A 13-member Local Organizing Committee (LOC) has been inaugurated at the Ministry of Youth and Sports to supervise the 12th Africa Armwrestling Championship in Accra.
The Deputy Minister for Youth and Sports, Mr Evans Opoku Bobie at the inauguration on Wednesday commended the executives for having the foresight to bring Africa to Ghana.
He said, the hosting of the championship would further boost the hospitality industry and bring in more direct foreign investment.
He urged the committee to deliver a successful championship scheduled for the 21st to 25th of June, 2023.
According to the Deputy Minister, the Ministry would provide its support to ensure success and advised them to work closely since the championship would be used as a preparatory ground for the African Games.
For his part, the President of the Armwrestling Federation of Africa, Mr Charles Osei Asibey, expressed his gratitude to the Ministry and the National Sports Authority for the federation’s support, adding that Armwrestling was no longer a lesser-known sport but a growing sport.
He further noted that this would be the second time Ghana has been given the opportunity to host Africa Games adding that, it is important to lobby to bring events in for the country to reap the benefits of hosting.
He urged them to develop capacity, enhance their skills and foster networking with people across the continent.
The Director General of the National Sports Authority, Professor Peter Twumasi also noted that the Armwrestling Federation was one of the youngest federations recognized by the National Sports Authority and overwhelmed with the achievements so far.
He charged the newly inaugurated LOC to give off their best to promote Ghana by ensuring the success of the organization.
The Mayor of Accra, Mrs Elizabeth Sackey expressed her delight to be part of the event and said she has a keen interest in sports since it was part of Assembly’s activities.
She assured the organization of the Assembly’s support and wish team Ghana the very best in the competition.
The Chairman of the Local Organizing Committee for the Championship, Mr Mohammed Adjei Sowah expressed his gratitude to the Ministry of Youth and Sports and the Ghana Armwrestling Federation for the courtesies and confidence reposed in him and the team, and assured that they would do their best to deliver on their mandate.
Priscilla Nimako, ISD
