GRi Sports 03 – 01 - 2003

Referee Wellington on an international assignment

Ghanaian teams in Togo basketball tournament

Sportswriters decry poor sports administration

 

 

Referee Wellington on an international assignment

 

Accra (Greater Accra) 03 January 2003 - Newly crowned Sports Writers' Association's (SWAG) Referee of the Year, Joseph Willington, has been named by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) as the middle man in an Africa under-17 qualifier between Mali and Gambia on Sunday 12 January.

 

Fellow countrymen, Nicolas Djumoh and Haruna Ayuba would assist him on the lines in the Malian capital of Bamako. The commissioner for the qualifier towards Swaziland 2003 is Koffe Hasse from La Cote D'Ivoire.

 

The match is the first international assignment for Willington in the year, who last Saturday, broke a five-year dominance by compatriot Alex Quartey as the SWAG Referee of the Year.

 

He told the GNA Sports that there was not under intense pressure since this was not his first CAF assignment. The referee of the year however expressed optimism of a good show and to possibly assert himself as one of the finest on the local scene. He was grateful to SWAG for the award and expressed the hope that it would spur him on to perform even better in the year.

GRi…/

 

Send your comments to viewpoint@ghanareview.com

 

Return to top

 

Ghanaian teams in Togo basketball tournament

 

Lome (Togo) 03 January 2003 - The female basketball teams of University of Ghana, Legon, and the Saint Joseph Catholic Youth Organisation (CYO) arrived in Lome, Togo, on Thursday ahead of a three-day International Female Basketball Tournament.

 

The tournament, which is the third edition is being organised by the Fabulous Basketball Association, a basketball club in Lome and it is dubbed "FABA International Friendly Female Basketball Tournament".

 

Speaking to the GNA Sports, Toni D. Almeida, President of FABA said the tournament is aimed among other things to promote the participation of females in the game of basketball. He said it is the first time the competition is being extended to other West

 

African Countries to enhance friendship in the sub-region. In all, eight teams from Ghana and Nigeria, Benin and the host are participating in the competition. Ghana and Nigeria are presenting two teams each, one from Benin while the host is presenting three plus a guest team from France, which is taking part on no-scoring basis.

 

FABA, CMB Kazrmikaze and Club Basket System are representing the host country while Dolphins female club and the First Bank of Nigeria female basketball teams are representing Nigeria. Benin is being represented by Renaissance Basketball Club and from France, Sport Athletique Marmerx. The three-day competition kick-starts on Friday (today) and ends on Sunday.

GRi…/

 

Send your comments to viewpoint@ghanareview.com

 

Return to top

 

Sportswriters decry poor sports administration

 

Accra (Greater Accra) 03 January 2003 - The Sports Writers Association of Ghana, SWAG today said the average Ghanaian is disillusioned with the way sports in the country has been allowed to drift without clear- cut guidelines two years into the administration of the NPP government.

 

The Association is therefore demanding a radical re-think of the philosophy underpinning the promotion and development of sports in the country in the new-year. This is contained in the SWAG's New Year Message to the country under a heading, "Ghana Sports need new leadership" and signed by its president, Ebo Quansah.

 

"We are not happy with the way and manner important issues affecting the promotion and development of sports are being toyed with at the Ministry. We believe sports need a new direction. Sports cannot be promoted on the culture of suspicion and mistrust which is unfortunately replacing dialogue and frank discussion."

 

The message said, "after two years of careful monitoring of sports promotion and development, the SWAG has come to the sad conclusion that Sports is the weakest link in the Kufuor Government's drive to move the wheels of this nation along the path of Positive Change."

 

It said as the main watchdog on Ghana Sports, the SWAG is seriously disappointed in the government's apparent lack of interest in using sports as a unifying force and mobilising the people to be more productive.

 

The message said the present political leadership is bankrupt of ideas to move sports forward as he is unable to factor consensus building as an ally of sports promotion.

 

It said as a result, the country is gradually becoming the sick nation of African sports adding that, "from one of the greatest sporting nations on the continent, Ghana has succeeded in reducing herself into a laughing stock of global and African sports.

GRi…/

 

Send your comments to viewpoint@ghanareview.com

 

Return to top