The failure of the Ghana Education Service (GES) to renew its five-year circuit athletics sponsorship contract with the Samfaus family in Dormaa Ahenkro, has adversely affected development and promotion of the sports in the Dormaa Ahenkro area.
This was disclosed by Mr Alexander Obeng, the Sports organiser for Dormaa Circuit B of the GES in the Bono Region, who explained that the Service could not sustain the sponsorship contract after it expired in 2019.
He noted that the family had formerly supported the organisation of inter-schools circuit athletics with trophies and medals during the last four years.
‘At the end of the contract the Municipal education directorate was unable to convince them to renew the contract which could be attributed to the change in leadership and personnel at the directorate,’ he added.
Mr Obeng was speaking in an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA) at the climax of the GES Dormaa Municipal Inter-School Circuit ‘B’ Games, held at the Dormaa Senior High School Park.
He
said prior to organising the sporting activities, he had persistently sent out letters to individuals and corporate institutions to solicit for assistance both in cash and in kind, but it yielded little results.
He thanked the Dormaa radio stations for allocating them some airtime to talk about sports and development in the area.
Mr Obeng indicated that due to the challenges, they were compelled to withdraw some of the sporting disciplines drawn up in the competition to meet their budget, saying sadly, no child or school received a trophy, medal or certificate as a form of motivation for emerging winners and for participating in the competition.
The sports organiser stated that considering the numerous potential, opportunities and economic benefits sports offered in the 21st century including good health, recreation, employment for the nation, community and families, it has become essential for authorities, individuals and corporate institutions to immediately turn their attention on its development and ad
vancement.
He said many schools in the Greater and Ashanti Regions always depended on Dormaa for athletics people, adding that in 2022, about six of the children from Dormaa were poached, one of them by the Opoku Ware Senior High School (OWASS).
Mr Obeng said they were unwilling to make an excuse out of the problems regarding their budgetary deficit, to the neglect of developing potential and young talents, but were willing to sacrifice to help those with such desires to succeed and achieve their life long ambitions and hoped next year trophies, medals and certificates would be presented to the schools and winners respectively in the under 13 and 15 divisions.
Mr Emmanuel Appiah, the Circuit B sports Chairman, said equipment like nets for volleyball, handball and football posts were borrowed for the competition but the aspirations and dreams of these children to become famous sports men and women could not be restricted to the classrooms to truncate their possibilities and chances of reaching greater heigh
ts in life.
Mr Appiah said they would continue to engage the Parent-Teach Association to discuss ways of sustaining sporting activities in schools in the area amid the limited resources and numerous constraints.
The competition saw the various schools, primary and JHS compete in track and field event, soccer, hand ball and volleyball at Presbyterian school park in Dormaa.
Source: Ghana News Agency
