One dead, another arrested as Ghana ‘Paralympic Team’ absconds after landing in Norway

Alleged members of Ghana's para-cycling team have reportedly absconded to other Schengen states after arriving in Norway earlier this year to prepare for the Fjordkraft Bergen City Marathon.

The 11-member team did not register or participate in the competition, which was scheduled for late April in Norway.

According to a document released by the National Security Authority on July 3, 2024, team member Nana Antwi was apprehended and detained by Norwegian security officials in late April after attempting to travel to Sweden.

The document also revealed that the team's coach, George Gyamfi Gyasi, collapsed and passed away at Oslo University Hospital on May 17, 2024.

The Norwegian embassy in Accra has alerted other Schengen and Western diplomatic missions in the city to assist in locating and repatriating the team members. The search for these individuals is ongoing.

The National Paralympic Committee (NPC) has clarified that the 11-member team is not affiliated with them and has distanced itself from the group.

In response, the NPC has indefinitely suspended Mr. Theodore Mawuli Viwotor, Mr. Ernest Yaw Ayisi, and the Ernestay Foundation for their involvement in the incident.

A letter sent to the three parties states that the suspension is due to their alleged roles in falsifying NPC letterheads and forging the NPC Ghana President's signature and stamp.

For now, it's unclear the whereabouts of the remaining nine persons who made up this 'National team.'