The first batch of athletes and officials for the pre-camping exercise of the 2018 Commonwealth Games are expected to depart Accra for Gold Coast, Australia later today.
The team made up locally based athletes were accompanied by their coaches and led by their federation presidents and some members of the International Games Committee (IGC).
The Ministry of Youth and Sports held an orientation seminar for the athletes last Saturday at the Accra Sports Stadium, and it seems all the sportsmen and women know what they are about and what is expected from them.
Hon Pious Hadzide, Deputy Sports Minister who is head of the IGC said the seminar was to engage the athletes and orient them on their expectations and also advise them on the use of any banned medication in relation to the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) policies.
The second and last batch of sportsmen and women are also expected to leave on Thursday, March 15, 2018.
The foreign-based athletes would join their colleagues on March 25, 2018, when the Games village officially opens.
Ghana is sending a total of 72 athletes from 12 sporting disciplines who have been lined up to represent the nation at the 2018 Commonwealth Games to be held at Gold Coast in Queensland, Australia. The national female hockey team is the highest with 18 players followed by the athletics team with 16 crack athletes made up of eight male and eight female athletes.
The national swimming team would be represented by four athletes made up of two male and two female swimmers.
The shooting team would have one male and one female, while badminton would have six players made up of three male and three female players with boxing having seven determined males who are eyeing medals. Three male cyclists would represent the country, while table tennis would have six made up four males and two females with three male para-athletes and a male para-powerlifter. The country will have two male para-cyclists and four weightlifters made up of three males and a female lifter.
Per the list, the 72 athletes would be accompanied by a 49-technical team made of 22 coaches for all 12 disciplines, seven medical team, four representatives each from the National Sports Authority (NSA) and the Ghana Olympic Committee (GOC) as well as the heads of the 12 sporting disciplines.
Team Ghana is led by Mohammed Sahnoon, the Chef de Mission for the 2018 Commonwealth Games, who is also President of the Ghana Cycling Federation (GCF).
The Ghana Boxing Supporters Union (GBSU) cheered and sang inspirational songs for the contingent as the left the Accra Sports Stadium to the airport.
Credit: Sammy Heywood Okine
