Leave a Comment / Top Rankings / By Sekyere Richard
The White and Black Sides of the Biggest Track Event in Ghana
The Ghana Fastest Human competition has become one of the most enviable events in Ghana and West Africa as a whole. Most of the coaches and athletes have embraced it with extraordinary approach. The fans are much in love with their athletes and the competition has won the heart of many Ghanaians and the diaspora.
This event has produced many champions and unearthed many hidden talents in the country. Through this competition most of the national records are being broken and set again. The just ended competition saw the highest number of competitors and spectators in the history of the event.
The Ghana Fastest Human also recorded the fastest time any local athlete has ever run in Ghana since the time we had independence.
Through this initiative the past two winners of the event went on to break the 100m and 200m national records respectively. These same athletes have ever since won numerous awards and trophies till date. The most astonishing aspect of this is they have also qualified for the upcoming Tokyo Olympic Games.
But there have been numerous allegations on and off the pitch by the athletes and coaches. The white and black sides of the biggest track event in Ghana.
Firstly is about registration of athletes and their respective ages. Some athletes are denied off their real ages to compete in the juniors while some are also allowed to compete. This issue has created lot controversies between the organiser’s and the managers/athletes/fans. But it’s very difficult to predict the exact ages of these athletes whereas they themselves/athletes are not ready to tell you the truth. Some are able to seal through while others are being caught. This situation has been going in almost all our sporting disciplines and it has become canker and threat to our sports nowadays. Athletes reduce their ages to be able to compete at where they wish and found it very comfortable for them.
There have been numerous issues that have been happening but we are about to discuss the common errors most of the officials do make often.
The collation of results in the heat to send the athletes to the final. This has been the biggest problem in the Ghana Fastest Human so far. Sometimes the unfortunate athletes become fortunate and vice versa. The most painful thing in running is when you know you had beaten your compatriot competitor and later you will see him in the finals and you are being drop without any disqualification and justification. Later just to realise it was a human mistake which brought all these. Sometimes you spent all your precious time training morning and evening for almost a year and just going to compete for a 12 seconds event.
On the other side the officials never listened to your plight and they just instructed you to leave the track and step aside for the selected athletes to compete for the ultimate glory, meanwhile this race could be your break through race. Who knows? But you were eliminated by someone negligence and they never taught of the consequences afterwards both physical and spiritual.
One athlete narrated his story, Abdul Razak Sherif of Adisadel College” after the heat I was aware that I had qualified for the finals. When the first list came my name was part and my coach told me to go and warm up ahead of the finals. I asked him oh it’s left with some hours but he said that because the whole school is looking up to you and the entire Old Student Association of Adisadel College. I know you can see the old students over there cheering your name they know you can win the finals because of what you did in both the preliminary rounds said by Coach Evans. Immediately I became more agitated and nervous to win the finals just to dedicate it to the old students who came there just because of me. I quickly went to warm up and everything was on point and the next official announced that we should go to the starting point. I was in lane 8 and arranged everything. I began my 30 meters sprints to make sure the body is ready for the finals of the event because after winning this race my life will automatically change and on the way of taking the blueprints of Joseph Paul Amoah and Benjamin Azamati. The next announcement again came and they called all the athletes and said the first list that came there was a little mistake so some of the athletes needs to be eliminated. For me I was nervous and much aware that my name is still in this new list unfortunately the official told me that I didn’t qualify that’s why my name was not on this list. I taught it was just a joke but I saw that they were serious and told me to get out of the track and let the athletes to run the final race. I told them that there was a mistake so they should go and recheck the list again but the officials never mind me. I was so desperate at the moment and the only person who could intervene was Coach Evans, unfortunately he was sitting far from the starting point and waiting to check my time and position at the finishing line. Within some few moments I didn’t know where my tears came from, actually I wept bitterly like a child because at that point I realised all hope was gone and nothing I could do again to be part of the race within my capacity. So they started the race without me, I was very angry. I quickly went to the dash board to take the picture of the heats and one of the officials said oh sorry, next time that was all”.
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Below are the official times of all the heats in the under18 boy’s category only. They are ranked according to their finishing times respectively. All the times are electronic and it was done the Ghana Athletics Association Technical Team for the whole three meeting. These are the time from the 1st – 11th athletes, although the lane is up to 8 so automatically the first eight athletes are supposed to run the finals if not, none is being disqualified.
- Owadie William – 10.784
- Agyeman Evans – 10.888
- Kyeremanteng Nathaniel – 10.906
- Oppong Danso George – 10.954
- Adu Sampson – 11.032
- Andoh Joseph – 11.084
- Fantevi Francis – 11.094
- Abdul Razak Sherif – 11.184
- Antwi Eric – 11.196
- Bilal Salifu – 11.258
- Abito Ransford – 11.316
The white and black sides of the biggest track event in Ghana.
Also below are the names of the finalist that were posted by the organisers of the GNPC Ghana Fastest Human event.
- Kyeremanteng Nathaniel – 10.708
- Fantevi Francis – 10.748
- Andoh Joseph – 10.748
- Owadie William – 10.854
- Abito Ransford – 10.932
- Oppong Danso George – 10.962
- Agyeman Evans – 11.284
- Adu Sampson – 11.676
The analysis follows. As you compare the two lists the entire finalist deserve to be there but during the heats a name called “ABITO RANSFORD” placed 11th overall in the under18 boy’s category. Unfortunately he was included in the finalist and even ignored the 10th, 9th, and the 8th athletes if only in no circumstances it shouldn’t be so. The 11th athlete can only be in the final list if only the 8th, 9th, and 10th athletes have been disqualified.
Mr. Raymond Aryee, Head of Sports Adisadel College and Abdul Razak Sherif, the athlete said “we demand answers from the Ghana Fastest Human, Race Organisers”.
When can we have a free and fair competition?
Why the officials didn’t listen to the athlete’s voice?
Who compiled the first list?
Who compiled the second list?
