Two-day seminar on doping in Accra

Prof. Dominic Fobih - Sports Minister

The Ministry of Education, Science and Sports on Monday opened a two-day seminar on Doping in Accra.

The seminar under the auspices of the Travelling Education Services of World Anti-Doping Agency, (WADA) is aimed at equipping various stakeholders with the requisite knowledge and skills towards the establishment of a National Anti Doping Organisation in Ghana to educate people on the use of banned substances in Sports.

Stakeholders from the Ministry, Ghana Olympic Committee, (GOC) National Sports Council (NSC), Ghana Football Association (GFA) and Ghana Education Service (GES) are participating in the seminar.

The two-day seminar is being facilitated by David Julien and Jennifer Cleter from Canada and Lea Cleret from France, all officers of the Travelling Education Services of World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA).

Professor Dominc Fobih, Minster of Education, Science and Sports said Ghana is ready to further strengthen her relationship with WADA to fight anti-doping in sports.

This, he said would be pursued by encouraging the formation of a National Anti Doping Organisation in the country as well as to also bid for the citing of a Zonal Regional Anti-Doping Organisation in Ghana.

Professor Fobih expressed the hope that the educational seminar will bring to the fore the need to seek medical advice in the use of all forms of drugs and substances as well as food supplements which most athletes knowingly and unknowingly take to enhance their performance in sports.

He said that the use of banned substances in sports is basically due to the irresistible reward that crowns glory in today's competitive sports.

The Minister, however, noted that Ghana does not encourage the use of performance enhancing drugs, particularly banned ones and that is why it is among the first countries to ratify the UNESCO Convention on doping in sports.