Paralympic athletes and Ghana Olympic team interact

It was one momentous occasion last Friday when the national Paralympic team met over with the national Olympic team at Coleridge Hall, UCP Marjon in Plymouth.The two camps are preparing towards the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games in the South-Western part of the UK.

Interestingly, the two teams did not realize how close they were to each other until a week ago when they met at an athletics competition at Exeter. Thereafter, head of Ghana's Olympic training camp in Plymouth, Dr. Andrew Owusu, invited the paralympic athletes for dinner. The two groups of athletes know each other well and have been on a number of national teams together including the 2010 Commonwealth Games and the 2011 All-African Games. The intent was to sit down and interact over dinner featuring Ghanaian food.

For about an hour, the national athletes discussed issues of mutual concern. Discussions ranged from mandane everyday training camp issues to resource challenges. However, the overall sentiment was the need to do their best for mother Ghana during the Games.

The Paralympic team made of the quartet of Charles Narh, Botsyo Nkegbe, Anita Fordjour and Alem Mumuni, are currently based in Exeter, UK on a Right To Dream sponsored training camp preparing towards the upcoming Paralympic Olympic Games. The athletes together with their British coach have been in Exeter since 25th June, 2012.

The Olympic trio of Vida Anim, Margaret Simpson and Ignisious Gaisah are currently based in Plymouth England at Marjon University under the guidance of coach Leonard Myles-Mills (Sprints) and Dr. Andrew Owusu (Long Jump). The latter group will move to the Olmpic Village in London on Monday 23rd July.

The Olympics Games starts on Thursday, 27th July to 12th August, 2012 before the Paralympic Games takes place between 29th August and 9th September.