6 Bombers For Beijing

Ghana will present six boxers at the Beijing Olympics games- a move that is expected to boost the nation's dream of annexing medals at the summer Olympics.

At the last games held in Athens in 2004, Ghana did not see any representation at the world's biggest competition in boxing as it failed to qualify even a single boxer for the event.

But six Black Bombers have this time around qualified, making Ghana one of the countries with the highest representations from Africa where boxing at the games is concerned.

Bastir Samir, Issah Samir, Samuel Neequaye and Prince Dzanie were the four boxers that qualified for Beijing at the just-ended Olympic qualifier in Windhoek, Nambia.

While Bastir and his younger brother Issah won gold in the light heavyweight and bantamweight divisions respectively, Neequaye picked silver in the welterweight division. Dzanie however settled for a bronze medal.

Manya Plange and Ahmed Saraku had qualified at an earlier championship in Algeria late last year.

Meanwhile, the victorious Black Bombers arrived at the Kotoka International Airport yesterday as Prince Oduro Mensah, Chief Executive Officer of the National Sports Council gave them a rousing welcome.

Solomon Offei Darko, Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Amateur Boxing Association (GABA), told journalists that it was a great achievement for Ghana to have bounced back as one of the continent's best in boxing.

He said a programme would quickly be drawn for the bombers as they prepare for Beijing 2008 so they could win medals.

The Black Bombers were the third best in the Windhoek qualifiers.

By Charles Nixon Yeboah