Re: Ghanaian Swimmers Fail at All Africa Games

28th September, 2011

THE EDITOR
GRAPHIC COMMUNICATIONS GROUP LTD.
GRAPHIC ROAD
ACCRA

cc: THE EDITOR
GHANAWEB

Re: Ghanaian Swimmers Fail at All Africa Games

Reference to the headline article published on the Ghanaweb website on Sunday 11thSeptember, 2011 with the source from Daily Graphic.

http://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/SportsArchive/artikel.php?ID=218489&comment=7101913#com

The headline; Ghanaian Swimmers Fail at All Africa Games was such a low key played by the author, however showing his/her ignorance in the sport. In the midst of ignorance and failure for some journalist, reducing their scope of reportage to only football, always show in whatever they try to write about other sport. We must all note that Ghana abounds in talents in swimming but have we asked ourselves how we will enormously benefit in the swimming sport and the need to develop it for more exposure.

Swimming, the only sport that Ghana can haul a lot of medal in the future is given a little attention in the country. We need to know where Ghana swimming has reached in Africa and plan well for the future.

Yes, Maputo was important, we must be thankful that Ghana presented some swimmers that are well placed on the African continent by all standards at the just ended all Africa games. I'm sorry to say the author did not have his facts right because Joachim Ofosuhene-Wise did not swim in the event he mentioned. It was total falsehood. Instead, he should encourage these young swimmers who swam for the first time with great Olympians at age 24 – 33, only five seconds away from the gold medal in some of the events.

However, some of our swimmers were at ages 14 and 19 years. Another wrong notion about Ralph and Rhudi was about the medals the young swimmers made at the National Unity Games. In fact, Ralph alone hauled in 11 medals and Ghana must appreciate the parents, the coaches of all the swimmers who made it to Maputo because it has always been private support that has pushed swimming to such height. Above all, the All Africa Games is not only meant for medals, it is by large to champion sporting excellence in Africa and to develop sports in various countries.

It's about time Ghana invested in swimming to win laurels for Ghana.

Theophilus W. Edzie
President
Ghana Swimming Association