Badminton Association pledges to win medals at Commonwealth Games

*Source: Prince Dornu-Leiku / SportsInGhana.com** *

*Players and officials of Ghana’s national Badminton team are pledging to bring home medals from October’s Commonwealth Games in India. *

*Rated 2nd best in Africa at the junior level after returning home earlier this month from the Africa U-15 championship with 4 gold, 3 silver and one bronze medal, they now want to extend such success to the senior level.*

According to Ignatius Elletey, Secretary General of the Badminton Association of Ghana (BAG), despite the many problems emanating from a lack of sponsorship, facilities and equipment, they are focused on achieving more laurels for the country.

“Obviously we need money, funds, facilities, equipment and sponsors because we don’t even have a hall to play in, we share the same (D G Hathiramani) Sports Hall with many other sporting disciplines.

“But we will continue to work hard and we promise to bring medals from the Commonwealth Games, at least a bronze,” Mr. Elletey told *SportsInGhana.com*last Saturday after successfully staging a national justifier to select players for the Games at the Ohene Djan Stadium in Accra.

21 men and 6 women drawn from across the country battled for places in Team Ghana for the Delhi Games. Spanning two days beginning last Friday August 27, eight men and four women have been selected to begin a one-month intensive training and preparation. “The justifiers have been highly successful and of a very high standard.

“It was also exciting to see junior players beating senior players because it shows determination that no one came to joke. It also shows that no one has a permanent place in the national team but you have to work hard for it,” the BAG Secretary General stated to *SportsInGhana.com.*

Solomon Nyarko, Daniel Sam, Eric Attah-Panyin, Kingsley Adjei (all of Takoradi), Daniel Aryee, Noah Ben Ayim, Felix Amasah and Victor Sekyi (all of Accra) make up the males selected for the training and preparation for the Commonwealth Games. Linda Osei Hammond (Tema), Theresa Tetteh (Immigration), Stella Amasah (Accra) and Gifty Mensah, also of Accra, make up the female list.

Mr. Elletey also disclosed to *SportsInGhana.com* that the players will be pruned down to five men and three women before they finally emplane to India in October.