KMA sets up sports sub-committee

The Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA) has set up a sports sub-committee to work in partnership with other stakeholders to promote the development of the various sporting disciplines.

Mr. Osei Assibey-Antwi, the Metropolitan Chief Executive (MCE), said the committee would liaise with the Ashanti Regional Football Association (RFA), the Athletics, Boxing, Handball and Volleyball Associations to achieve set goals.

It has additionally been mandated to seek sponsorship to improve existing infrastructure, build community and multipurpose parks and to identify and nurture potential sporting talents.

The MCE announced this at the closing ceremony of this year’s National Sports Festival in Kumasi.

The assembly, he said, was eager to use as a vehicle for job creation.

Kumasi has over the years been popular for juvenile sports development, particularly, soccer and athletics, and has produced some renowned international athletes.

They include Ohene Karikari, Emmanuel ‘Koora’ Tuffour, Ignatius Gaisah, Margaret Simpson, Martha Bisah and Vida Anim, all them, participated in high profile competitions like the Olympic Games and World Athletics Championship.

In soccer, mention could also be made of Bayern Munich’s legend, Samuel Osei Kuffour, Dortmund’s Ibrahim Tanko and Inter Milan’s Sulley Muntari, all former UEFA Champions League winners, and Tony Yeboah, former Bundesliga best goal-scorer.

Mr. Assibey-Antwi said the expectation was that the committee would work hard and with passion to bring in sponsors to aid the organization of more sporting events.

Greater Accra Region, emerged champions of the festival - Ghana’s foremost sporting talent-hunt event, dominating majority of the events.

It won gold in both male and female categories of the volleyball contest, handball (male and female), taekwondo (male and female) and the male boxing contests.

In all, Greater Accra, collected more than 16 medals and for this, was presented with a giant trophy, certificates and souvenirs including mobile phones.

In the 100 metres men’s final event, Greater Accra’s Barnabas Aggrey shrugged off stiff challenge by his other competitors to win gold with a time of 10.82 seconds.

The second and third positions, were by Peter Ackah and Stephen Opoku, respectively, both of them from Ashanti and they were presented with silver and bronze medals, by the National Sports Authority (NSA), organizers of the competition.

Central and Ashanti were the first and second runner up in the eight-day event.