The Minister of Sports and Recreation, Kofi Adams, has announced a mammoth increase in government’s prize money for Ghanaian athletes who win gold medals at the 2026 Commonwealth Games from US$5,000 to US$10,000, as inspiration to end the country’s 28-year wait for the ultimate at the multi-sports event.
In addition, the minister also presented an outstanding medal-winning bonus of US$3,000 to two-time Commonwealth Games winner, Abdul Wahid Omar, for his bronze feat at the 2014 Games in the same Glasgow 12 years ago.
In a meeting with Team Ghana in Glasgow last Thursday ahead of the opening ceremony yesterday, Mr Adams pledged to personally top up a gold medal winner’s reward by a further US$1,000 in addition to the state reward as Ghana seeks to win the ultimate for the first time since Raymond Narh won gold in boxing at the 1998 Commonwealth Games in Malaysia.
“At the last Commonwealth Games, gold winners were assured of US$5,000, US$3,000 for silver and US$2,000 for bronze. We have decided to up the prize for any athlete who wins a gold medal to US$10,000,” the minister said.
He also urged the country’s athletes to excel and clinch more medals in a determination to improve upon the total of five won by Team Ghana at the last Games in Birmingham four years ago.
“Government has invested diversely in Ghana’s team for the Commonwealth Games. We camped them in Ghana for some time, then they left for Belfast to continue their training camp before the Games,” the MP for Buem said.
“I urge the athletes to compete with confidence and fear no opponent. The coaches have assured me that they hope to win some medals, hopefully better than we did last time,” he noted.
Meanwhile, Mr Adams also presented boxer Abdul Wahid Omar with an outstanding US$3,000 promised before the 2014 Games, which were also held in Glasgow.
The 32-year-old, making a record 4th appearance at the 2026 Games, won bronze in the light-welterweight division in 2014, as well as bronze at flyweight at the recent Birmingham Commonwealth Games in 2022.
