body-container-line-1
08.05.2005 Sports News

Asantehene ask sportswriters to highlight on sports stars

08.05.2005 LISTEN
By GNA

Kumasi, May 8, GNA-Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, Asantehene, has called on sportswriters to do much more to highlight the achievements of sportsmen and women, follow their personal development and encourage them. He said if sportswriters approach their work with the slogan "Ghana First", the popularity they achieve would be more deserving. The Asantehene was speaking at the 30th annual One-Touch Sportswriters Association of Ghana (SWAG) awards night at the Prempeh Assembly Hall in Kumasi on Saturday.

He observed that of late the agenda of sportswriters and presenters have been crowded with football administration, the Ghana Football Association (GFA), biased and corrupt referees and poor coaching. Otumfuo Osei Tutu also observed that almost 90 per cent or more discussion on sports is on football and this has even reached a point that school children are being forced to discuss football and nothing else.

He said as journalists, they are expected to do a lot more investigations, information gathering, objective and balanced reporting, stressing that their speculations are taken as gospel truth by the unsuspecting readers and listeners.

"The danger you could pose to national cohesion, national unity and the national psyche is tremendous and that to me is very worrying." Otumfuo Osei Tutu said sports, is a unifying factor and that it transcends tribal, ethnic and ideological boundaries, adding that in sports, "we can rise up as a nation and cultivate winning teams."

Madam Elizabeth Ohene, Minister of State, Education and Sports, said Ghana spent over 30 billion cedis on the Under-17, Olympic, Black Queens and the senior national teams in 2004.

He indicated that this was at the uncomfortable expense of other disciplines and the development of school and juvenile sports. Madam Ohene said strategic approach to resource mobilisation and sports development wouldl be fully functional under "the new Sports Act, which seeks to introduce better ways of developing, managing and promoting an effective and efficient sports sector."

She said another effective way of mobilising resources for sports was the hosting of major events like CAN 2008, adding, "We are happy to confirm that there is overwhelming response from major firms to fund the construction of various stadia identified in the country".

Real Tamale United (RTU) on Sunday beat visiting Ashantigold 1-0 in the Ghana Telecom Premier league match played at the Kaladan Park in Tamale.

RTU put an early pressure on the visitors, as Alhassan Weah's surprise shot nearly beat the Ashanrtigold goalie. After that early scare, the visitors persevered and fought hard and returned the pressure to RTU, whose defence they found difficult to break through.

Ofosu Amoah and Mark Komaoe of Ashantigold were "thorns" in RTU goal area but as much as they tried their efforts were ruined by the solid RTU defence marshalled by goalkeeper, Mustapha Wahab.

The match became balanced after the first 25 minutes and acxtion was concentyrated in the centre circle.

In the 43rd minute, substitute Wemmah had a ball from the centre line and decided to go solo and dribbled past three Ashgold defenders before passing to Towfic Alolo who wasted no time in kicking the ball into the net to register the only goal for RTU.

After the goal, RTU tried hard to increase the tally as Alolo again beat the keeper but failed to find the empty net.

RTU had three good chances in the second half but luck eluded them as all their shots hit the post and strayed away from target. MORE CA/RA 08 May 05

body-container-line