Ghana to host Millennium Marathon

Plans are underway for Ghana to host the next Millennium Marathon event in Accra, scheduled for September 6, 2015.

The marathon, which the organisers say would become an annual event, would cover a distance of 21km and expected to attract thousands of runners both locally and internationally.

The event would be the first to be hosted by Ghana and would commence from the Independence Square through the principal streets of Accra and end at the Independence Square.

Mr Haile Gebrselassie, World Marathon Champion, has arrived in Accra with a delegation from Ethiopia to launch and promote the event.

Mr Gebrselassie, during a courtesy call on Vice President Kwesi Bekoe Amissah-Arthur at the Flagstaff House, commended the Government of Ghana and other officials for their support of the event.

He said all over the world sports had become an international medium where people from different backgrounds were united.

He said the relations between Ghana and Ethiopia had existed for a long time during the time of Emperor Haile Selassie and Dr Kwame Nkrumah.

Mr Gebrselassie said the Accra Marathon was not going to be just a one-off event but would become a permanent feature on the Ghanaian calendar.

He said because Ghana was peaceful and a stable country many international runners and tourists would like to come back each year to take part in the marathon.

Mrs Elizabeth Ofosu Agyare, Minister of Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts, said the upcoming marathon meant a lot to the Ministry since the race and its side attractions would boost Ghana’s economy in terms of trade and tourism.

She said the event was likely to help the country’s tour operators due to the numbers of international runners who would take part.

Vice President Amissah-Arthur thanked Mr Gebrselassie and his team for honouring Ghana with their presence and choosing the country to host the event.

He said Marathon in Ghana would also go a long way to boost the confidence of the youth to take sports seriously and become sports icons for the country.

He encouraged Ghanaians to exercise regularly to ensure healthy lifestyles.

Later, Mr Haile Gebrselassie presented a book containing pictorial documentation of his achievement to Vice President Amissah-Arthur and the Vice President also presented a silver plated Coat of Arms to Mr Gebrselassie.

The Millennium Marathon Sports Company, organisers of the event, are working alongside major stakeholders in the country; the Government of Ghana, Ministry of Youth and Sports, Tourism Ministry, Accra Metropolitan Assembly, and Ghana Police Service.

The others are the Health Ministry, Diplomatic Corps, Coca Cola, Ghana Broadcasting Corporation, Graphic Communication Group, Alisa Hotel, Ethiopian Embassy and Ethiopian Airlines.