
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo yesterday commissioned the multipurpose Borteyman Sports complex to climax preparations by Ghana to host her first-ever 13th Africa Games.
The masterstroke decision leading to the adoption of the hybrid method, according to the President, has proven to be a wise one, as facilities, both at the University of Ghana and in Borteyman, are ready for the hosting of the 13th edition of the Games.
“When all hope appeared lost, we came up with a brilliant idea of adopting a hybrid approach to hosting the Games, that is using facilities at the University of Ghana, which were under construction, as well as selected facilities we could develop on time, here in Borteyman,” President Akufo-Addo said at the brief ceremony.
The event also heralded the 25-day countdown to the holding of Africa’s biggest multi-disciplinary sporting event at the Borteyman Sports Complex and the newly constructed facilities at the University of Ghana.
Contrary to calls and increased pressure by some pessimists for Ghana to withdraw from hosting the tournament, the President told the gathering, “Ghana remained resolute and can be proud of the massive sporting infrastructure we have put in place for the Games, which will be a huge legacy for the country.”
Time and tide
Despite Ghana being a founding member of the African Games, under the leadership of first leader Kwame Nkrumah, Ghana has never hosted the event.
However, President Akufo-Addo said, “there is a time for everything, and this is our time. We are now ready and capable of organising and hosting the rest of the continent, here in Ghana. The people and Government of Ghana are honoured and grateful to the Africa Union for the opportunity to host the rest of Africa for the first time in our history.”
He noted that the construction of the multi-purpose facilities at Borteyman and the University of Ghana for the African Games clearly demonstrates his government’s commitment to the development of much-needed sports infrastructure in Ghana.
Touching on other sporting infrastructure, the President referred to the renovated Accra Sports Stadium, Cape Coast Sports Stadium and the Baba Yara Sports Stadium in Kumasi.
“In addition to this, Government has built 10 sports stadia in the 10 original regions of our country. Six of these stadia, namely Wa in Upper West, Dunkwa on Offin in Central, Axim in Western, Dormaa Ahenkro in Bono, Ho in Volta and Koforidua in Eastern, are ready, with the Koforidua Sports Stadium having been commissioned by me. The remaining four are expected to be completed this year,” he added
Whilst offering the assurance of the best arrangements for planned events and a taste of the famed Ghanaian hospitality, he said the government, together with the African Union, the Association of National Olympic Committee of Africa (ANOCA), the Association of Africa Sports Confederations (AASC) and other partners, would do everything possible to make visitors welcome.
He urged the Minister of Youth and Sports, staff of the Ministry and the Local Organizing Committee to go all out and organise the best African Games in history.
The Games will see some five thousand elite athletes, three thousand experienced officials and thousands of fans in the country, in addition to an estimated global audience of 2.2 billion people watching through traditional and social media.