13TH AFRICAN GAMES: Camping over 500 athletes from Ghana has been a challenge – Chef De Mission

The Chef de Mission for the 13th African Games, Ernest Danso, has highlighted the difficulty of accommodating over 500 Ghanaian athletes in preparation for the upcoming event on March 3, 2024.

Athletes, who started camping in Cape Coast on January 9, have been conveyed back to the University of Ghana, the Games Village, to continue their training and also test the facilities set to host the games- The University of Ghana and the Borteyman Sports Complex.

Despite the challenge, Danso, speaking to Citi Sports, remains optimistic that Team Ghana will overcome the setback and actively contend for medals in the games.

“One of my biggest challenge or challenges is for them to conform to this new way of trying to begin things on board because they are used to a certain way.”

“This is the first time they have been camped like this with other nationals from other federations and sports codes as well.”

“Everything is new to everyone, it is the first time this is happening in Ghana and we have over 500 athletes, camping everyone from Cape Coast, more than half of them in one space has been a challenge.”

“Even as far as some federation heads as well.”

“It’s been a great challenge, but so far, so good, we’ve all come to some sort of agreement”

An estimated 3500 elite athletes from 54 countries are expected to compete at the games which will be held in Ghana for the first time in the competition’s history.

Ghana will compete in events including football, athletics, boxing, badminton, cycling, swimming, tennis, table tennis, and triathlon, among others.

At the previous event, in Rabat, Ghana won 13 medals to place 15th on the medals table, which had Egypt at the top with 273 medals, Nigeria in second position with 127 medals and South Africa placed third with 187 medals.

Ghana won its first gold medal when 17-year-old athlete, Rose Amoanimaa Yeboah, won the women’s high jump with a leap of 1.84m.

The country clinched her second gold medal in the Men’s 4×100 event.

Team Ghana, with the quartet consisting of Joseph Paul Amoah, Benjamin Azamati, Martin Owusu-Antwi and Sean Safo-Antwi, finished in a time of 38.30 seconds ahead of Nigeria (38.59) and South Africa (38.80).

In the women’s event, Team Ghana finished in eighth place after dropping the baton.

Ghana also won two silver medals in long jump and weightlifting, which amassed nine bronze medals to increase the tally.