Thank you, Janet Amponsah
My nationalistic instincts were aroused as I watched the athletes mount the podium to receive their medals at the world championships in Moscow, the Russian capital.
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First was the raising of the national flags, followed by the playing of the national anthem of the Gold medalist's country.
This is sports and had nothing to do with military or economic might. Apart from Russia, the host nation, other countries in the medal haul included Jamaica, led by sensational Usain Bolt; Bahamas, Trinidad and Tobago, Kenya, Ethiopia and Cote d'Ivoire. Ghana was nowhere.
My mind was in a turmoil as I wondered whether His Excellency the President and his minister responsible for sports also had had time to watch proceedings in Moscow and if so, whether they felt comfortable in their seats.
Then came along Janet Amponsah, the lone athlete who carried high the flag of Ghana on her feeble shoulders. She put up a spirited performance in the 200 metres dash but it was not enough. She placed seventh out of eight runners in her heats and that was how far Ghana, the Black Star of Africa, could go in the world championships.
I was about to complain but a friend told me to spare the lady. She did as far as her efforts could carry her. It was as if nobody was interested in her. I was told she had to travel by road from Kumasi to Accra to board the aircraft that would ferry her to Moscow. Our leaders were thinking of better things to bother their heads over her problems.
The countries mentioned earlier as having collected medals are not in any way better endowed than Ghana in terms of resources. What they may have but which we lack are good policies being implemented by good and inspirational leadership.
The records show that Ghana is not lacking in talents. There was a time when Ghana could be counted among countries with the fastest sprinters. What has happened such that our national flag could not be raised at international meets, let alone our national anthem being played?
Sports is now big business. Apart from advertising countries on the global market, sports is a major revenue-fetching venture provided the right investments were made in the sector.
Most of the young men and women roaming the streets in the day time and stalking the nights to either rob or to solicit sexual partners for a fee are potential millionaires, if only our governments would recognise this fact and place great premium on sports development.
As it is now, it appears the bureaucracy called the Ministry of Youth and Sports in the past is receiving more attention and consuming more funds than sports itself.
The highly competitive inter-schools sporting competitions, the inter-armed forces games and the friendship games between Cote d'Ivoire and Nigeria a development which unearthed talents for all the participating countries should be given serious consideration and restored.
The country's excessive reliance on football means a big chunk of raw talents in other disciplines go untapped.
Every individual has the right to make choices, but if our hard-working athletes, out of frustration, are prepared to switch nationality so they can gain recognition and support, then as a nation, we have to bow our heads in shame.
We saw Ignacious Gaisah mount the podium in Moscow to receive the long jump silver medal under the flag of The Netherlands. Before anybody attempts to question his patriotism, we should follow his progress over the years and see how involved was the country called Ghana in his development.
We have Janet Amponsah to thank for making it possible for Ghana to be mentioned in far away Moscow. Maybe, she would also have mounted the podium, if her country had shown a little bit of interest in her efforts.
By Kofi Akordor/Daily Graphic/Ghana
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