Editorial by Ghanaian Times: Qualification for 33rd Olympiad wake-up call

We congratulate Ghana’s 4x100m men’s relay team on booking their ticket to this summer’s Olympic Games in Paris after winning Heat 2 on Day 2 of the World Relays held in the Bahamas.

It is heartwarming to learn that the quartet, made up of Ibrahim Fuseini, Isaac Botsio, Benjamin Azamati, and Joseph Paul Amoah, crossed the finishing line in a time of 38.29s, which is their season-best, to book automatic qualification for the 33rd Olympiad.

A big thumbs-up to the quartet for demonstrating resilience and good team chemistry, according to reports.

In spite of all the values of sports, it cannot be dismissed that sports competitions engender rivalry that causes team members to want to always win against their opponents.

If they fail to do so, the fire of rivalry makes them want to avenge their loss at their next meeting.

In the context of this rivalry, we are happy that the victory of Team Ghana was made sweet for sticking to their resolve to fend off any challenge, however stiff, from perennial rivals, Nigeria, to whom they lost their African Games gold at the recent Accra Games.

To a large extent, the rivalry in sports hardly ends in hatred among athletes, and it is moving that Nigeria demonstrated this by joining Ghana to celebrate their qualification with an expression of bountiful joy.

That show of love is the spirit needed in all spheres of life and among all nations in a world full of troubles and uncertainties.

Now regarding the subject of sports, the mention of Ghana readily brings to mind football, as well as boxing, because these are areas where the nation has gained fame.

However, names like Alice Anum ignite memories of the country’s honours in races.

The achievements of Ibrahim Fuseini, Isaac Botsio, Benjamin Azamati, and Joseph Paul Amoah should, therefore, be a wake-up call to the Ministry of Youth and Sports and agencies like the National Sports Authority to consider the gains all sports disciplines can bring to the country and see how to hone talents in those areas.

It is obvious the country pumps most of its resources earmarked for sports into football, and even in the area of football, male football is the focus, to the neglect of female football to a very large extent.

This must change, especially when players of the senior national team, the Black Stars, have begun showing that they have lost the steam of patriotism that can cause them to put up their best performance to make the country proud.

Today, most Ghanaian football enthusiasts love to support European teams because they derive joy and pleasure from their play spirit, which they lack in their compatriots, especially those who play for teams abroad.

The way out now is for the country to provide the appropriate facilities to hone talents in all disciplines, and such training should emphasise patriotism.

Besides, corruption in sports, particularly football, should be strictly checked in order for the country to present real talents at continental and global competitions.