Why Ghanaian badminton players were transported to African Games in a pickup - GBF president reveals

Evans Yeboah, the president of the Ghana Badminton Federation has detailed the circumstances that led to some national team players being transported to the African Games centre at Borteyman in the bucket of a pickup truck.

Evans Yeboah explains that using a pickup truck to transport the players was a last-minute solution to a problem.

He noted that it was an emergency move to make sure the players could still take part in their scheduled competitions on Sunday, March 10, 2024.

Speaking to the press on the sidelines of a press conference on Monday, March 11, 2024, Evans Yeboah stated that the bus which was to shuttle the players from their base at Tema to Borteyman had broken down and that the pickup truck became the only available option.

“On that morning, the bus that they were using had broken down on the expressway. So the coach, in his own wisdom, decided to bus them, as an interim measure. By the end of the day, their regular bus schedule resumed and there was no problem,” he said.

“We have also gotten the players a top psychologist to work with them and I can say that emotionally, they are okay now,” he said.

The unfortunate experience of the Ghana badminton players was brought to light by Leslie Addo who was a member of Ghana’s double men’s team.

According to him, the team had no option but to use the private pickup vehicle owned by their coach. He narrated that, the space in the car was not enough, hence some of the players had to risk their lives and sit in the bucket of the car.

Lamenting the woes the team has faced, Addo said, “You guys have not supported us.”

He added, “Today when we were coming to play our matches, we sat in our coach’s vehicle and it was a pickup, so most of us were in the bucket. We didn’t get any transport. We are the host nation, playing for the country and no one is supporting us.”

EK/BB