Ghana to be sanctioned for poor sport infrastructure – Nii Lantey

Ghana risks being sanctioned by International Sports Federations if the country does not improve on her sports infrastructure, the Minister of Youth and Sports has stated.

According to the Minister, Nii Lantey Vanderpuye, he has received several notices that by November this year, if the country does not see any significant improvement in sports infrastructure, the country will be sanctioned.

The Minister made this statement during an MoU signing between HFC Bank and the Ghana Education Service (GES) last Friday in Accra.

Ghana seems to have inadequate sports infrastructure, which has been the bane for the country’s progress and success at international competitions.

A typical example is the National Hockey Stadium, which needs about €40,000 to renovate; meanwhile, the country is bidding to host the first round of the FIH World League in September.

The Accra and Kumasi Sports Stadia needs massive renovation, and after several assurances from various Sports Ministers, that is yet to be fulfilled.

The Azumah Nelson Sports Complex, which now serves as a breeding ground for snakes and other reptiles, has not seen any major facelift, and Mahama Ayariga’s (former Sports Minister) GH?100,000 injection into its renovation is yet to be realised.

AngloGold Ashanti’s interest in constructing a multi-purpose sports court in the country was halted for no apparent reason after they built three of such courts, with the one located at University of Ghana has virtually turned into a ‘bush’.

The Sports Minister, therefore, made a passionate appeal to the various corporate bodies to partner his ministry to develop the infrastructural base for sports development in the country.

“I am asking you to do business with the ministry by coming on board so that we build sports infrastructure, which I call private investment so that you can run it yourselves,” he said.

He added that government cannot achieve the target alone and will need the support from the corporate world to do that.