Minister for Sports and Recreation, Kofi Iddie Adams, has vowed to implement stringent measures to prevent Ghanaian athletes from absconding while representing the country at major tournaments this year.
As he officially assumes office on Monday, February 10, the minister is set to meet with the Ghana Football Association (GFA) as part of efforts to reset Ghana’s sports landscape.
He also addressed the Norway Para-Athletes scandal and the Australian visa scandal of 2018, emphasising that under his leadership, such incidents will be decisively curbed.
According to him, his administration will work closely with sports federations to conduct thorough background checks and ensure strict accountability, with severe consequences for those found guilty of misconduct.
“You hardly will hear of proper athletes absconding. So what it means is that you must put systems in place so that only athletes attend and not people who are selected as athletes. Some people just sit there and when they hear that there is some tournament going on somewhere or some sports meeting somewhere, they create a letterhead that says they are ‘this’ group and they are going. They come without any indication of competition, nationally to show.
“Before you bring in a letter for introductory note for a visa, you must have proven that, if it is table tennis, there’s been a certain consistent competition of these persons you are even bringing that have taken part, with evidence to show before the ministry and the NSA will get involved,” he stated.
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