Sports in Ghana
Ghana is the first and only country on the Africa continent to be crowned FIFA U-20 World Cup Champions and two-time runner up in 1993 and 2001.
[12] The International Federation of Football History and Statistics crowned Asante Kotoko SC as the African club of the 20th century.
Its athletes include, Rabiatu Ofoli[permanent dead link], Samuel Lamptey[permanent dead link], Kelvin Evans Alphous, Prospera Nantuo, Aaron Tamakloe, Cindy Etornam Tornyenyor, Rachel Quarcoo and Ahmad Samad Abdul.
At the Senior Level, Ghana competed at the FIBA 3×3 Africa Cup in Cotonou, Benin in 2018 in the Men’s and Women’s categories.
[16] Cricket was handed over to Ghana in the early days of then the Gold Cost during the rule of its colonial masters the British and played its first international game against Nigeria in 1904.
The game between the 1960s and 1980s saw the involvement of schools and colleges notably in the Greater Accra, Central, Western and the Eastern Regions of Ghana.
However first time appearance in the ICC/ACA Africa Regional Division 1 T-20 Tournament was evident as the team placed fifth out of the five countries event in Uganda.
Ghana showed its capacity to hold international events when it successfully hosted the ICC/ACA Division 3 T- 20 in Accra in February 2011.
In 1973, a Japanese mission was in Ghana through the sponsorship of the Japan foreign ministry to demonstrate the art of Judo to Ghanaians.
In August 2006, Ghana's women's National Team won the African Challenge Trophy [Africa Cup] held in Lome – Togo.
However, history of organized Table Tennis in Ghana can be traced from the arrival of D. G. Hathiramani, an Indian trader in the Gold Coast.
E.A Quaye underwent a table tennis Basic Coaching Course in Britain in 1961 and in Beijing Institute of Physical Education in 1965.
Until 1977, there were only two (NSC) National Sports Council paid coaches namely: E.A Quaye, in charge of the Western Region, and S.K.
In 1985, an agreement reached between the Ghana Government and the China Government enabled Coach Vincent Arhin and a former national player, Anthony Owusu Ansah to be offered scholarship to do an advance Diploma Coaching Course in Beijing, China at the University of Physical Education.
In 1987, Ghana's pair of Patricia Akosua Offei and Patience Abena Opokua won the Women's Doubles Event at the 7th All Africa Games in Nairobi, Kenya.
Ebo Bartels (Chairman), Ernestina Akuetteh (Chaperon) and Patience Opokua (Training Partner for Patricia Offei) in Seoul, South Korea at the 24th Olympic Games.
After the World Table Tennis Championships, Stephen Adjei and Patricia Offei failed to return to Ghana.
That sparked off public outcry and brought about a decline of the Ministry's interest in table tennis until 1992 when Helena Amankwah and Patience Opokua featured at the 25th Olympic Games in Barcelona, Spain.
In 1993, Ghana Education Service and the National Sports Council (NSC) collaborated to train U-12 players in table tennis and soccer.
In 1994, CADBURY (GH) Ltd sponsored a 2-Year Bournvita Table Tennis Developmental and Promotional programme throughout the country to uplift the image and level of the game.
The players were Gifty Mensah, Lydia Cleyland, Comfort Danso, Eric Hammond and Seth Darko.
Subsequently, Coach Arhin was transferred from the Eastern Region to the Headquarters of the National Sports Council in Accra.
Participants were Coach Vincent Arhin, Esther Lamptey, Hagar Amo and Eric Amoah who absconded at the end of the championship in Eindhoven, Netherlands.
The sponsors were Next Door Restaurant, Mr. Kudjoe Fianoo and Mr. Richard Quarshie, both members of the Ghana Football Association.
In 2002, to stop favouritism, nepotism and tribalism in the selection of national players for international assignments, the Chief Coach, Mr. Arhin introduced the POINT SYSTEM.
That enabled the Black Loopers to train constantly to win for the first time in Twenty (20) years a BRONZE medal in the Men's Team Event at the 8TH All Africa Games in Abuja, Nigeria in 2003.
In 2005, Ghana was represented at the 48th World Table Tennis Championships by the nation's No.1 player, Nana Yaw Boateng and Sqd.
He was however, contracted to work as the Technical Coordinator of Table Tennis programmes to train the youth to become seasoned coaches.
At the Australia Commonwealth Games in 2006, Ghana was represented by Eric Amoah, Mohammed Ali, Nana Yaw Boateng, Bernard Joe Sam, Coach Owusu Ansah and Sqd.
The game of Netball which developed from WOMEN BASKETBALL was introduced into the then GOLD COAST by the MISSIONARIES who brought education into the country.
