The Ministry of Youth and Sports has presented a check for $10,000 to the Ghana Athletics Association to help cater for accommodation of thirteen athletes and officials for the World Relays in Poland, while the National Sports Authority has also stepped in to pay for air tickets.
With five days to the competition, the GAA was scrambling for finances to sponsor the team’s participation until the ministry’s intervention on Tuesday morning.
The competition, which kicks off on May 1 in Silesia, serves as an Olympic qualifying event with team Ghana hoping to secure tickets for the Tokyo games in the summer.
Team Ghana has entered two relay teams for the event; the men’s and women’s 4x100m relay teams.
Each team is made up of 5 athletes, with one each serving as a reserve.
The men’s team comprises all but one member of the Africa Games gold-winning relay team, with Martin Owusu-Antwi’s place taken by Coppin State University’s Joseph Manu.
Ghana’s 100m record holder, Benjamin Azamati, 200m record holder Joseph Amoah, and 2018 World Indoor 60m finalist Sean Safo-Antwi retain their places in the team. Edwin Gadayi, a former University of Cape Coast student and a Speedsters Club member, will travel as the reserve.
The women’s team is made up of regulars Flings Owusu-Agyepong, Gemma Acheampong, Hor Halutie and Janet Amponsah, who is making a return to competition for Ghana for the first time since the African Senior Championships in Asaba where she won two medals.
Coppin State University’s Latifa Ali, will join the team as reserve.
Ghana’s relay teams have not run together since the 2019 Africa Games in Rabat, almost two years ago, and face a daunting task to qualify.
Only a top 8 finish at the World Relays will guarantee the teams’ qualification to the Tokyo Games.