Ghana’s Olympic hopefuls eye qualification at African Games

The head of Ghana's contingent for the 2024 Olympic Games, Isaac Duah Aboagye, expresses the hope that the upcoming African Games in Accra would provide the platform for a number of Ghanaians to make the qualifying marks to participate in the summer Games in Paris.

With the Paris Olympics drawing nearer, Mr Aboagye highlighted the significance of the 13th African Games (Accra 2023) as a crucial platform for Ghanaian athletes to secure their spots in various disciplines.

As of now, no Ghanaian athlete has secured direct qualification to the Olympics, but Ghana's Chef Du Mission for the Paris Olympics remains confident that the African Games will pave the way for their participation. With eight sporting disciplines at the African Games serving as Olympic qualification competitions, he sees a promising opportunity for Ghana across athletics, badminton, cycling, tennis, table tennis, triathlon, swimming, and wrestling.

Preparations are already underway, with the Ghana Olympic Committee establishing training camps in Strasbourg, France, awaiting the qualification of athletes.

Boxer, Samuel Takyi, who secured Ghana's sole medal (bronze) at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, is among members of Ghana's boxing team, Black Bombers, gearing up for the African Games. 

Takyi, along with other teammates, will also participate in the remaining Olympic qualifying events in Thailand and Italy, hoping to secure their tickets to the Paris Olympics scheduled from July 26 to August 11, 2024.