All Africa Games 'll Be My First Target - Dodoo

Ghana Athletics Association president, Prof. Francis Dodoo, says hosting the All Africa Games will be one of his first targets should he assume the presidency of the Ghana Olympic Committee.

He said the All Africa Games provides opportunity for the development of infrastructure which would become a legacy to the various disciplines and from which local sports can be developed across the board.

Prof. Dodoo told Graphic Sports in an interview that he was considering running for the Ghana Olympic Committee (GOC) top post to bring a change in the management of sports in Ghana.

'I have heard that Congo Brazzaville has been awarded the next All Africa Games. This is something some of us wanted Ghana to bid for,' he said.

'Unfortunately, the GOC thing precluded it because when we got here and we didn't have the structures to bid for it. I hope what we heard isn't true... because I always thought that hosting the All Africa Games will help us develop our infrastructure base at a much faster rate than it would actually occur.

'For that reason and for a few other reasons I thought it was important that we tried to bid for the All Africa Games.'

Hosting of the All Africa Games has been shunned by many countries in comparison to the African Cup of Nations football tournament which always has a competitive bidding for the hosting rights. The last Games in Maputo, for instance, was originally awarded to Lusaka, Zambia, but after the city pulled out of hosting the Games, maputo accepted to stage the 10th All Africa Games.

Prof. Dodoo said the absence of the GOC for the past 18 months had worked against the development of Ghana sports, and said should he become the next president of the GOC he would institute measures to attract sponsorship into Ghana sports.

The GOC is expected to go to Congress by October 31 this year to elect new officers for a four-year term following the lifting of the suspension on Ghana by the IOC in August this year.