Swimming boss denies bribery allegations
The President of the Ghana Swimming Association, Theophilus Wilson Edzie, has denied ever taking money from the father of swimming sensation, Kaya Forson, in order to include her in Ghana’s swimming team for Rio 2016.
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Mr Edzie, in an interview with the Daily Graphic yesterday, described the accusation as baseless and demanded an unconditional apology from his accuser, Ophelia Swayne, to the swimming body or risk being alienated from the sport.
According to Mr Edzie, Kaya’s qualification was based on merit and nothing else.
“She competed at the world swimming championships in Kazan, Russia, but Ophelia did not. And per the Olympic wild card slots, it was those who competed in major events such as the one in Kazan who qualify,” Mr Edzie explained.
He contended that Kaya made better times this year than Ophelia and had continued to engage in more events even after the World Swimming Championships in Kazan.
The swimming capo tasked Miss Swayne to refer to the Olympic rules and charter to better understand and appreciate the way things work.
He said one did not necessarily have to reside in his or her native country to qualify for the Olympics, disabusing the mind of Ophelia who alleged that Kaya was not resident in Ghana and, therefore was not qualified.
Meanwhile, Kaya is still battling with accreditation issues and is yet to receive confirmation of her participation in the Rio 2016 Olympics in Brazil from the Ghana Olympic Committee (GOC) and the Ghana Swimming Association.
The deadline for entry into the Olympics is July 18.