Top Sports Supporter Mr. Abraham Nkansah, popularly known as ‘Apirigu Chakapama has called on Ghanaians to support Team Ghana going to the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.

Speaking to Yours Truly in an exclusive chat, he said not much is heard of the sportsmen and women who are going to represent Ghana at the big sports festival, but he believes the Ghana Olympic Committee (GOC) and the federations who have qualified are preparing feverishly.

According to the new Sports Anchor at Fire TV, sports journalists must not promote only football, but should propagate other disciplines like basketball, athletics (track  field), boxing, swimming, rugby, table tennis, handball, tennis, golf, hockey and weightlifting.

He commended the 13 athletes who have so far qualified and appealed to companies in Ghana to support them, by using them as ambassadors and for advertisements.

Mr. Nkansah, who is a trained football coach expressed that sports is big business and can be used in adverting the nation.

He urged the National Sports Authority  (NSA) and the Ministry of Youth Sports to motivate and encourage the qualified athletes to feel proud of representing Ghana, and do well to bring home laurels.

He was however sad that countries like Kenya, Nigeria and others are having Olympic Athletic Trials, while nothing is happing in Ghana.

He said sports is not football alone, so the sports authorities must ensure that athletes who are going for important international Games are well managed to excel.

He commended the Ghana Olympic Committee (GOC) President for his efforts in finding sponsorship for Team Ghana, with Twellium Industrial, Toyota and Ashfoam Ghana.

He said sports is a tool for promotions, advertising and marketing, so corporate Ghana must come on board to support Team Ghana.

Ghana has qualified athletes in boxing, track & field, judo, weightlifting and swimming.

Team Ghana is preparing to leave for Inawashiro, near Tokyo to have final camping and preparations.

The Tokyo Olympic Games is from July 28 to August 6, 2021.

By Sammy Heywood Okine

Dr. Henry Manly-Spain Manifesto 2021…The way forward for Ghana Boxing

Dr. Henry Manly-Spain Campaign.. Bring Back The Punch

1. New Bigger Secretariat To Accommodate All Officers And Guests
2. Tourism and Boxing.. Building international relations, Conventions
3. Capacity building for officials.. Coaches, Referees, Media, Medics etc
4. Creation of Awards Scheme
5. Welfare of retired and young budding boxers. National Amateur Team -Youth & Juvenile

6 Cooperation with Media – Excellent Public / Press Relations

7. GBA TV.. Promotion of Ghana Boxing on traditional and social media
8. Engagement of Corporate Ghana
9. Branding of Ghana Boxing -Merchandising
10. Engagement of all stakeholders, especially Fans - Bring back the punch…

The Ghana Swimming Association (GSA) will hold its Congress and Elections on Saturday, June 19, 2021 at the Media Centre of the Accra Sports Stadium at 9am.

According to reliable sources, only the President position would be contested between incumbent, Mr. Theophilus Wilson Edzie and Mrs. Delphina Quaye, the current Vice President, as all other positions have been filed unopposed.

The First Vice President has been filed by Mr, Sam Brew, Second Vice President by Mrs. Saha Kambi-Lamptey, General Secretary by Lawyer Mohammed Muniru Kassim and Treasuere by Miss Farida Iddriss.

The four executive board members have been filed by Madam Serwah Gbene, Mr. Charles Mensah, Mr. Simon Danzumah and Mr. George Ansah from the Ashanti Region.

34 delegates drawn from the Greater Accra, Eastern, Western, Ashanti and Brong Ahafo who are in good standing would be eligible to vote.

The Ghana Olympic Committee (GOC) is one of the institutions invited to witness the Elective Congress of the Ghana Swimming Association.

By Sammy Heywood Okine

Student Somu Yukawa was the only runner as the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Torch reached Sapporo today ©Tokyo 2020

The Tokyo 2020 Flame has reached the Olympic marathon venue of Sapporo, but only a single runner carried the Torch before lighting the celebratory cauldron.

Student Somu Yukawa stepped onto the stage which had been set up at Sapporo Kita3-Jo Plaza “Akapla” in the shadow of Sapporo City Hall.

The Hokkaido Prefecture flag flew in the background.

A futsal player with the Espolada Hokkaido club, Yukawa is also one of the leaders of the local boy’s firefighting club and was able to put his training to use during the 2018 earthquake.

His Torch was ignited from a safety lantern on stage by Flame attendants.

He then lit the cauldron after a very short low-key ceremony in which names of others who were originally to have carried the Torch were recited.

Yesterday, there had been a similar ceremony at the Upopoy Park, close to the National Ainu Museum.

Hibiki Yamamichi, who works for the Ainu Cultural Foundation, had carried the Olympic Torch in Hokkaido Prefecture yesterday ©Tokyo 2020

Hibiki Yamamichi, who works for the Ainu Cultural Foundation, had carried the Olympic Torch in Hokkaido Prefecture yesterday ©Tokyo 2020

There the cauldron was lit by Hibiki Yamamichi, who works for the Ainu Cultural Foundation, an organisation promoting the Ainu indigenous people in Hokkaido.

The Torch was originally to have visited some nine municipalities on each day of its two-day journey around the Prefecture, but earlier this month organisers confirmed that the local “task force” had “requested Tokyo 2020 to change the format of the Torch Relay”.

Hokkaido is one of 10 Prefectures in Japan currently under a state of emergency.

Kyodo News has reported that the medical authorities in the prefecture “remained strained by COVID-19 patients”.

Sapporo is due to stage the first of the Olympic walks on August 5 and competition in the city concludes with the men’s marathon on August 8.

The Flame now spends a day in transit before the Relay is due to resume in Iwate, the 39th of the 47 Prefectures on the itinerary.

The Flame is due to reach its final destination at the National Stadium on July 23, the day the Olympic Games are scheduled to open.

By Philip Barker 

The Besesaka Boxucation Summer Camp 2021 starts on Sunday June 20, 2021 in Accra, Ghana.

According to Mr. C. Nortey, one of the brains behind the project  Besesaka , established in 2019 is changing the realities of children in Bukom through boxing, education and leadership development.

“We are telling the other side of the story: through boxing, education and leadership, we empower the children not only to see the power they possess themselves but, also to rediscover themselves as strong-spirited, passionate, unified and proud children of their communities” he said.

The Besesaka Foundation, the Ghana Juvenile Boxing Federation, the Bukom Community and Delegate A/S are organising the first Boxucation Summer Camp for 50 boys and girls.

Besides boxing, the participants will be exposed to various subjects like leadership, IT, photography, music, painting and psychology.

Through Besesaka and Boxucation, they hope to develop better leaders for the world to become a better place, one step at a time.

By Sammy Heywood Okine

IOC reveals details of its Olympic Forest  project

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) announced today the details of its project to plant the “Olympic Forest” in Mali and Senegal, an element of the IOC’s climate-positive strategy.

The project is a contribution to the Great Green Wall initiative, which restores degraded landscapes across Africa’s Sahel region. It will involve planting around 355,000 native trees across approximately 90 villages in Mali and Senegal – host of the Youth Olympic Games Dakar 2026 – and will cover a combined area of around 2,120 hectares.

More than planting trees, the Olympic Forest will contribute to increasing the local communities’ food and economic security. The IOC will work hand in hand with local communities to ensure the Olympic Forest creates diverse social, economic and environmental benefits in an area which has experienced increased droughts and floods, leading to a steady degradation of land and sources of food.

The IOC has committed to reducing its carbon emissions by 30 per cent by 2024, and by 45 per cent by 2030, in line with the Paris Agreement. By compensating for more than 100 per cent of the IOC’s residual emissions, the Olympic Forest will help the organisation become “climate positive” by 2024. The Olympic Forest is expected to sequester 200,000 tonnes of CO2 equivalent (t CO2e), which is more than the IOC’s estimated emissions for the 2021-2024 period and can be compared to the emissions of approximately 32,000 return flights from Geneva to Tokyo.

“Addressing climate change is one of the IOC’s top priorities, and we are fully committed to reducing our emissions in line with the Paris Agreement,” said IOC President Thomas Bach. “The Olympic Forest will support communities in Mali and Senegal by increasing their climate resilience, food security and income opportunities, and will help the IOC become climate positive already by 2024. The Olympic Movement is about building a better world through sport, and the Olympic Forest is an example of that.”

“With Dakar 2026, our goal is to go beyond sport and use the Games as an opportunity to raise young people's awareness, and beyond them that of the various stakeholders, about today's sustainability challenges and ways in which we can help address them,” said IOC Member Mamadou Diagna Ndiaye, President of the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games Organising Committee. “This approach is in line with the country's priorities and reflected in the Dakar 2026 Edition Plan. The Olympic Forest paves the way in this direction."

By helping to restore degraded soils, the Olympic Forest will increase the food and economic security of local communities and will help them adapt to the consequences of climate change. It will increase local biodiversity and enable sustainable agricultural practices, such as agroforestry, and the commercial use of non-timber products, such as nuts, fruits and fibres.

To create the Olympic Forest, the IOC will work with Tree Aid, a non-profit organisation with over 30 years’ experience working with people in the drylands of Africa to tackle poverty and the effects of the climate crisis by growing trees and restoring and protecting land.

In its initial phase, the project will involve engaging with local communities to analyse their needs, identifying project areas, establishing a monitoring and evaluation plan and setting up plant nurseries. Planting, which will involve a diverse range of native tree species, is scheduled for the second and third quarters of 2022.

17 June, the project’s launch date, is the World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought. It follows the recent launch of the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration, of which the Great Green Wall is a flagship project.

The UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) both provide advice to the project.

“The Olympic Forest will be an inspirational contribution to Africa’s Great Green Wall and shows how conserving and restoring nature can address climate change while generating sustainable livelihoods,” said Inger Andersen, Executive Director of UNEP. “Through this initiative, the IOC is showing climate leadership within the sports world and beyond, and highlighting that we all have a role to play in preserving a healthy planet for future generations.”

The carbon savings generated by the Olympic Forest will be independently certified according to Plan Vivo, a standard that supports communities and smallholders at the forefront of the climate crisis and also guarantees the creation of socio-economic benefits for local communities and additional environmental benefits such as the restoration of damaged ecosystems.

While the initial project will last four years, the IOC plans to open it up in the future to other organisations in the Olympic Movement so that they can contribute and grow the Olympic Forest further.

“Tree Aid is honoured to be working with the IOC to deliver this ambitious and exciting new initiative,” said Tree Aid CEO Tom Skirrow. “As we enter the UN Decade of Ecosystem Restoration, making the Great Green Wall a success is more important than ever to secure the future of the region and the people who live there. The Olympic Forest shows what is possible when we all work together.”

In addition to its own efforts to become climate positive, the IOC announced in March 2020 that all Olympic Games will be required to be climate positive from 2030 onwards – removing more carbon from the atmosphere than they emit. Until then, Organising Committees, including Tokyo 2020 and Beijing 2022, have committed to holding carbon-neutral Games, while Paris 2024 has recently announced its ambition to stage the first climate-positive Games.

Source - IOC

Marketing Consultant to the Trust Sports Emporium Ltd (TSEL), Nii Okai Nunoo believes it is the responsibility of every Ghanaian to support the national teams when they are going out to represent the nation at big competitions like the Olympic and Commonwealth and African Games.

Speaking to Yours Truly in an exclusive interview, he said the Trust Sports Emporium is a center built to provide the pipeline for sports talents, stars and super stars to win laurels for Ghana.

He expressed that sports is also a leveler which offers opportunity for excitement to overcome medical problems as well as release stress to keep in shape, aside those doing sports for excellence and rewards.

“We have to jubilate to have such facility which sits perfectly in our mission, to have well equipped facilities to provide pipeline for talent which is our main goal” he said.

According to Nii Okai Nunoo, the TSEL supported in hosting the 7^th Africa Zone 2 Swimming Championship, provided the national boxing team to train in preparation for the Olympic Games, and has facilities to host table tennis, badminton, basketball, judo, taekwondo, karate do and other indoor games.

He said government alone cannot bear all the cost in providing sports facilities around the country, so other corporate entities must support.

He commended the national swimming team and the Black Bombers for putting Ghana on the world map of sports.

He named other facilities like the Mudor Conference Hall, Ga Mashie Sports Hall, Bukom Physio Center , a boarding house / hostel and the Ring Restaurant all housed at the TSEL.

The President of the Ghana Olympic Committee (GOC), Mr. Ben Nunoo Mensah commended the TSEL and others like Twellium Industrial, Toyota Ghana and Ashfoam Ghana for supporting Team Ghana going to the Olympic Games.

He said Team Ghana needs about $300,000 to go to Japan, and appealed to companies who believe in the youth of Ghana to succeed to support.

He also thanked the Minister of Youth  & Sports, Hon. Mustapha Ussif for his visit to the camp of the national boxing team.

“That historic visit has inspired the Black Bombers to step up their training, with a few weeks to the Games.

By Sammy Heywood Okine

The state of emergency in Tokyo will end on June 20 ©Getty Images

Japan's Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga has announced the state of emergency in Tokyo and eight prefectures will end as planned on June 20, nearly a month before the start of the Olympic Games.

Tokyo has been under state of emergency restrictions since April, which were introduced to help curb the spread of COVID-19.

The measures were originally scheduled to expire at the end of May, but were extended until June 20 to help continue a downward trend of cases.

The Aichi, Fukuoka, Kyoto, Hyogo, Hokkaido, Hiroshima, Okayama, Osaka and Okinawa prefectures have also been under the restrictions.

The state of emergency measures will conclude as planned on Sunday (June 20) in all but one of the prefectures.

Okinawa will remain under tighter restrictions until July 11.

"The number of infected people nationwide has been declining since mid-May," Suga said today.

"The number of seriously ill people nationwide has continued to decrease, and the condition of beds has been steadily improving.

"On the other hand, the number of infected people has increased in some areas.

"The decline has stopped, and the possibility of rebound has been pointed out."

A series of measures will remain in place across the prefectures, which has been viewed as a "quasi-state of emergency".

Suga said focus will be placed on measures around eating and drinking, with restaurants expected to close by 8pm.

Alcohol can be served until 7pm under the restrictions.

Local authorities are able to introduce stronger measures, should they be required.

These restrictions are due to be in place until at least July 11, less than two weeks before the Olympic Opening Ceremony on July 23.

Japan's Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga said restrictions could be tightened if cases increase ©Getty Images

"If the infection re-expands and there are signs of tight medical care, it is possible to flexibly include strengthening countermeasures," Suga said.

"We will take measures to prevent such infections and promote vaccination.

"It is expected to exceed 40 million [vaccinations] at the end of this month, and in all cities, towns and villages, the desired elderly people at the end of July.

"We have received reports that it is expected that two doses of inoculation will be completed.

"We request that each Minister work with all possible efforts on infection control measures and vaccination in cooperation with relevant ministries and agencies."

The number of new COVID-19 cases has steadily declined in Japan since a peak last month, with May 12 seeing over 7,500 reported.

By contrast, 1,717 new cases were reported yesterday across Japan, with the seven day average standing at 1,626.

Japan has administered 27.6 million vaccine doses to date, with 18 million given to the elderly and 9.5 million for medical personnel.

Over seven million people are fully vaccinated in Japan, representing less than six per cent of the population.

The country is hoping to achieve a target of administering over one million doses per day, with a record high of over 912,000 reportedly given on June 9.

The end of the official state of emergency could boost the chance of domestic spectators being permitted to attend Tokyo 2020 competitions, with the Japanese Government introducing a cap of 10,000 or half the capacity for sporting events.

A decision on whether domestic spectators could be able to attend Tokyo 2020 is due to be made at the end of the month.

Foreign fans have already been banned.

The Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games are due to take place until August 8, with the Paralympics following from August 24 to September 5.

By Michael Pavitt 

The Minister of Youth & Sports, Hon. Mustapha Ussif on Tuesday had a fruitful discussion with the First Vice President of the Ghana Boxing Authority (GBA), Dr. Henry Manly-Spain on the way forward to get more world champions for Ghana and to make lives of boxers and other sportsmen and women better.

He assured the GBA of total support and opportunity when the need arises, as he has come to make all disciplines vibrant and active.

The GBA First Vice President informed the Sports Minister about the impending elections and the need for Ghana to host some international boxing conventions to boast the economy and promote tourism.

He briefed the minister about the GBA TV coming up via traditional and new (social) media as well as involving gyms, coaches and boxers from other regions to move Ghana Boxing high.

He was accompanied by the Communications and Ag. Technical Directors of the GBA.

Dr. Manly-Spain emphasized that he hopes to raise five continental champions for the nation when he becomes the GBA President and named boxers like Emmanuel Tagoe, Richard Commey, Isaac Dogbe who can come back to regain their belts.

He also mentioned Wasiru Mohammed, Jessie Manyo Plange, Michael Ansah aka ‘One Bullet’, Robert Quaye aka ‘ Stopper’, Octupus Dzanie, Jacob Dickson, Alfred Lamptey, John Laryea, Moses Adjei Selvi, Michael Nelson, Daniel Selsasi Gorsh, Mohammed Aryetey and Yusif Saidu as some of the rising stars who must be groomed to become future champions from Ghana.

By Sammy Heywood Okine 

Gaby Ahrens spoke at the athletes ambassador workshop organised in association with the Nambia National Olympic Committee ©Getty Images

Former and current Olympians in Namibia have attended an athletes ambassador workshop that looks to improve on their media relations and personal brand building skills.

The event was held by the Namibia Athletes' Commission and Namibia Olympians Association, in conjunction with the Nambia National Olympic Committee (NNOC).

Among them was three-time sport shooting Olympian and chairperson of the Athletes' Commission, Gaby Ahrens, who spoke about the necessity for the workshop and how to deal with your mental health in relation to media presence.

Recently, Japanese tennis star Naomi Osaka withdrew from the French Open due to mental health concerns, having previously stated she wished to not speak to the media during the event.

"The Namibia Athletes' Commission realised the importance of making athletes aware of the media pressures out there and how to empower them to speak to the media to publicly brand themselves better and maybe even catch sponsors," said Ahrens, as reported by the Namibian Broadcasting Corporation.

Frankie Fredericks was one of the speakers in attendance ©Getty Images

Media engagement, public speaking, social media engagement, personal brand and emotional intelligence were among topics covered.

Four-time Olympic silver medallist Frankie Fredericks, former Miss Namibia Mia de Klerk, businessman Lazarus Jacobs and professor Earle Taylor also all spoke.

Japanese Ambassador to Namibia, Hideaki Harada, also shared his country's culture with the athletes ahead of the rearranged Olympic Games in Tokyo.

The International Olympic Committee's Code of Conduct and Rule 50 - which aims for neutrality at the Games and curbs athlete protest - were also discussed.

Tokyo 2020 isscheduled to take place from July 23 to August 8.

By Michael Houston