The Sports Writer’s Association of Ghana has held its annual awards ceremony at the Alisa Hotel in Accra. The ceremony was organized to reward outstanding sports men and women who have performed creditably in their various fields.
Delivering a speech as the guest of honour for the event, the Minister for Youth and Sports, Hon Isaac Kwame Asiamah disclosed that, procurement processes are almost completed for the construction of an Olympic Stadium Complex and other facilities for the hosting of the African Games in 2023.
He noted that, the games will involve fifty- four participating countries and twenty- five sporting disciplines adding that “I foresee a very exciting period ahead for sports journalists in Ghana. This is occasioned by the honour accorded Ghana to host the 13th African Games in 2023.
The Sports Minister commended the leadership of SWAG for having the power of resilience to overcome the global challenge and maintaining the enviable record of the longest reigning sports event in Ghana even in this Covid -19 era.
Hon Asiamah intimated that, the hardships sports Writers have gone through in this Covid-19 period cannot go unnoticed. He noted that “as sports journalists, your work has virtually come to a standstill and you need to delve into your archives to produce materials to sustain your readers”.
He said, the Ministry of Youth and Sports will seek closer collaboration with SWAG to ensure that Ghanaian athletes are well prepared for the Games and the image of Ghana is marketed as the most preferred sports event destination in Africa as Ghana prepares to host and organize the 13th edition of the Africa Games.
The Hon Minister appealed to the leadership of SWAG to institute and include an award for the best sports journalist of the year as a way of encouraging others to work hard in the subsequent years which the Ministry will bear the cost. “I would like to propose to SWAG to institute a category to rank top five hardworking sports federations each year to be announced at your annual ceremonies”.
He also urged the Association to lead efforts to conscientize all Ghanaians to consider the impending elections as a game between political parties, adding that, “we in sports believe, understand and appreciate that in any game situation, teams are to apply the principle of fair play and obey the rules of the game, and in the end the best team emerges victorious”.
The ceremony saw a number of budding talents in the sports field in Ghana being rewarded for their sterling performances for the year 2019.
