Gaisah To Miss Commonwealth Games?

An attempt not to take part in this year?s Commonwealth Games by Long Jumper Ignatius Gaisah will not see the light of day as the Ministry of Education and Sports has acted promptly to save the situation. Ignatius Gaisah had given an earlier indication that he will not take part in this year?s Commonwealth Games due to the inability of the Ministry to honor a five thousand dollar prize money promised him after last year?s World Championships in Helsinki.

General Secretary of the Ghana Athletics Association, Mr. Oteng Aboagye told Citi FM that the Ministry has made an official statement to the Association on the availability of the monies for the athletes.

He stressed that the Association is in the process of contacting Gaisah, Margaret Simpson and Aziz Zakari to forward the monies to them.

'Gaisah issued a statement to that effect but we have been assured by the Ministry of payment and Gaisah has been told to indicate where he wants his money to go', the GAA Secretary said.

Mr. Oteng Aboagye further stressed that the Association did not feel the least threatened when they got the information that Gaisah might not take part in the Commonwealth Games since they had been assured by the Ministry of prompt payment.

Ignatius Gaisah, Margaret Simpson and Aziz Zakari are to receive a sum of five thousand dollars each from the Ministry for making the nation proud in last year's World Athletics Meet in Helsinki, Finland.

The Commonwealth Games is scheduled to commence from March 15th to March 26th, 2006.

The Games will run for 12 days, with 72 countries and 4, 500 athletes taking part in 16 sporting activities.

Melbourne is the fourth Australian city to host the Commonwealth Games, after Sydney in 1993, Perth in 1962 and Brisbane in 1982.