Mr Mustapha Ussif, the Minister of Youth and Sports, says their target is to have 120 athletes qualify for the 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games in July.
According to the Sports Minister, 113 athletes have qualified for the Games so far, which, adding that it was is an improvement on the 78 athletes that participated in the 2018 Commonwealth Games in Australia.
Speaking at a press briefing in Accra, Mr. Ussif said that about five million Ghana cedis had been given to athletes in various sporting disciplines, which has resulted in the rise of athletes qualifying for the event.
“The target is to get about 120 to participate at this year’s Commonwealth Games, as against the 78 athletes that took part in the last Games in Australia. So far, 113 athletes have qualified, demonstrating the government’s investment in sports other than football, and over five million Ghana has been given to athletes to aid the preparation,” he said.
The Youth and Sports Minister revealed that Ghana’s men’s and female hockey teams have qualified for the Games as well as in other sporting disciplines such as table tennis, weightlifting, beach volleyball, para-powerlifting, and athletics.
Mr Ussif noted that they had put in place strategic plans to enable teams to make an impact in tournaments across various disciplines, but not only to participate.
He was confident that Ghana would be able to improve on its medal ranking at the upcoming Commonwealth Games after winning just one medal at the Gold Coast Games in Australia.
He further stated that three Ghanaian athletes, including Benjamin Azamati, Joseph Paul Amoah, and Deborah Acquah have qualified for this year’s World Athletics Championships in Oregon and would give them the needed support.
