Ghana braces for 2014 Commonwealth Games

Team Ghana is bracing itself for a good showing at the 2014 Commonwealth Games which will be held in Glasgow, Scotland from 23rd July to 3rd August.

With just two weeks to go, Team Ghana have stepped up their preparation at their pre-Games camp in the Scottish City of Ayr.

The pre–Games training stint in Ayr has afforded the team a great opportunity to fine tune their preparations before moving to the Games Village at Hampden Park on 23rd July.

It will be recalled that Team Ghana left in three batches between Friday, 27th June and Tuesday, 1st July, after completing medical screening and residential camping in Accra.

The contingent that arrived for the pre–Games camp comprised of athletes, coaches, medical team, security personnel and administrative staff.

Ghana will be among 70 participating nations at the Games, which will see athletes compete for laurels in 17 sporting disciplines.

The country will be represented in ten sporting disciplines in Glasgow, including athletics, boxing, shooting, taekwondo, table tennis, judo, swimming, badminton, cycling and weightlifting.

Team Ghana have been using the various sporting facilities in the vicinity for their training sessions. Team Athletes and para sports have been training at the athletic oval at South Ayrshire College; Team badminton, Team Judo and Team Table Tennis have pitched camp at Belmont Academy while Team Swimming have been training at the Citadel Leisure Centre.

The national amateur boxing team, the Black Bombers, have also been training at the Wosso Boxing Gym while Team Judo and Team Weightlifting have been using facilities in Kilmarnock.

Ghana has traditionally done well at the Commonwealth Games, winning a total of 55 medals since its maiden appearance in the 1954 Games. The country won four medals in the 2010 edition of the competition.

The Ghana Olympic Committee (GOC) earlier in the year gave out some preparation grants to the participating associations to aid in their preparations.

The GOC is working closely with the Ministry of Youth and Sports and the National Sports Authority to fulfill its mandate of managing Ghana’s team at International competitions.

Ghana’s Chef De Mission, Chris Essilfie, expressed his happiness about the team’s arrival in Ayr and their readiness for the largest multi-sport event in the world this year.

“I’m satisfied with Team Ghana’s level of preparedness so far,” he said.

“The process of sending our athletes from Ghana to the UK was very smooth due to the work of the Ghana Olympic Committee in securing the transportation, accommodation and logistical needs of the team in advance.

“The athletes are very happy because they are being catered for by a Ghanaian chef, providing Ghanaian dishes and are also very happy with the world class training facilities at their disposal.

“Through its collaboration with the Ministry of Youth and Sports, the GOC has ensured that our athletes have the best environment to train for the Games.

“Over 90 athletes are currently training in world class facilities at Ayr under close supervision of their coaches.

“We will continue to work with the Ministry of Youth and Sports and the National Sports Authority to see to the needs of the athletes in the coming weeks and during the Games itself,” he concluded.