Kofi Ampeah Woode
The Ghana Army in collaboration with its Sports Sponsors, have honoured the Army Sports Teams for outstanding performances, giving them a brand new Renault Logan vehicle, digital wrist-watches, jerseys, whiles the teams also presented new trophies recently won, to the Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) – Major General (Maj Gen) Bismarck Kwasi Onwona.
The COAS feted the Army Sports Team on Thursday 27 June 2024, at the forecourt of the Odartey-Welligton Block of the Army Headquarters, Burma Camp, Accra, where the Chief Guest was the Ambassador of Lebanon, and Dean of the Diplomatic Corps in Ghana – His Excellency Ambassador Maher Kheir.
In a speech to honour the athletes, General Onwona expressed great joy and a sense of fulfilment for the tremendous achievement chalked by the Army Sports Teams, and acknowledged the Chief of the Defence Staff – Lieutenant General (Lt Gen) Thomas Oppong-Peprah, for his invaluable contribution in the recruitment of skilful sports personnel into the Army, and the massive financial commitment made into the Army Sports, as COAS.
The COAS cited General Oppong-Peprah for the acquisition of a bus for sports activities, provision of playing equipment for all 20 Army Sports Teams, paying for affiliation and registration fees, and upgrading of coaches among others as strategic interventions, which have yielded glorious results to the Army, and the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF), generally.
Expressing awareness of some challenges the sports teams face in their daily training, the COAS assured that efforts are being made to resolve them, and to put them in a better position to achieve even greater laurels.
In expressing pride and commendation of the athletes, their Coaches, medical team, and Officers, Maj Gen BK Onwona urged them to continue to be disciplined and exhibit the spirit of resilience and professionalism at all times, reminding them that it takes mental toughness, discipline and dedication to be good athletes, consistent in their winning ways.
He further thanked the Ghana Boxing Authority, IMAX Promotions and Premier Motors for organising and sponsoring the Ghana Professional Boxing League, which he asserted was undoubtedly serving as a platform for Ghanaian youths to display their potentials, and promised continued collaboration, to help restore boxing to its past glory in Ghana.
He cited the following persons for high-mention: Mr Adolf Tetteh Adjei – Chief Executive Officer (CEO), SAPHOLDA Ltd; Mr Paa Kwasi – CEO, Awards Centre; Mr Gideon Seidu – CEO, Aboboya Group; Mr Frank Tetteh – CEO, Golden Gate Group; Mr Jihad Hijazi – CEO, Premier Motors (who donated the Renault Logan); and presented various cash sums to all the teams, and honour citations to the Officer-in Charge (OIC) – Major (Maj) Dickson Agalga.
At the feast, the following were presented; Army Athletics presented 11 Medals – 4 Gold, 4 Silver, 3 Bronze – won at the Confederation of African Athletics Region II Senior Championship, held at Legon Sports Stadium, Accra, from 3 to 6 June 2024; Army Ladies Football Club won the Ghana Women FA Championship Cup on 8 June 2024; and a Renault Logan car won by Army Boxing Gym at the 2023 Ghana Professional Boxing League (GPBL).
The Army came 1st and 2nd in the Women and Men categories, respectively, at the Kwahu Marathon Race organised on 30 March 2024, with 461 athletes from Benin, Ghana, Kenya, and Togo.
Army Men & Women Volleyball Teams came 1st in the Men and Women categories of the First Edition of the WINA BIG Volleyball Tournament organised by WINA BIG Sports Betting Company, in conjunction with the Greater Accra Volleyball Association, for the top 8 teams in the Greater Accra Volleyball League.
The Army Ladies Handball Team won the ultimate trophy of the Greater Accra Handball Association Open Championship Trophy, in a tournament organized for 12 teams from 2 April to 4 May 2024.
Two Army Table Tennis players of the National Table Tennis Team participated in the West Africa Table Tennis Championship held in Lomé, Togo from 26 to 29 April 2024, placing 2nd and 3rd in the Women’s Doubles and Singles categories, respectively, and the men placing 4th in the Men’s Doubles category.
The Ghana Army provided 13 officials and 46 athletes who participated in the 13th African Games held in Ghana from 8 to 23 March 2024, and won the following: Two (2) Army Athletes with the National 4 x 100m won Silver; Seven (7) Army Men Volleyball players with the National Volleyball Team Won Bronze.
Additionally, Lance Corporal (L/Cpl) Kubile Sarah with the Black Princesses won Gold; Five (5) Army Ladies Hockey players with the National Women Hockey Team won Gold; Six (6) Army Men Hockey players with the National Men Hockey Team won Silver;
Two of the Army Sports Coaches – Chief Petty Officer Class II Nsalbini Salya, and Warrant Officer Class II Asante Ernest – served as Assistant Coaches for the National Men Hockey Team and the National Men Volleyball Team, who won Silver and Bronze, respectively.
In 2021, Lt Gen T Oppong-Peprah, then as COAS, in a quest to promote Civil Military Cooperation, and contribute to revamp the dwindled sports performance in the military, assembled and registered 20 sports disciplines to compete at regional, national and international sports levels.
The disciplines assembled included: 1) Football Men & Women; 2) Volleyball Men & Women; 3) Hockey Men & Women; 4) Basketball Men & Women; 5) Handball Men & Women; 6) Boxing Men & Women; 7) Athletics Men & Women; 8) Table Tennis Men & Women; 9) Tennis Men & Women; 10) Bowling Men & Women. From 2021 to 2024 the Army Sports Teams have won 258 trophies and medals, which included 24 international medals.
Dignitaries present at the Army Headquarters event included Chief Staff Officer – Brigadier General (Brig Gen) Barima Brako Owusu; Deputy Chief Staff Officers, Senior Officers, Officers, President, Ghana Boxing Authority – Mr Abraham Kotei Neequaye; Chairman IMAX Promotion – Mr Maxwell Tachie; Chairman.
Others were the Greater Accra Regional Volleyball Association – Mr Edward Owusu; Chairman, Greater Accra Regional Hockey Association – Mr Adolf Tetteh Adjei; President, Ghana Table Tennis Association – Mr Mawuko Afadzinu; Commanding Officer, Army HQ (Camp); Senior Officers; Officers; Sergeant Major of the Army; Regimental Sergeant Majors, Soldiers and Defence Civilian Employees.
By Kofi Ampeah-Woode
