Otumfuo The Sportsman

Otumfuo displaying his football skills Several Ashanti Kings have come and gone, but none has won the love and admiration of so many sports fans as the current Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II. Such is his passion for sports that many connoisseurs in different sporting disciplines consider him one of their own.

Not only is he seen as a sports fan who is adept at the rudiments of the various sports; when he decides to be a participant in any sporting event, he wows onlookers and competitors alike.

From golf to football his royal touches leave all in wonderment.

Barimma Kwaku Duah, as he is known in private life, succeeded his late brother Otumfuo Opoku Ware II who kicked the bucket after a short illness in 1999.  

Within the past decade, the son of the Asantehemaa Nana Afia Kobi Serwaa Ampem, has played vital roles in the development of especially sports.

The contributions of Otumfuo Osei Tutu II to Ghana's sports development spans sporting disciplines such as Golf, Boxing and Football just to mention a few.  

Golf
It is an established fact that Otumfuo Osei Tutu II is an ardent golfer, and when he takes to the course, his majestic swings could be the envy of Tiger Woods himself.

A professional golfer once disclosed that sometimes when the Asantehene plays, he makes professionals seem like amateurs. “His poise, confidence and level of concentration is par excellence. Being the Ashanti King comes with a certain aura, and he brings this to bear in his game (golf). That is why perhaps some of my colleagues say he (Asantehene) sees through the eyes of a wise old man.”

Friends, colleagues and business associates have testified that the Asantehene has been playing golf as far back as they can remember. As someone who believes in the maxim “a sound mind lives in a sound body”, the Ashanti King never misses a chance to showcase his golfing abilities, and the several golf tournaments he has taken part in at the Royal Golf Course in Kumasi and other golf courses around the country is enough testimony. Indeed a description of Otumfuo Osei Tutu II will not be complete without mentioning him as a golfer.    

Furthermore, the annual Asantehene Golf Tournament in the Garden City, where professional golfers across the length and breadth of the country are invited to exhibit their golfing skills, is ample evidence of the Ashanti King's love for golf.  

In such tournaments, the Asantehene always makes sure that he finds time off his busy schedule to grace the occasion.  

At the end of such tournaments too, golfers who distinguish themselves by coming up tops are given special monetary rewards and trophies by the occupant of the Golden Stool for a good job well done.  

Boxing
In boxing, the Asantehene has played behind-the-scenes roles, contributing in the promotion of the fistic sport in which Ghana is a major force to reckon with.  

Also worth mentioning, is the Asantehene's organization of a boxing contest between the 'The Pride of Ashanti' Kofi Jantuah and an Argentine opponent at the Baba Yara stadium in Kumasi in 2008.  

During the period under review too, World Champion Joshua Clottey visited the Asantehene at the Manhyia Palace in Kumasi where he benefited from the wise counsel of the occupant of the Golden Stool.

 
Soccer
But of all the sporting disciplines in the country the one which Otumfuo has made the greatest contribution is football; no wonder he is the Life Patron and Owner of Kumasi Asante Kotoko.  

The sports loving King has always visited the training grounds of the senior national team, the Black Stars anytime Ghana had to play in the Garden City, to inspire the players.  

Also during such commendable visits, Otumfuo always gave assurance of his total support and that of Asanteman for the team and these assurances from no mean a personality than the Asantehene, had always inspired the Black Stars to chalk respectable score lines whenever they play in Kumasi.  

As part of promoting football and uniting the people in his kingdom, Otumfuo has for the past 10 years been occasionally organizing special gala dubbed, 'Otumfuo Challenge Cup' tournament where teams from the country are invited to play.  

The teams that emerge winners in such competitive tournaments are given lucrative prizes by the Asantehene at the end of such football gala.  

Furthermore, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II has helped put his club, Kumasi Asante Kotoko to its proper place both in the local scene and on the African continent.  

Four years after ascending the Golden Stool, to be precise 2003, Otumfuo's team Asante Kotoko managed to break the jinx surrounding its 10-year league title drought which started way back in 1993.  

Kumasi Asante Kotoko, relying on the good guidance and support of the Asantehene has as well followed the 2003 feat with two other premiership titles in 2005 and 2008, increasing to three the number of league titles Kotoko has won during Otumfuo's rule.  

Also during Otumfuo Osei Tutu II's 10-year reign, Kumasi Asante Kotoko have rediscovered their lost glory, becoming a force to reckon with on the African continent once again.  

The Kumasi based club has within the last 10 years managed to reach the grand finale of two separate Africa cup tournaments, though they could not win the ultimate on those two occasions. 

However, Kotoko have managed to brush aside these painful defeats, making it to the lucrative Africa Champions League stage later on, thus selling the name of the club to the outside world. 

The Asantehene is on recorded as having invested huge sums of money into Kotoko, especially during stages when the club was cash strapped and not able to venture into the market to purchase players.  

Otumfuo Osei Tutu II is also reported to have pumped cash into the Porcupine Warriors whenever the club was lacking the financial wherewithal to travel outside for continental duels.  

It is also during the Otumfuo Osei Tutu II's era that Asante Kotoko which was formed in 1935, has brought meaning and life into its desire to construct its own stadium.  

Dubbed, 'The Adakwa Jaachie Project', the present Kotoko management has contracted a firm to construct the stadium. Already,  work on the project has kick-started and is said to be going on smoothly.  

The countless vital contributions of the Asantehene during the period under review has gone beyond the borders of the country as all manner of sporting personalities have one way or the other commended Otumfuo for a job well done.  

Prominent among sporting personalities that have openly commended Otumfuo is reigning African Footballer Emmanuel Adebayor of Togo and Arsenal.  

The lanky Arsenal hitman stormed the Manhyia Palace in Kumasi earlier this year where he paid his respects to the Occupant of the Golden Stool and as well contributed an undisclosed amount of money to the Otumfuo Education Fund to help brilliant but needy students.     

Still on Otumfuo's role in Ghana's sports development, the Asantehene continually visited the Baba Yara Stadium when the stadia underwent developmental works ahead of the CAN 2008 tournament.  

During such historic visits to the stadium, the Asantehene offered advice to the contractors thereby contributing to what is now a magnificent edifice. 

By Muniru Kassim & I.F Joe Awuah Jnr, Kumasi