Sports NGO launched in Accra

Gibbons Sports Foundation (GSF) a non-governmental organisation aimed at promoting and developing sports in the country has been launched in Accra.

The objectives of the organization is to provide financial and material support for the discovery of sports talent around the country and redefine the perspective of sports as only being fun and games. It is also to assist individuals in both rural and urban communities to engage in sports for the improvement of life.

Larry George Botchway the Executive Secretary of the foundation said the burden of sports development should not be left with the government alone because there is the need for active private participation to augment the efforts of the government in sports promotion.

He said the foundation would adopt both long and short-term objectives to ensure resource and material allocation for the advancement of the cause of the sportsmen in their various fields of disciplines.

According to Botchway, the foundation would also find new ways of propelling individual skills to enable Ghana excel at international games. It will institute scholarship awards for students. Botchway said the foundation would also build a database for sports people nationwide.

Launching it, Joe Aggrey, Deputy Minister of Youth and Sports said the budgetary allocation for the ministry is enough for the development of sports by the ministry alone.

He said s based upon this, the private sector must take active part in the development of sports since the ministry has to take additional responsibility of catering for the development of the youth as well.

Aggrey urged the foundation to sustain it and not to allow it be "a nine day wonder." He said the ministry would soon come out with a policy, which would change the image of sports in the country.