Accra Five Stars Football Club has signed a sponsorship agreement with beverage giant Ice Up that makes them the exclusive water sponsor of the division three side.

A six-month deal, subject to renewal, will see the Kasoa Kakraba-based club receive nine hundred bags of Ice Up products for their Division Three season.

As part of the deal, they will also receive 35 bags weekly with some cash.

Tony Bebli, General Manager of Accra FC, thanked the beverage company, especially CEO Emmanuel Cole for the deal at the Ice Up Production House Kasoa Millennium City Accra on Tuesday.

Additionally, he acknowledged their efforts at partnering with the Accra Five Star Football Club brand to help develop Ghanaian soccer, encouraging them to extend their assistance to other clubs.

“We are much grateful to Ice Up for this deal. As we have already provided hundreds of young people with a future, we have a responsibility to help them develop.

“We would like to thank Ice Up for partnering with us in order to develop more talent and provide a future for the youth,” he said.

The deal is only one of a series of deals between the nine-month-old club and others on the local scene.

The club’s other partners include First Sausage, Jem Youg, and Ahoefe herbal soap.

Source:itvghana.com

Experienced and pretty Triple Jumper, Nadia Eke is expected to be the flagbearer of Team Ghana at the opening ceremony of the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games.

According to Administrative Manager of the Ghana Olympic Committee GOC, Miss Farida Idriss, the top athlete will lead Ghana as they display their rich culture in Japan on July 23.

She also revealed that Sulemanu Tetteh, skipper of the national boxing team who went to 2012 Games is likely to captain the team.

Meanwhile Professor Francis Dodoo, President of the Ghana Athletics Association (GAA), has disclosed that the athletes are determined to do well at the Games. Speaking to the media via zoom he said, the athletes are aware of the challenges ahead and are much hungrier to succeed.

“There is no need to put pressure on them. They are poised to deliver but failing to deliver should not be seen as a failure. Ghana’s Track and Field athletes including Joseph Paul Amoah, Benjamin Azamati, Nadia Eke as well as the 4×100 relay team have all qualified for the mega sporting event as they quest to win honours for the country.

The GAA President expressed satisfaction over the preparation of the athletics team, and also been able to develop athletes all around the country.

He expressed gratitude to the Ministry of Youth and Sports, National Sports Authority as well as sponsors who had provided support for the vathletes in the build up towards the Games.

By Sammy Heywood Okine / Inawashiro

Mr. Daniel Opare, swimming coach of Ghana at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games has called for more investment in the sport.

Speaking to Yours Truly in Inawashiro, the head coach of the University of Ghana Swim Team and the Legon Swim Club said swimming in Ghana is still in the developing stage.

"The nation needs to invest in this sport. We need to approach it in a more sophisticated way.

Yes, there is a lot of prospect in it. The only challenge is the lack of facilities. Swimming in Ghana is basically Accra and Kumasi. It should spread across the country" he said.

As a trainer since 2012, he expressed that it has been his passion since childhood, growing up in Accra, and always dreamt of swimming for his country but could accomplish this, rather he ended up becoming a coach.

" I have trained a number of swimmers. Some swam for the nation and others competed at the University level. Some are currently swim coaches, like Mark Ofosu Twum who is currently coaching in US, Richard Asante Yeboah, Natasha Addai, and many others. One of my current swimmers, who is also a triathlete and doing great for  the country is Ebenezer Osabutey who competes in both Swimming and Triathlon for Ghana " he revealed.

According to Opare, swimming is one sport that exercises every part of your body.

First of all it is seen as a sport for the rich and secondly the lack of facilities.

It's a good opportunity for the country, as the more Ghana hosts continental events, the more we get recognised by the International Swimming Federation, and this comes with a lot of opportunities

He disclosed that the clubs in Ghana are now thinking of a professional league system.

He was born at Dansoman in Accra on 11th July 1985 to Mr. Opare Jacob and Mrs. Salamatu Haruna. He has four siblings, and schooled at Riches of Glory Academy in Dansoman, before entering Accra Academy and then to the  University of Ghana for his  tertiary education.

Coach Dan Opare said any one can swim from the early age 1 to 90 years.

The nation needs to make a conscious effort to develop swimming. If people learn to swim and make them part of their routine exercise, it will cut down the cost of expenditure on health by the nation. Government needs to make an effort to achieve this.

Abeiku Jackson is a fantastic swimmer whom all swimmers in Ghana look up to and he believes he is coming out with his best for the nation.

He said Unilez Takyi who is also at the Tokyo Games is a young swimmer with lots of potential, and she has promised me she will go all out for the nation.

Coach Opare was optimistic will swimmers will make Ghana proud and should be encouraged.

By Sammy Heywood Okine / Inawashiro

Ghana Skolars beat The bulls on the final day of the Rugby League to be crowned the champions by 14-8 dethroning The Bulls 2yrs dominance as Accra Panthers stunned Nungua Tigers to placed third in the Men’s division by 22-6.

In the Ladies division Accra Panthers emerge winners as they defeated Nungua Tigers by 12-8 with Ghana Skolars placing third. Winners took home medals and a trophy by Rugby League Federation Ghana.

The captain of the Ghana Skolars team, Riddick Alibah expressed how elated he was and the significance of their win to the development of the Rugby League.

“We are super elated for this win. The Bulls have beaten us to this twice and to get our revenge this time, it is a big achievement for us. We trained hard for this one and we are finally champions”. He said.

“This is year is special because the league has grown significantly. We are seeing new faces and the level of competition is very high which is a good thing. And for us to be champions, even better”. He concluded.

The Marketing Manager for the Rugby League Federation Ghana, Daniel Oko Djanie after the conclusion of the league also highlighted the level of competition from the teams in the male and female categories as a plus to the growth of the sport.

“In all, it was a great show of talents from both the male and female teams. They both played out their hearts. Everyone prepared for the game and kudos to the winners for the day”. He said.

“The way forward for the Rugby League is being recognized in Ghana, we want this sport to be a household name, we are looking at recruiting a lot of people too and expanding the game to the tertiary schools, senior high schools and primary schools. We want to create more awareness about the game and debunk the notion that it’s a game that leads to a lot of injuries”. He added.

“We are also advocating for support from the private business sector to come and sponsor us. There are a lot of talents here and we know with the right funding, we can do bigger things”. Daniel Oko Djanie concluded.

The Black Bombers of Ghana led by coach Dr. Akwasi Ofori Asare have presented Golden Tree chocolates made in Ghana and stoles to the Japanese boxing team after they sparred with them in Inawashiro.

Stoles, long scarfs or shawls worn loosely over the shoulders were also given to the Japanese.

According to Asare, this is what they have been doing over the years to established cordial relations with other boxing teams.

He is it is to show love and friendship, apart from marketing the nation’s popular brand and presenting a nourishing product.

The experienced technical handler said he received a request from the coach of the boxing team of the host nation of the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games which he could not refuse.

He revealed that the sparring exercise was good in accessing the current form of his boxers who proved that they are ready for the tournament.

“We accepted the request because as the host nation, they would have something to share with us, so we gladly accepted the opportunity to access our boxers readiness and it was worthwhile” he said.

The technical director of the Bombers noted that while his counterpart was studying his team, he also took many lessons on the mistakes of his boys which he hopes to correct and sharpen before the Games begin.

The Japanese team commended the Black Bombers and showed appreciation.

The 2020 Olympic Games which was postponed to 2021 starts from July 23 to August 8 and the Black Bombers will begin their boxing matches from July 24, with sensational Samuel Takyi.

By Sammy Heywood Okine

The Black Bombers of Ghana on Monday and Tuesday engaged their Japanese counterparts to sparring sessions in Inawashiro, Fukushima ahead of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.

The sparring programme which came as a request from the Japanese coach saw both teams putting up superb performances on Monday, however the fighting session on Tuesday saw the Bombers slightly ahead giving Coach Doctor Ofori Asare an insight into what he should expect when nations get ready to rumble at the XXXII Olympiad.

The three Ghanaian amateur pugilists put up a highly spirited display which was admired by the Chef de Mission of Team Ghana, Mr. Mike Aggrey who watched the training judiciously.

He later said the Black Bombers stand the chance of winning medals in boxing as he anticipates  fair officiating.

The three boxers, Skipper Sulemanu Tetteh (Flyweight), young Samuel Takyi (Featherweight) and Shakul Samed (Light Heavyweight) were just a delight to watch, prompting Mr. Aggrey to commend coaches Ofori and Vincent Akai Nettey for the good work done in preparing the boxers.

He charged the boxers to go for noting than the medal zone and prove that indeed Ghana is a boxing nation.

The Japanese coach hailed the technical men and boxers from Ghana for the display of sportsmanship.

11,091 athletes from 206 nations are expected to compete under the Motto-United by Emotion over 339 events in 33 sports (50 disciplines) from 23 July 2021 to 8 August 2021.

The Games would be opened by Emperor Naruhito at the Olympic Stadium in Tokyo.

By Sammy Heywood Okine / Inawashiro

Young Olympian, Unilez Yebowaah Takyi who will represent Ghana in the 50 meters swimming event at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games has advised the youth to work hard if they want to achieve greatness.

Speaking to Yours Truly in an exclusive interview at the training camp in Inawashiro, she said many people want to become rich and famous easily, but do not know that it takes hard work to succeed.

After training in the cold water in the chilly rainy weather, she took time to talk about herself.

The 16 years old was born in Italy to Takyi Agyepong and Tchetche Kodjo Rosine.

She attends Alessandra Manzoni Scientific School, and wants to study minerals in the future as she wants to know much about gold, silver, bauxite and others.

She has a sister who is a journalist with three years of university education plus two years of masters.

Unilez just loves water, and decided to do swimming which has taken her to many places in the world including the Olympic Games which she is very proud of, after competing for Ghana in Tunisia in 2019 and in Accra in 2020 during the Africa zone 2 championship.

Her favourite event is the 50 meters freestyle with her personal best time of 27.18 seconds that won her points to be selected by FINA to participate at the world’s biggest sports festival in Japan.

She cannot forget her former trainer, Luca Grotti who advised her to join the Ghana team since she has Ghanaian citizenship, and it is paying off.

Currently she trains under Givliano and Nicole who are also inspirational.

According to Unilez, she has no particular idol, but loves to watch Simone Manuel.

Her best dish is Italian food, and her hobbies are drawing, dancing and swimming.

The cars she admires most are Lamborghini, Audi and Range Rover.

Her best musician is the late Bob Marley, because her father loves to play his music.

Unilez wants to make an impact at the Olympic Games to inspire other young people, for which she urges the young people in Ghana to try to discover their talent and work hard.

Coming to the Olympic Games for her is both work and passion. She is hopeful of carrying the flag of Ghana to many other places and does not regret doing sports.

She thanked the Ghana Olympic Committee (GOC) and the Ghana Swimming Association (GSA) for the support given her in nurturing her talent.

By Sammy Heywood Okine / Inawashiro

Head coach of the Ghana national boxing team, Dr. Akwasi Ofori Asare is very confident that his boys will repeat history at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games which begins on July 23, 2021.

Speaking to Yours Truly in an exclusive one-to-one interview in Inawashiro, Fukushima where the Black Bombers are camping in preparation for the biggest sports festival in the world, he said in 1964 Olympics in Tokyo, Ghana won a bronze medal through the late Eddie Blay who later became a coach.

According to the experienced three star rated trainer his boys have been motivated and their confidence keep on souring as the date for their bouts approach.

"I have told them the history and they know and now see that Japan can be a place to repeat the history. They are full of hope, but not over confident. They are praying for a good ballot and they need the luck and prayers of the people of Ghana ".

Coach Asare who is known to be the most successful and experienced amateur boxing coach in Ghana said three boxers representing Ghana have their own special qualities that can earn them the results.

He explained that the captain Sulemanu Tetteh is making his second appearance at the Olympic Games after 2012 in London  so he knows what is at stake and will use his experience to fight and move on.

According to Asare, Shakul Samed who will be fighting in the light heavyweight class wants to take what his two brothers could not take home, while the young skillful Samuel Takyi who beat the African numbers one and three at his first outing in Dakar will also put up a show that will surprise boxing lovers.

He noted that the Black Bombers only fear is officiating, and are praying to get fair referees who will be fair in their judgment.

Coach Asare said the training camp in Inawashiro is ideal, cool and calm for preparation for the big occasion  and he thanked the Ghana Olympic Committee for their vision. He also thanked all those who have supported them in diverse ways especially the Trust Sports Emporium where they trained before coming to Japan and the Golden Beach Hotel.

He also commended the sponsors of the GOC, Twellium Industrial Company and Ashfoam Ghana as well the Get Vim Foundation, Dr. Henry Manly-Spain, Vice President of the Ghana Boxing Authority, Geodrill, the United Boxing Coaches Association in Ghana and Alhaji Inusah.

"I can't mention all, but I can say the support has been great and we are not going to disappoint. We are going to put up a good show that boxing lovers will see that Ghana is indeed a boxing nation.

Coach Asare revealed that the coach of the Japanese boxing team has requested that they train with the Black Bombers and he has agreed as they have a boxer with Ghanaian parentage.

"We believe we can make history and we are guided by history, all we need is the prayers of Ghanaians" he expressed.

Samuel Takyi aka `The Golden Ring Warrior 'will be the first to climb the ring on July 24 and he is expected to win to boast the moral of Team Ghana.

By Sammy Heywood Okine / Inawashiro

 TEAM GHANA ATHLETES FOR TOKYO 2020

1. NADIA EKE- ATHLETICS
2. BENJAMIN KWAKU AZAMATI -ATHLETICS
3. JOSEPL PAUL AMOAH - ATHLETICS
4. JOSEPH ODURO MANU - ATHLETICS
5. SEAN SARFO ANTWI - ATHLETICS
6. ABEIKU JACKSON - SWIMMING
7. UNILEZ YEBOWAAH TAKYI - SWIMMING
8. SANSEI KWADJOE ANANI - JUDO
9. EMMANUEL YEBOAH - ATHLETICS
10. SARFO ANSAH - ATHLETICS
11. SULEIMAN TETTEH - BOXING
12. SAMUEL TAKYI - BOXING
13. SHAKUR SAMED - BOXING
14. CHRISTIAN AMOAH - WEIGHTLIFTING

More than 500 participants at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics arrived in the Japanese capital on Thursday (July 1) as the playbooks produced for the Games came into operation - and no COVID-19 cases have been reported.

"As of July 1, the Playbook started to be effective," said Seiko Hashimoto, Tokyo 2020 President.

"The number of Games-related personnel, including athletes, has been increasing, and both Haneda and Narita airports are in full operation now.

"There were approximately 540 Games-related personnel who arrived in Japan [on July 1]."

A screening test system is reportedly in place at airports, which has been implemented to protect all Games participants and Japanese residents.

Organisers say a total of 3,000 COVID-19 Liaison Officers (CLOs) are already in Japan.

The CLOs will be responsible for their delegation at the Games, ensuring playbook rules are followed.

Japan's Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga visited Tokyo’s Haneda Airport to assess border control measures against COVID-19 earlier this week.

Organisers acknowledge it is impossible to ensure there are no cases when delegations arrive in Tokyo, but have stressed countermeasures are in place.

The main press centre for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games also opened on July 1 ©Getty Images

There have been calls for stronger COVID-19 countermeasures for arrivals after a Ugandan delegation recorded two positive cases following their touchdown in Japan last month.

A nine-member group from Uganda arrived on June 18, with a team coach testing positive on arrival at Narita International Airport, despite reportedly being fully vaccinated with the AstraZeneca vaccine and testing negative before the flight.

The individual was later found to have tested positive for the Delta variant of COVID-19, which is thought to be between 40 to 60 per cent more transmissible.

The remaining party had been able to travel by bus to their hotel in their host town, Izumisano in Osaka Prefecture.

The entire delegation and a city official were later deemed to have been in close contact and were asked to remain in their hotel and refrain from training until July 3.

A second positive was later confirmed.

Tokyo 2020 Games delivery officer Hidemasa Nakamura indicated all passengers to have travelled with an infected person could be deemed close contacts, should a positive case be reported on arrival.

This could be especially significant when athletes start arriving shortly before competition.

A total of 78,000 people are expected to enter Japan for the Olympic and Paralympic Games.

This would include 59,000 people for the Olympics, compared to the expected 180,000 from last year.

The number will include 23,000 Games-related officials, including from the International Olympic Committee and International Federations.

Olympic Broadcast Services representatives and rights-holders account for 17,000 people during the Olympics, with 6,000 members of the media expected.

Around 19,000 people are expected for the Paralympic Games, including 9,000 officials, 4,000 for broadcast and 2,000 media.

By Michael Pavitt