nd, 2023 and signed by the General Secretary Véron Mosengo-Omba, who conveyed his sincere apology for his inability to be present in Dakar due to the ongoing U-20 Africa Cup of Nations in Egypt. “I have, however, sent on our behalf a senior member of our administration, Mr. Luxolo September,” he wrote.

The three-day AIPS Africa Congress began today, February 23, and will come to an end on Saturday, the 25th. It is an elective assembly which will usher in a new Executive Committee that will steer the affairs of the association for the next four years.

In the CAF letter, Mosengo-Omba hailed the contribution of the “extremely important” journalists’ body “towards making football a global sport enjoyed by billions across the world” as well as “in championing the causes that have ensured that the rights of sport media representatives are championed and advanced”.

He continued: “As the President of AIPS in Africa, you and your organization have played a very important role inthe growth of football. At CAF, we recognize this role and its impact."

“We wish we could have interacted more often in the last few months, but the recent challenges have made this regular interaction difficult. Media freedom is important for CAF and we have often joined your voices in condemning any acts of intimidation against journalists in Africa.

“As you prepare to step down and hand over to the new leadership to be elected to lead AIPS in Africa, we hope you will continue in your role to mentor the next generation of future sports journalists in Africa.

“Once again receive our sincere greetings from CAF President, Dr Patrice Motsepe.”

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of AIPS Africa.

SOURCE AIPS Africa

…New date for 2024 Olympic Qualifiers to be announced

A new date for the 2023 Afri­can Games (AG) will soon be announced following the resolution of an impasse be­tween the African Union (AU), the Association of National Olympic Committees of Africa (ANOCA) and the Association of African Sports Confederations (AASC).

The African Games to be hosted in Ghana was scheduled for Au­gust, but disagreements between the three stakeholders affected the Local Organizing Committee (LOC) preparation for the event.

The impasse was, however, amicably resolved on Sunday at the AU Headquarters in Addis Ababa following a meeting facilitated by Ghana’s President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, who was represented by the Minister of Youth and Sports, Mustapha Ussif, and the Chairperson of the AU, Moussa Mahamat.

At the end of meeting, stake­holders signed a Negotiated Agreement for the resumption of preparations for the African Games.

Mustapha Ussif, signed the agreement for Ghana, Amb. Minata Semate Cessouma, AU Commissioner for Health, Humanitarian Affairs and Social Development signed for AU, Mr Mustapha Berraf, President of ANOCA signed for his institution while Major General Nasser, President initialed for AASC.

Also at the meeting was the Ex­ecutive Chairperson for the Local Organizing Committee (LOC) for the African Games, Dr Kwaku Ofosu Asare, the Deputy Chief Operating Officer of the LOC, Mr Reks Brobbey, the Chief Director of the Ministry of Youth and Sports, Alhajo Hafiz Adam and other dignitaries.

The impasse had for the past one and half years impacted ad­versely on Ghana’s efforts to host the 13th African Games, Accra 2023.

Prior to the meeting on Sunday, Dr Ofosu -Asare who spoke to the media in Accra said, the government was committed to ensuring that Ghana hosted the 13^th African Games without hitches.

He said, the country could not be blamed for the delay in the completion of the facilities for the event as they were doing everything possible to ensure that Ghana served the entire continent with a spectacle.

“The misunderstanding has been one of our biggest challenges which is no fault of ours, but we are sure that after the agreement is signed, we could move on with the organization,” he stressed.

The Games had earlier been fix to take place in Accra, Ghana between 4th to 19th August, 2023.

Source  Ghanaian Times

Ukraine as well as several other countries have threatened to boycott the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris if fighting continues in Ukraine and Russian as well as Belarusian athletes are allowed to feature in the French capital. © Michel Euler / AP

Olympic Games supremos have claimed the next event in Paris in 2024 will offer the world an opportunity to encourage geo-political unity and reconstruction.

The message of emollience emerged as bosses at the International Olympic Committee (IOC) – which has overall control for the quadrennial event – began to mark the year anniversary of Vladimir Putin's decision to send Russian military forces into Ukraine via Belarus.

IOC chiefs reacted to Putin's move by recommending that international sports exclude Russian and Belarusian athletes from their competitions.

But the IOC president, Thomas Bach, has since said that was only a measure intended to “protect” those athletes.

The IOC argues Russian and Belarusian athletes should not be discriminated against because of the passports they hold and ought to be allowed to participate under a neutral flag.

“During the Olympic Games athletes from 206 different national Olympic committees live together in peace in the Olympic Village,” an IOC statement said.

 “Peace-building efforts need dialogue. A competition with athletes who respect the Olympic Charter can serve as a catalyst for dialogue, which is always a first step to achieving peace.

“The Olympic Games cannot prevent wars and conflicts. Nor can they address all the political and social challenges in our world. This is the realm of politics. But the Olympic Games can set an example for a world where everyone respects the same rules and one another," the statement added.

“They can inspire us to solve problems by building bridges, leading to better understanding among people. They can open the door to dialogue and peace-building in ways that exclusion and division do not.”

A group of more than 30 nations – including the 2024 hosts France – issued a collective statement on Monday calling for the ban on Russian and Belarusian athletes to continue.

The group includes Latvia, which has threatened to boycott the Paris Games if fighting continues and Russian and Belarusian athletes are allowed to compete.

 “In Russia and Belarus, sport and politics are closely intertwined," said the joint statement.

"We have strong concerns on how feasible it is for Russian and Belarusian Olympic athletes to compete as ‘neutrals’ – under the IOC’s conditions of no identification with their country – when they are directly funded and supported by their states [unlike, say, professional tennis players].

“The strong links and affiliations between Russian athletes and the Russian military are also of clear concern. Our collective approach throughout has therefore never been one of discrimination simply on the basis of nationality, but these strong concerns need to be dealt with by the IOC.”

The Paris Olympics is scheduled to start on 26 July, 2024 and will last until 11 August.

Rfi

Karl Tufuoh, a seasoned journalist and lecturer, has lauded the late Christian Atsu as Ghana's most talented footballer since Abedi Ayew Pele.

Speaking on Metro TV, Tufuoh opined that Atsu had more ability than the likes of Michael Essien and Stephen Appiah, but could not realize his full potential.

“If you take away Abedi Pele, I think the most gifted player since Abedi left the scene has been Atsu.

“The only problem is that Atsu didn’t fulfil his full potential. He should’ve been light years ahead of what Michael Essien did at Chelsea, because the talent was better and modern.”

The journalist explained that Atsu was far more gifted than Stephen Appiah, who is widely considered to be one of Ghana's greatest footballers. Tufuoh expressed regret that Atsu's time at Chelsea did not work out and that he had to relocate to Turkey at 31.

“And for those who think Stephen Appiah was the ultimate, no. When it comes to talent, Atsu was way ahead of him. Why didn’t it work at Chelsea?

“If it had worked out at Chelsea, he still would be there at 31, and not in Turkey. That’s what hurts and grieves me the most, because the ability of this boy was phenomenal.”

On February 18, Atsu's lifeless body was discovered in the aftermath of the earthquake that struck Turkey on February 6. The football community is mourning the loss of a talented player with enormous potential.

Footballghana.com

Dr. Kwaku Ofosu-Asare, Executive Chairman (EC) of the Local Organising Committee (LOC) for the 13^th African Games (Accra 2023) has commended President Nana Addo Dankwah Akuffo - Addo for his role in resolving the misunderstanding between the African Union (AU), Association of National Olympic Committees (ANOCA) and the Association of African Sport Confederations (AASC).

Addressing the media after a crunch meeting in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, he said the Ghanaian President and his entourage comprising the Ambassador and Ministers of State were present and deliberated to find and amicable solution and also present Ghana an opportunity to plan well to organize the 13^th African Games.

He said Ghana began preparations for the event by the unveiling of the mascot, logo, and website  in December 2021, after winning the bid to host the rest of Africa in 2018.

However, a number of issues, including Covid 19, disagreements between key parties such as the African Union (AU), Association of National Olympic Committees (ANOCA) and the Association of African Sport Confederations (AASC), cast doubt on the proposed Game’s possibility.

According to the veteran Sports Journalist and former Lecturer, many issues were discussed in Addis Ababa, including technical, management, sponsorship, broadcasting rights, benefits for the host nation, AU, ANOCA and AASC among others.

He said the benefits of the Games are huge, hence it must be well planed and well organized.

He expressed gratitude to Nana Akuffo-Addo for his patience and time as well as diplomacy in meeting the top officials to resolve the ownership of the African Games.

He hinted that a new date will be fixed after an inspection of the facilities at  Borteyman and Legon in Accra for the event.

“The name Accra 2023 will be maintained, we all need the Games which is a qualifier to the Paris Olympic Games in 2024” he added.

The 13th edition of the African Games was scheduled to take place in Accra, Ghana between 4th to 19th August, 2023.

Mr. Ben Nunoo Mensah, President of the Ghana Olympic Committee (GOC) who is also a member of the LOC and an ANOCA member appealed to the media to come out with positive reports to promote the  Games so that they can attract sponsors.

“Negative news will not attract sponsors” he noted.

He stressed that some time has been lost, so sports federations must present their plans on the Games on time to be considered into the new framework.

By Sammy Heywood Okine

The U.S. men’s national team, along with Mexico and Canada, will automatically qualify for the 2026 World Cup.

The three countries won the right to host the World Cup in a united North American bid. FIFA historically has given host nations the right to play in the World Cup without going through the usual qualification tournaments, though this is the first time FIFA had to set aside three host bids.

The tournament is set to expand from 32 teams to 48 in 2026. Another three berths will be awarded to CONCACAF nations via qualifying.

FIFA released a statement Tuesday saying, “In addition, the FIFA Council confirmed that, in line with the long-standing tradition of having all hosts competing at the FIFA World Cup, as well as sporting and operational considerations, the hosts of the FIFA World Cup 2026, namely Canada, Mexico and the USA, will qualify automatically for the final round of the competition, with their slots, therefore, being deducted from the overall allocation of six assigned to CONCACAF.”

While the U.S. and Mexico tend to qualify for most World Cups, it was good news for Canada, whose men’s national team broke a 36-year drought between World Cup appearances when it qualified for Qatar in 2022. Canada lost all three of its group-stage matches.

The FIFA Council also determined its timetable for bidding for the right to host the 2030 World Cup, saying it will make its decision next year.

That meeting will be separate from FIFA’s meeting to select a host for the 2027 Women’s World Cup, which will be held first, earlier in 2024.

There are three confirmed bids for 2030 hosting duties: a South American joint bid featuring Uruguay, Argentina, Paraguay and Chile; a Spain-Portugal joint bid that added war-torn Ukraine last year; and Morocco.

Source: Reuters