African Games: Sports Minister pins blame on Cycling Federation for equipment fiasco

Ghana’s Sports Minister, Mustapha Ussif, has shifted the blame onto the Cycling Federation for the equipment issues faced by athletes during the African Games.

This comes after several reports emerged of athletes struggling with inadequate training equipment and gear.

One notable example is the country’s national champion, Michael Naaba, who was forced to withdraw from the cycling competition due to a faulty bicycle. With no spare bike available, Naaba had no choice but to discontinue the race.

The incident sparked criticism towards both the Sports Ministry and the Local Organizing Committee (LOC) for the African Games.

However, Ussif stated that the Cycling Federation did not submit their list of required equipment, which included fibre-made bicycles instead of aluminium ones.

Therefore, the Ministry was not able to provide the necessary equipment for the cycling competition.

Ussif said in a press conference at the University of Ghana Sports Stadium on Monday, “The Ministry and the Local Organizing Committee requested all the Federations to submit their requirements. Basketball submitted their list and we went through it with them, and procured all the equipment for them.”

Sports minister, Mustapha Ussif says the Cycling Federation did not produce a list of equipment they needed for the Games hence the disappointment of the cyclists. #3Sports #Accra2023 pic.twitter.com/CVDQtbPzk9

— Yaw (@theyawofosu) March 11, 2024

He continued, “So if you’re the Cycling Federation, and you knew that you needed fibre-made bicycles and not aluminium bicycles, it is your responsibility to submit your list to us and will get them. If we cannot get all, we will buy.”

Despite the Minister’s defence, some Ghanaian cyclists have claimed that they used their personal bikes to compete.

Other athletes from various disciplines have also expressed frustration over the lack of adequate training equipment and gear.

For instance, Winnifred Ntumi, who won Ghana’s first medal at the African Games, revealed that she had to use her old jersey and training equipment to compete.

By Emmanuel Andam | 3Sports | Ghana