By Gilbert Azeem Tiroog
Bolgatanga, May 3 GNA – Asamoah Gyan, former Captain of the Black Stars says the All-Regional Games initiative is to unearth Ghanaian talents in various sports disciplines without bias.
The All-Regional Games, which is set be held in June, this year at the Baba Yara Sports Stadium in Kumasi, is a sports festival spearheaded by the Former Sunderland Striker.
The move is to revitalise grassroot sports across the 16 regions to unearth talents in various disciplines for the nation.
The games to be played include football, volleyball, athletics, basketball, boxing, tennis, arm wrestling, among others.
Speaking to the media in Bolgatanga as part a visit to the Upper East Region to create awareness about the festival, Ghana’s all-time top scorer said the move was aimed at reviving grassroots sports and discovering new talents to represent the country soon while offering them opportunities at the international level.
“We don’t want to discriminate, and that is why we are offering the platform for all persons between 18 and 23 years of age to register so that when you are qualified for the trials in your region, you will have the chance to represent your region at the national level,” he stated.
He emphasised that the idea was to unearth Ghanaian talents, and that was why his outfit was giving young stars the opportunity to display their talents to the nation and the international community and called on sports men and women to register to be part.
Elaborating on the benefits the regions stood to gain for participating and winning, he explained that “for instance, if a volleyball team from a region wins, we are going to build a volleyball court in that region and name it after the team, and that applies to all the disciplines.”
The visit which was characterised by floats on the commercial street of Bolgatanga, the former Black Stars captain paid a visit to the Upper East Regional Coordinating Council and made his intentions known.
Dr Hafiz Bin Salih, the Upper East Regional Minister, thanked him and his team for the initiative, adding that it would indeed unearth valuable talents in the various sports disciplines that would be beneficial to the region and the country at large.
The All-Regional Games initiative requires regions to conduct trials to enable them to select their best sports men and women, who would then compete against representatives from other regions.
GNA.