Big Incentives For Olympics Athletes - $20,000 Prize For Each Gold Winner

Ghana may be sending the smallest number of contingent yet to any Olympics, but the eight sportsmen and one sportswoman who have qualified to lift high the flag of Ghana at the 29th edition of the Olympic Games in Beijing, China, could return home richer in their pockets.

Ahead of the start of the competition next week, government has promised mouth-watering cash prizes for the various categories of medals to be won.

Any of the nine athletes — six boxers and three sprinters —could receive a cash reward, of $20,000 in addition to being made a National Hall of Famer as instituted by the National Sports Awards for a gold medal win.

Any athlete who manages to win silver will get a $15,000 cash reward while there is a $10,000 cash incentive for a bronze medalist.

This special package, approved by government on a request from the Ministry of Education, Science and Sports (MoESS) and the National Sports Council (NSC), is intended to get the best out of Ghana's representatives who are already in Shanghai, China, rounding off their preparation for the Games which officially opens on August 8 in the Chinese capital of Beijing.

It also forms part of the general approval given to Ghana's 22-man contingent including 13 officials to participate in the Games.

The make-up of the contingent is as follows: three athletes — sprint queen, Vida Anim, male sprinters Aziz Zakari and Seth Amoo and their coach; six boxers — Bastie Samir, Issa Samir, Manyo Plange, Ahmed Saraku, Samuel Kotey-Neequaye and Prince Octopus Dzanie and their technical handlers, as well as a team doctor and a physiotherapist.

The Chairmen of the Ghana Athletics Association (GAA) and the Ghana Amateur Boxing Association (GABA), four officials from the MoESS and NSC, the purse holder and two members of the Parliamentary Select Committee on Sports complete the list.

Prince Oduro Mensah, Chief Executive Officer of the NSC, who is the Chef de Maison, is already in Beijing, but the rest of the contingent are expected to leave early next week.

Confirming this to the Graphic Sports last Wednesday, Deputy Minister of Education, O.B Amoah, said the high financial reward, as well as the support given those who qualified to get the best of preparation, was a clear indication of government's commitment to motivate all sportsmen and sportswomen who represent the country at any level to excel.

“Government has consistently honoured its promise to handsomely reward all athletes who excel at their various international events and bring honour and glory to the country. The reward for the Olympic Games is unprecedented and it is a clear demonstration of government's readiness to motivate everyone in sports to do his or her very best,” the Deputy Minister said.

While bemoaning the low number of athletes who qualified to represent the nation, the Deputy Minister was optimistic they could return with the desired results.

Ghana's competing team was cut down to just nine after the various teams failed to qualify for the three-week event.

Both the national Under-23 male football team, the Black Meteors, and the female national team, the Black Queens, were eliminated by Nigeria.

The 4x100 relay team, which had qualified last year, dropped out of the qualifying time with just months to go.

The female team that won gold at the All Africa Games lost out of the best 16 and were unsuccessful in their attempt to get back into the top 16.

The men's team could also not make the qualifying time even though they hung on the 16th position for a long while before dropping from that group.

Story by Rosalind Amoh