Covid-19 in Ghana: Black Stars, GPL, other competitions likely to be affected

Outbreak, endemic and now pandemic, that’s how fast the deadly coronavirus has gone from a ‘Chinese virus’ to the ‘worst public health crisis for a generation’ as said by UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

The world watched with little concern as the little Chinese province of Wuhan struggled to contain the virus.

In a little over a month, the virus broke Chinese boundaries and managed to affect its neighbouring countries and Europe.

America gets it, the UK records its first case and all of sudden the world is interested in combating the virus. The more stringent the measures, the higher the surge in numbers. The CNN this morning reported over 125,000 cases and 46,000 deaths.

It took a while for the virus to hit sub-Saharan Africa but in the last twelve hours, Ghana, Ethiopia and Kenya have become the 13th, 14 and 16th countries to record it in the part of the continent.

At an emergency presser in the night of Thursday, Health Minister, Kwaku Agyemang Manu confirmed Ghana’s first two cases of the Covid-19.

The announcement which came a little after the GFA announced that it is monitoring development had the minister reveal a Norwegian and Ghanaian who is a senior official of the United Nations in the country as the first two victims.

The government has since been assuring the citizenry that it is working around the clock to have the virus contained.

Across the globe, the impact of the pandemic on sports has been grave. More than a dozen competitions have been postponed indefinitely as a means to limit the spread of the virus.

The Italian Serie A, UEFA Champions League, Europa League, NBA, Copa Libertadores are just a few of the competitions which have been placed on ice.

After the country confirmed its first case, we take a look at some sporting competitions which could suffer similar fates like the aforementioned.

Black Stars vs Sudan

CK Akonnor may have to wait a little longer for his Black Stars coaching debut if CAF bows to pressures for it to cancel the 2021 AFCON qualifiers scheduled for this month.

The Black Stars will lock horns with Sudan on March 27 and 31 and everything appears to be on course but things could take a dramatic twist if CAF decides to reschedule the matches amid pressure from some quarters.

Ghana Premier League / FA Cup

The first round of the league is just two matches away from ending but it could suffer an unexpected hiatus if the government triggers public safety steps.

The government is advising against public gatherings and the GPL which witness a decent amount of patronage could be put on hold.

The GFA has said that they are in talks with the Ghana Health Service and will take such decisions if the need be.

Accra ATU Sprint

The African Triathlon Sprint Cup slated for March 28 is one event which could be postponed due to the virus.

Public gatherings are now being discouraged by the state and should there be a definite move in that regard, the competition will be affected.

It is slated for Saturday, March 28 at the Labadi beach

Armwrestling League

The Ghana Armwrestling Federation announced last month that it was going to start its league season in March.

Preparations are have been going for the commencement of the league but with the latest development, the start could be delayed.

UPAC Basketball Championship

Organizers of the basketball competition will be hoping that the situation won’t escalate to a level where they will have to shelve the competition.

The tertiary institution basketball tournament is arguably the biggest basketball competition in the country and it will be a big blow if it is postponed.