This morning, just like every other, I turned on the TV to keep myself updated with news making the waves in sports after I retired to bed last night.
On DSTV’s sports news channel, Blitz, there was news on Team South Africa’s heroes’ welcome back home after a successful Rio Olympic Games campaign.
For moments, I was in a trance. Exactly what was going on in my immediate surroundings, I do not remember but, I vividly recall pondering why as strong a sports nation with appreciable standards, my beloved Ghana has opted with conviction, to celebrate mediocrity!
As Team SA prepared and were set to depart for Brazil, the state, through Sport and Recreation Minister, Mr Fikile Mbalula, set them (Athletes) an unofficial target of bringing back home, ten (10) medals.
But as all great and ambitious athletes – who want to leave their footprints in the sands of time – do, they pushed themselves, accepted the challenge and achieved what the nation unofficially set them to. However, “unrealistic” a target it was at first thought.
Team Ghana on the other hand, had started preparations towards the games like the lazy pupil, who will wait until the eleventh hour to spend dedicated time behind his books to prepare for an exam, in the hope of being counted among the excellent.
Weeks after the Ghana Olympic Committee (GOC) president, Professor Francis Dodoo was celebrating young swimmer, Kaya Adwoa Forson’s achievement of making a personal best time finish that didn’t qualify her from the heat, Team China had a ready-made winner in their camp; a 16-year-old diver [Ren Qian], who won gold.
Janet Amponsah, Sean Safo-Antwi, Emmanuel Dasor, John Ampomah, Alex Amankwah, Flings Owusu-Agyapong, Gemma Acheampong, Beatrice Gyaman, Szandra Szogedi, Dorcas Gyima, Abeku Gyekye Jackson, Abdul Omar, Kaya Adwoa Forson and Christian Amoah, all took their turns to attempt to fly high the nation’s flag, but just as the expected of a poorly-prepared student for an exam, they each FAILED to qualify from the heat.
PURPOSEFULNESS
The South African Olympic team for the Rio de Janeiro Games were 137 in number, 12 more than the 125 athletes who represented South Africa at the 2012 Olympics in London.
And South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (Sascoc) President, Gideon Sam, before the team’s
departure said; “It has been a long journey. We made it a point many years ago that this country can be a force to be reckoned with on the world stages of sport.
“We had to do something about it‚ and that was to say to ourselves ‘let us have a criteria that will enable us to do that’. It has not been easy and it is still not easy.”
The Sascoc chief executive, Tubby Reddy, who doubled as the country’s Chef de Mission also added; “Preparations for the athletes started immediately after London 2012. We launched the ‘Operation Excellence’ program to help prepare athletes to get to this stage.
“South Africa‚ these are the men and women who will wear the green and gold‚ and go out to Rio and represent us well”, the Sascoc president added.
MEDIOCRE STANDARDS
Interestingly, in SHARP contrast, the President of the Ghana Olympic Committee (GOC), Professor Francis Dodoo, in a speech before Team Ghana departed for Rio said; “The current Ghana Olympics squad, comprises young athletes, with an average age of 22 years. We believe exposure at the Rio Olympics will develop them further to make a bigger impact in 2020.
“We also have the fastest female 100 metres quartet in Africa who have recorded the fastest time ever. All of these mean that we have a great future.”
In similar fashion, the Honourable Minister of Youth and Sports, Nii Lantey Vanderpuije, in a post-Rio interview, admitted Team Ghana’s contingent were only sent to the Olympics to ‘gain exposure’. Reeeeaaallly?
BAFFLING
Lest I forget, whatever happened to Martha Bissah? Why wasn’t she at the Olympics? Did another athlete out-shine her? Or her being left out was pure sabotage? Where is she anyways?
LAURELS
The total medal haul saw Kenya ranked 15th in total and led the African countries with a total of 13 – 6 (gold), 6 (silver) and 1 (bronze), whilst South Africa finished 30th overall and sat in second place [African ranking] with 10 medals in total – 2 (gold) 6 (silver) and 2 (bronze).
There is no debate on the description of the performance -in one word- of Ghana’s Olympic contingent; i.e. DISGRACEFUL!!
My thinking is that, the GOC, in collaboration with the various sports federations, can remedy the horrific outing at Rio 2016 with an improved and purposeful campaign at Tokyo 2020.
If they can set aside their differences and personal egos to work at preparing the athletes NOW to win medals at Olympic games rather than encourage the pursuit of ‘personal best times’, sports journos would be writing more exciting stories about Ghana’s campaign in 2020.
It is important to bear in mind that the biggest stage of athletics is not meant for the short-sighted who subscribe to mediocre standards!
…I’ll be back!!!
Rio Olympics: Mediocrity And Lack Of Vision Cost Ghana
