BAG Happy With Strides Made At Commonwealth Games 2018

The Badminton Association of Ghana (BAG) has said they are happy with the strides Ghana made in the sport, at the just ended Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast, Australia.

In a report summary of the Association's participation at the event and signed by the president of BAG, Mr Yeboah Evans, this was Ghana Badminton's best performance in the Commonwealth Games so far.

'This is the best results at the multi-sport Games by Badminton, in Africa and the best Commonwealth Games performance since Ghana begun participation in the Multi-Sports Games,' the report read.

'Our itinerant coaching programme paid off, despite some technical shortfalls which if we had begun early with the necessary resources the team could have reached the podium.

'Nonetheless, the standing ovation received by the 25,000 seated spectators each point in our matches was a rousing welcome for a better talent performance enhancement in the coming months for our dear sport.'

The report added that BAG had negotiated with a top kit company to sponsor the Association by providing kits for the national teams.

'We left Australia, with negotiations for a kit sponsor deal for our national team with the global firm who kitted 24 countries of the 72 country participants from 2019, a Malaysian Federation training programme for some of our elite athletes in the latter part of next year, and a further negotiations with the BWF that will enhance Ghana's growth of the Sport,' the report added.

Meanwhile, two of Ghana's Badminton athletes were reported to the necessary authorities as missing from camp. According to BAG this is an 'uncouth attitude' and were doing all they can track those missing athletes to make them face the law.

'Unfortunately, Stella Amassah and Gifty Mensah were declared missing a day after their competition. We had activated and adhered to the necessary protocols and procedures of such situations and the Commonwealth Games Federation, the Commonwealth Games Federation, the Australia Border Force, The National Security desk, Interpol, The Ghana High Commission, the Ghanaian Community in Australia, the BWF and the Sporting regulators from Ghana have been duly informed and enforcement action under such acts have already begun.

At the bearest, least when found, they will be prosecuted per Australian laws and then extradited to Ghana to face Ghanaian law in full force. As your leader, I am vile at this moment and the course of this depraved and uncouth attitude was completely unnecessary and the Association condemns this act. Internally, our next Board meeting we will bolster our actions on these characters of dishonourable individuals.'

This was Ghana's 4th participation in Badminton at the Commonwealth Games since its maiden appearance in 2002 in Manchester. BAG sent eight elite athletes to this year's Games and are confident of a bright future for the Association.