SWAG commemorates International Day of the Sports Journalist

Accra, July 3, GNA 96 The Sports Writers Association of Ghana (SWAG) has saluted all sports journalists and warmly applauds their contributions towards the promotion of sports in the country. It also greets all patrons of SWAG and extends its felicitations to sportsmen and women as well as sports administrators and government officials in charge of sports promotion in the country.

Mr Ebo Quansah, President of SWAG said this in a statement issued on Sunday to commemorate the International Day of Sports Journalist and a day set aside by the Association of Internationale de Press Sportive (AIPS), the parent body of sports journalists associations around the world to celebrate excellence in sports journalism.

He said SWAG applauds the sponsorship role of organisations such as Ghana Telecom, the State Insurance Company, Nestle Ghana Limited and all other companies and individuals who support the activities of the association in promoting sports development in the country. Mr Quansah said SWAG is encouraged by the fact that sports journalists were at the forefront of the campaign and effectively directed to ensure the Black Stars' qualification and maiden participation in the global fiesta of football.

=93We are happy to note that this year's International Day of the Sports Journalist is being marked at a time the national team, the Black Stars have just returned from their heroic deeds at the FIFA World Cup in Germany that was captured effectively for the enthusiastic audience back at home through the untiring efforts of our sports journalists=94. Mr Quansah said SWG warmly congratulates the players, technical team and the Ghana Football Association for a job well done, adding that the Black Stars have not only brought glory and honour to Ghana and Africa but they have succeeded in uniting the nation.

"We therefore greet the skipper Stephen Appiah and his gallant young men who went to the cauldron of World Cup duty, saw the best the world could assemble and conquered in the name of Ghana".

The President said the success story of the Black Stars in Germany has reversed the negative trend of partisan politics and chieftaincy disputes at least for the period that they remained in the World Cup as a number of people took their pay disputes to the streets and all rediscovered themselves in the Ghanaian identity.

Mr Quansah said the spontaneous joy the Black Stars brought to Ghanaians should register on the authorities that the average Ghanaian is thirsty for success.

He said the world of football expects Ghana to stage a successful African Cup of Nations in 2008 and to win it and this requires hard work and dedication.

The President asked for proper guidelines for especially development of youth football as a national crusade to nurture strikers since of late, children playing football in the vicinities choose to rely on very small goal posts forcing players to dribble their way into the net instead of shooting from various distances.

Mr Quansah said SWAG is particularly happy with the contributions of companies such as Goldfields, Guinness Ghana Breweries, Ghana Commercial Bank and others who generously gave so that the Black Stars could go to the international forum and bring further joy to Ghanaians. He invited philanthropists to pay more attention to athletics since it is one of the nation's most vibrant sporting disciplines and that with continuous financial support to sports in Ghana it will see the revival all sports disciplines.