Intrusion by politicians, celebrities contributed to Ghana’s GWR disqualifications - Bridget Otoo

Prominent media personality Bridget Otoo has said that lack of compliance with rules contributed to the disqualifications of Afua Asantewaa and Abdul-Razak Failatu, well-known as Chef Faila’s failed Guinness World Records attempts.

She noted that the disqualification of the two Ghanaians hoping to break the Guinness World Records can be attributed to the “intrusion by politicians and celebrities” during their events.

Bridget Otoo also blamed the management team of the participants for not ensuring strict adherence to the rules to prevent disqualification after all the sacrifices they made.

“In all these #GuinnessWorldRecords break attempts and what has come out of it, total disqualifications, I can recognize one big problem which permeates our entire society, management & governance, weak compliance environment. Someone who understands the rules of the game should have been visibly managing the rules and ensuring strict adherence to them.

“But what did we see? Just fun-fair and intrusions by people including politicians, celebrities and what have you. As a society, we pride ourselves in bribing our way out of everything and getting away with it. We think we could do the same to outwit the managers of the #GWR,” she wrote on her X page and sighted by GhanaWeb.

About Chef Faila’s cook-a-thon attempt

The attempt by Chef Faila to set a new record for the longest cooking marathon in the Guinness Book of World Records failed.

According to a press statement signed by Kafui Dey, coordinator for Chef Faila's cook-a-thon attempt, her effort fell short of meeting the guidelines set out by Guinness World Records.

"The attempt, which captivated audiences worldwide, unfortunately, fell short of meeting the stringent guidelines set forth by Guinness World Records. A statement from the Records Management Team cited a violation of the rest break rules, resulting in an unsuccessful attempt," the statement dated Sunday, March 3, 2024, stated.

While expressing gratitude to individuals and brands who supported her attempt, the statement said Chef Faila remains undeterred and "committed to continuing to push boundaries in this culinary journey."

In her attempt to break the world record for the longest cooking marathon, Chef Faila started cooking on January 1, 2024, at the Modern City Hotel in Tamale, and cooked for 227 hours non-stop, until January 10, 2024.

She cooked various dishes, mostly Ghanaian cuisine, and served them to the guests and the needy. She also promoted Ghanaian music and culture during the event.

About Afua Asantewaa's sing-a-thon

On December 24, Asantewaa embarked on a mission to break the Guinness World Record for the longest singing marathon. She was the toast of December in GH as she sang for 126 hours and 52 minutes. She initially planned to end on 27th December; however, after consultation with her team, she decided to sing continuously for five days.

The event which took place at the Akwaaba Village in Accra, near the Kotoka International Airport, saw thousands in attendance in their bid to support her and be part of history

Unfortunately, Afua Asantewaa's sing-a-thon attempt was ruled unsuccessful by the Guinness World Records team after scrutiny.

In a response to an email by JoyFM's Kwame Dadzie probing into the disqualification, the entity stated that Afua Asantewaa’s sing-a-thon attempt was unsuccessful because the guidelines around rest break timings were not met.

In the statement by the PR Executive for the Guinness World Records, Alina Polianskaya, spotted by GhanaWeb, it was established that these are standard rules that couldn’t have been overlooked.

“Afua Asantewaa’s sing-a-thon attempt was not successful due to guidelines around rest break timings not being met. These rules are standard across all of our ‘longest marathon’ records. We've seen how inspirational it has been for her fans…We wish Afua the best of luck with any future record attempts," the statement contained.

Read the post below

In all these #GuinnessWorldRecord break attempts and what has come out of it, total disqualifications, I can recognize one big problem which permeates our entire society, management & governance, weak compliance environment. This is because we provide ourselves in breaking rules

— Bee (@Bridget_Otoo) March 4, 2024

SB/OGB