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No tartan tracks in Accra?

Athletes in the nation’s capital are bemoaning the lack of good tartan tracks to be used for training in their quest to become national stars.

After the condemnation of the tracks at the Accra Sports Stadium almost eight years ago, the El-Wak Stadium became the only alternative for track and field events in Accra, but now, the tracks have become dangerous to its users.

While it may be alright for fun games and schools competitions, no national athlete can train on it as the tracks are coming off, while the pool for the steeplechase has not been maintained. 

It is now filled with refuse and algae and unappealing to anyone who would want to take up that event. Not only that, the sand base provided for the jumps is also restrictive, limiting the distance a jumper could go.

El Wak was rehabilitated in 2007 to provide facilities for athletes after a decision was taken to remove the tracks from the Accra Stadium to make way for a bigger seating capacity for football during the preparations for the 2008 African Cup of Nations (AFCON). 

The Ghana Athletics Association (GAA) criticised the move, insisting that it did not meet the standards for international athletics, but very little was done about it and the lack of maintenance has made the situation worse.

Now, a group of young athletes, hoping to earn a national call-up one day, have appealed to the Ministry of Youth and Sports and government, as a matter of urgency, to provide athletes with an athletics facility in the capital, else the interest in the sport would wane and the dwindling fortunes of athletics would continue.

“As the national capital where most of the events take place, it is sad that the city can no longer boast of any athletics oval as El-Wak is deteriorating and the Legon oval is not completed. Now, we are compelled to train in a rough manner which can never help us improve”, the young athletes who pleaded anonymity lamented.

“The impression has also been created that El-Wak is easily accessible. Not it is not as we have to go through bureaucracy with the managers, the Ghana Armed Forces to be able to use the facility. Even that it is restricted,” the athletes, most of whom are Senior High School graduates training on their own, further lamented.

To make matters worse at El-Wak, the road construction being undertaken on the El-Wak-Burma Camp road has blocked entrance to the stadium. Unfortunately, the Chinese contractors undertaking the job, have not found it necessary to put up signages directing visitors to the stadium to an alternative entry point.

Former national athletes, also concerned about the situation, have added their voice with Stan Allotey and Mike Ahey also urging government to provide athletics facilities.

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