Organizational lapses engulf National Unity Games

Accra, July 18, GNA – Organizational lapses have so far engulfed what was supposed to be a well planned and comprehensive National Unity Games, only a day after take-off of the championship.

The Unity Games that replaces the collapsed National Sports Festival, which spans ten days have already recorded challenges, thus sending panic into the camp of the participating athletes with some of them comparing the organization with the last one held in Kumasi in 2004 only a day into the event.

The athletes who have been in Accra since last Friday, have struggled to have access to water compelling most of them to purchase sachet water for their basic needs.

Most of the athletes the GNA Sports spoke to at the Games Village at the University of Ghana, Legon claimed they have not had a bath since Friday whilst others said they have managed to have a bath just once, since they arrived late last week with some attending nature’s call in the bush.

Another major challenge to the athletes is the quality and accessibility of food which they said is on a wholesale model which has failed to address their specific needs as athletes.

Some of them complained that eating ‘just anything’ served by the organizers could affect their weight and their performance in the end.

Apart from participants of the Colts football who have less trouble with access to training pitches, majority of the other disciplines have no facilities for training and at the time of filing this report, boxers have had no opportunity of a single training for days on arrival.

The athletes told GNA Sports their schedule have been reduced to roadwork without facilities for them to train and fear their performance will be greatly affected.

There are similarly grumblings among the athletes concerning the distance they have to cover to get to their games’ destinations for their disciplines with venues for competition scattered around the national capital at Legon, El Wak stadium, Accra sports stadium and Presec-Legon.

Meanwhile, the media have also complained about the poor nature of coordination at the Games that has brought 5000 athletes from all the regions, the security services and the universities together to compete in 20 disciplines for the next nine days.

While athletes labour to get a conducive environment for their disciplines, the media struggle for information with the Media Center fashioned out for the Games preoccupied with accreditation and other related issues.

No single result could be accessed at the Media Center as at close of day one with attendants insisting information for the day could only be available by Tuesday morning.

The Unity Games will have the athletes competing in colts football, amateur boxing, badminton, judo, cycling, volleyball, tennis, table tennis, handball and taekwondo among others.

The Accra Stadium, El-Wak stadium, the Athletics Oval of the University of Ghana, the ATTC Park and Legon - Presec Park are some of the venues to host the Games.