Trust Fund to be established for Sport development

Accra, Aug 12, GNA - The Ministry of Youth, Education and Sports (YES) is preparing a bill to be put before Parliament for the establishment of a National Sports Trust Fund aimed at ensuring a self-sustaining management structure to mobilise recourses to finance all aspects of sports in the country.

Taking his turn on the Meet the Press Series, Mr Kwadjo Baah-Wiredu, the minister said the bill would seek to promote private sector participation in sports development and promotion by granting tax relief for sponsors of sports programmes.

He said to facilitate easy access to the tax relief, the current National Sports Bill SMCD. 54 is being reviewed with a new vision for development, administration, organisation and promotion of sports. Mr Baah-Wiredu said as part of his ministry's strategic plan for sports to pick the country from the sordid low level it has sunk in recent times, it is reinstating Physical Education as compulsory subject in all first and second cycle institutions.

He encouraged the authorities in tertiary institutions to create conditions which would grant Sportsmen and women access to further education.

Mr Baah-Wiredu also asked metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies to view the development of sports and its infrastructure as a top priority to help support and unearth talents that abound in the urban and rural areas.

He pledged the support of his ministry to the Ghana Football Association's five year development plan targeted towards the unearthing and harnessing talents to help support their bid to host the 2008 African Cup of Nations Tournament.

The Minister said upgrading of facilities at the Winneba Sports College would soon commerce with the construction of a new football playing field in addiction to the installation of a four- inches water supply pipeline to connect the premises.

He said currently work on the executive and 60-room dormitory blocks would cost the ministry nearly 936 million cedis. The minister said currently products of the college football and tennis academies are performing creditably and winning at the national competitions such as the Milo Tennis, GTA Open (Tennis), Valco and the Milo National Soccer Championships.