By Iddi Yire
Accra, June 25, GNA – Mr. Mustapha Ussif, the Minister of Youth and Sports says Ghana successfully organised the 13th African Games, Accra 2023.
He told Parliament, in Accra, that the 13th African Games, Accra 2023, was successful, despite a few challenges.
Some of the challenges were the fear and anxiety that surrounded the possibility of meeting deadlines on the provisions of facilities and infrastructure as well as the acquisition of relevant equipment and logistics for the games.
He said the timely intervention of President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo ensured the resolution of all the challenges and made the organisation of the games possible as scheduled.
Mr Ussif said with the organization of the 13th African Games, Ghana could now boast of world-class sporting facilities, ready to host both local and international competitions.
On challenges, Mr Ussif said, circumstances beyond government control affected the smooth construction of facilities for the games.
Two external global crises contributed significantly to affecting our preparations and dates for the Games, just as they did to many international sporting calendars, between 2020 and 2023.
Regarding publicity, the Minister said the low publicity of the Games affected attendance in the first week of the competitions if was evident in the spectator turnout during the Opening Ceremony as compared to the attendance at the Closing Ceremony; stating that however, with a concerted effort and an increase in publicity drive, this challenge was put under control and the Games generated excitement.
On negative publicity, he said some people, including some high-ranking members of society, who should have known better, deliberately set out to derail the Games by engaging in negative publicities against the Games and that some resorted to baseless allegations and lies, just to pitch the Ghanaian public against the Games, with the ultimate intention of derailing the success of the Games; saying “But the Ghanaian public saw through the mischief and did not fall for this mischief.
He said in the end the majority of the Ghanaian public saw the Games as a national project and beautifully embraced it.
The National Democratic Congress (NDC) Parliamentary Minority urged the Minister to present to the House the financial report on the organization of the Accra 2023 Games.
GNA