Communications Director for the Ghana Boxing Federation, Charles Sergius Jojo Ephson, has acknowledged that Ghana’s inability to qualify for the 2024 Paris Olympic Games serves as a significant wake-up call, emphasizing the downturn in amateur boxing.
Despite sending a team of seven boxers, including one female athlete, to the World Olympic Qualifiers in Bangkok, Thailand, none managed to secure a place in the upcoming Olympics.
In an exclusive interview with Citi Sports, Ephson expressed concern, stating that the foundation of boxing in Ghana is severely compromised and requires immediate attention.
It wasn’t only Thailand,what happened from Dakar and in Senegal is a serious wake -up call.
It was a serious wake -up call.
That’s if the amateur looks solid, it also have a rippling effect on the professional ranks.
So with that happening at the amateur level, it tells you that the professional rank will also, you know, not standing and stands very well.
Don’t forget currently in Ghana, we don’t boost off one professional, you know, world champion.
It’s for anything at all. It’s a country that at one time or another, one holds four world title at the same time.
Azumah Nelson, Ike Quartey, Joshua Clottey, Joseph Agbeko and co, came in, later on Richard Commey, Isaac Dogbe and co.
So as it stands now, the foundation of our sports is in tatters, so as a country, we need to devise strategies so we can catch up with the rest of the world.
Ghana’s THEOPHILUS KPAKPO ALLOTEY just lost in a 2-3 split controversial judges decision of R16 action against Chuang Liu of China in men’s flyweight -51Kg of the @Paris2024 boxing qualifying tournament ongoing in Bangkok-Thailand.@moysgovgh @GhanaOlympic @FranceandGhana pic.twitter.com/RHI7pi9ZiN
— GHANA BOXING FEDERATION (GBF) (@ghanaboxingfed) May 31, 2024
Ghana participated in the tournament with seven boxers—six men and one woman—out of a total of 579 athletes from 133 countries, all vying for 51 qualifying spots.
Unfortunately, Amadu Mohammed (Featherweight), Henry Malm (Light-Middleweight), Jonathan Tetteh (Heavyweight), Mark Kojovi Ahondjo (Super-Heavyweight), Theophilus Kpakpo Allotey, and Joseph Commey (Featherweight) were eliminated in the quarter-finals.
Despite their extensive experience from competing in the Ghana Professional Boxing League, they couldn’t advance further.
The last time Ghana failed to qualify a boxer for the Olympics was in Athens in 2004.
In 2016, although Ghana didn’t initially secure a spot for the Rio Olympics, bantamweight Abdul Omar eventually qualified due to an unclaimed spot at the 2016 African Boxing Olympic Qualification Tournament.
