Green Grass Technology (GGT) Company, has been announced as headline sponsors for the 2007 Ghana National Athletics Championship.
The announcement was made on Thursday as the company handed out their cheque for the 2007 Ghana National Athletics Championship to be staged at the ultra modern Essipong Stadium in Sekondi-Takoradi from this weekend.
This is the first time in seven years that the National Athletics Championship is being held in Ghana, and this time, it is being sponsored by the GGT, which is a titled sponsor.
Speaking to journalists at the Conference Room of the Ministry of Education, Science and Sports in Accra, Mr. Frank Boahene, Managing Director of the GGT, said at a time that Athletics was crying for support from companies operating in Ghana after several years of inactivity, his outfit was happy to offer its widow’s mite of ¢130 million for the development of athletics in the country.
“Ghana athletics used to be a real powerhouse on the continent. It is a pity that our beloved nation’s athletics has fallen on hard times and experienced a decline in fortunes,” he noted.
The function was attended by Honorable Prince Oduro-Mensah, Chief Executive of National Sports Council (NSC), Mr. Sandy Osei Agyemang, Chairman of GAA and Mr. Frank Boahene, who presented the dummy cheque for ¢130 million to the NSC boss to be forwarded to Mr Sandy Osei.
Mr. Boahene said the GGT support for this year’s National Athletics Championships was a humble signal to other corporate entities in Ghana that it was about time they accorded other sporting disciplines the necessary support and thus energise them to achieve more laurels for the country.
It would be recalled that the GGT was mandated to construct training pitches at various locations throughout Ghana for nations participating in the forthcoming CAN 2008 to be held in Ghana.
Mr. Boahene, also a former athlete, felt challenged by the clear wastage of athletic talent whilst working in different communities where he saw several high potential talents who lacked the necessary support and exposure to develop their skills.
According to Honorable Prince Oduro-Mensah, possibilities were growing with the new facilities the government was putting in place and what was happening showed that the country was also growing.
Chairman of GAA, Mr. Sandy Osei thanked the GGT for the gesture saying, “We are happy that we can start preparing earlier for our assignments because money has always been the issue. We need a company to handle an event and nurture it to expectation.”
