ECOWAS Games in Ghana postpone

THE

Second ECOWAS U-23 Games earlier scheduled for June 2 to 8 in Accra,

Ghana, will now take place from June 16 to 22 due to logistics reasons.The

new dates were agreed during a courtesy call by the ECOWAS Commissioner

for Human Development and Gender, Dr. Adrienne Diop, on Ghana’s

Minister of Youth and Sports, Clement Kofi Humado, last Friday.The

minister expressed Ghana’s appreciation to ECOWAS for accepting the new

dates and acknowledged the country’s commitment to a successful hosting

of the biennial sporting competition in athletics, handball,

volleyball, traditional wrestling and boxing, which will be featuring

for the first time.On her part, Diop expressed confidence in

Ghana’s ability to host the Games, noting that this would contribute to

the attainment of regional integration objectives. She assured the

minister of ECOWAS’ readiness to assist Ghana to host a successful

tourney.The commissioner’s visit took place during a three-day

meeting of the Games’ Monitoring and Supervisory Committee, which began

last week. The committee comprises, among others, the presidents of the

West African federations of the five sports featuring in the tourney,

representatives of the ECOWAS Commission and the Ouagadougou-based

ECOWAS Youth and Sports Development Centre, which is coordinating the

Games on behalf of the commission.At the opening of the meeting,

Ghana’s Deputy Minister of Youth and Sports, Dr. Edward Omane Boamah,

briefed members of the committee on the state of preparations,

challenges and support needed to ensure a hitch-free competition. He

also proposed a shift in the Games’ calendar for the committee’s

consideration.In his remarks, the Director of the ECOWAS Youth

and Sports Development Centre, Francis Chuks Njoaguani, promised that

the request for date change would be conveyed to the appropriate

authorities of the commission, just as he reaffirmed confidence in

Ghana’s determination and ability to organise the Games successfully,

adding that ECOWAS was impressed with the country’s commitment.Members

of the committee later undertook an inspection tour of the facilities

and discussed other issues related to Ghana’s readiness for the Games,

especially in terms of meeting international standards. Nigeria hosted

the inaugural edition of the U-23 regional tourney in 2010 with

competitions in four sports – athletics, handball, volleyball and

traditional wrestling.It is expected to promote and enhance

sports as a means of uniting and encouraging the youth in West Africa to

progress through balanced development. The competition also provides a

forum for interaction among West African youths, strengthens sporting

and economic ties between member-states and promotes a sense of

belonging among participants.In addition, this year’s Games would

serve as a good platform for West African sportsmen and women to

prepare for the London Olympics taking place later in the year.