Ghanaian athletes to start preparation for London 2012 in November
Ghana’s athletics team would in November this year commence feverish preparations towards the London 2012 Olympic Games as part of efforts to boost their performance at the global sports festival.
A team of 30 athletes are expected to embark on an intensive ‘justify your inclusion’ exercise, from which the best would be selected by the technical team to represent the nation at the London 2012 Olympic Games.
Albert Nukpezah, head coach of the athletics team told GNA Sports, that the athletes will be drawn from the Security Services, Schools and Colleges and other constituents who would be gathered in Accra for the exercise.
He said his outfit will use the impending Security Services Sports Association (SSESA) Games in October as the first point of monitoring members of the national teams in the Service as well as identifying new talents.
Nukpezah added that the likes of Janet Amponsah of the Ghana Police
Service, Shepherd Agbeko of the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) and Beatrice
Gyaman from the National Fire Service, all members of the national team who would be competing during the SESSA Games would be monitored with regards to the records they make in the competition.
The head coach said that plans are also in place to spot for talents during the School and Colleges Sports festival later in the year and his outfit will devote much attention to the event as part of the nation-wide talent-hunt exercise.
Nukpezah said they are expecting the various District and Regional coaches to embark on similar exercises in their respective areas in preparation for the final training programme in November.
According to Nukpezah, the identified athletes would be invited and presented with the opportunity to make a way into the national athletics team.
The coach, however, noted that only the best out of the final 30 will be selected to team up with the foreign based athletes for the final camping ahead of the Olympics.
Ghana’s athletics team made a haul of five medals out of the 19 medals recorded by the contingent at the just ended All Africa Games in Maputo Mozambique.
The male and female relay teams won silver medals in the 4×100 meters, with Vida Anim and Ignatius Gaisah also picking silver medals in the 200 meters and Long Jump events.
Evergreen Margaret Simpson remained the brightest spot in the team with a gold medal in the Heptathlon event.
Source: GNA