Spikers await Ministry's approval

Accra, Jan. 25, GNA - The national volley ball team, the Black Spikers are set to participate in the zonal World Cup qualifiers scheduled for Sudan next month but are awaiting a ministerial approval on their budget before embarking on the trip.

The Spikers are scheduled to leave for Sudan this weekend for the four-nation qualifiers including Uganda, Eritrea and Sudan but the budgetary allocation of 21,000 dollars is yet to be given the nod by the Ministry of Education and Sports.

Mr Erasmus Adorkor, General Secretary of the Ghana Volleyball Association (GVA) told the GNA Sports that the initial budget for the trip was 47,000 dollars but the Association was able to source for rebates from an airline as well as accommodation and feeding from the Confederation of Africa Volleyball (CAVB) to bring down the cost involved for their participation.

He said the team is poised to win laurels for the nation if they are given the nod to participate in the tournament.

Meanwhile, the Association has short-listed 18 players for the final brush up for trip from whom 12 players will be selected for the trip for the Sudan tournament.

The players are USA based Adjanaku Seidu and Awudu Shamsu, with Gasmil Agbenyagah joining the team from El Sham, Cairo.

Other members of the squad are Ofei Awuku, Iddrissu Banousin and William Klu - Fire Service, Wise Adzokpa, Bakah Kenneth, Fred Dzrekey, William Akapko, Enoch Asamoah and Seidu Baba from the Police Service. From the camp of the Armed Forces are Evans Lomotey-Tagoe, Osmanu Abdallah and Sylvester Seshie.

The rest are Andy Svanikter and Emmanuel Quinoo - Immigration, Mahamadu Abass - Prisons Service.

The mini league qualifiers will see only one country joining four others for the final qualifiers in Egypt later in the year where the first three countries will qualify for the World Cup in Japan.