Ghana is located in West Africa along with the coast of the Gulf of Guinea. Football or Soccer is the most popular & the national sports of Ghana, the 2nd & 3rd most popular sports in Ghana are boxing & basketball. It has a rich heritage regarding sports & made its way into becoming the recognizable face of African Sports. A few popular sports in Ghana are Rugby, Boxing, Tennis, Basketball, Hockey, Cricket, Golf, etc.
In this article, we will discuss sports & several other factors regarding sports in Ghana
National sports of Ghana
As discussed earlier, Football is the national sport of Ghana. The football team is called the Black Stars. The team has won several cups including the African Cup of Nations four times. The under-20 football team is called Black satellite that has won the FIFA U-20 world cup championship & became the first nation in the African continent to win such a prestigious cup. The U-17 football team is known as Black Starlets that too has won the FIFA U-17 world cup twice.
The Second Most Popular Sports in Ghana
Boxing is considered to be the second most popular sport in Ghana. It is said that a fishing village named Bukum is the country’s largest & the world’s unofficially largest boxing university in Ghana. The country has contributed a few world-class boxers to the particular sports community, that include, Azumah Nelson, Ike Quartey, Nana Yaw Konadu, Joshua Clottey, etc. The first Ghanaian to win a world title is Daneil Kotei Poison.
The Third Most Popular Sports in Ghana
Basketball is the second most popular sport in Ghana. Though Ghanaian basketball players now only play friendly matches, many of the basketball players have played in the top segment of USA based or Europe based NCAA. At a junior level, the Ghana basketball team competed in 3x3 tournaments whereas, at the senior level, Ghana played at the FIBA 3x3 basketball Africa cup in Cotonou & Benin respectively. Men’s basketball team which has competed in the African beach game 2019, in the 3x3 basketball category, is considered the most popular urban team sport.
Olympic Participation
Ghana is one of the very few African counties that have participated in the winter Olympics. In 2010, Kwame Nkrumah had made his way into the slalom skiing in Vancouver, Canada. He was the only second black African who broke the record on the international skiing platform. Ghana has also won the first-ever Olympic medal for winning in the football category. The Black Meteors has fetched the winning medal in the Summer Olympics in Barcelona, Spain, in 1992.
Famous Athletes from Ghana
- Famous football players of Ghana: Joseph Amoa, Samuel Kuffour, Asamoah Gyan, Ibrahim Dossey, Frank Amankwah, Isaac Asare, Ablade Kumah, Adjoa Bayor, Florence Dadson, Nil Lamptey, Yaw Preko, Joachim Yaw, Mohammed Gargo, & many more.
- Famous sprinter of Ghana: Monica Twum, Abu Duah, Grace Bakari, Ibrahim Hassan, Eric Nkansah, Leonard Miles-Mills, Emmanuel Tuffour, Alice Annum, Emmanuel Dasor, Vida Anim, Vida Nsiah & many more.
Sporting Facilities in Ghana
The country offers a wide range of sports facilities. Those facilities are meant for sports activities & leisure activities. A wide array of venues & times are available. As football in Ghana is popular, it is almost everywhere, be it in taxis, flags, local jerseys. It portrays that football is in the blood of Ghanaian people. Football allows young people to cultivate their dreams to become successful football players. The country also facilitates opportunities for young players by providing training to sharpen up basic skills & techniques.
The sports association of Ghana has also urged professionals to coach for Rugby in schools & professional grounds. Professionals are hopeful that rugby will get the same popularity as football gets. The sports ministry of Ghana established a few sports grounds & facilities to solidify its commitment. Some of them are-
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Accra Fitness Center
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Accra Lawn and Tennis Club
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Accra Polo Club
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Achimota Golf Club
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Accra-Tema Yacht Club
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American Club
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GWAK’s Institute
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Pippa’s Health Center
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Tesano Sports Club
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Unilever Sports Club
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Ghana Scuba Club
Conclusion
Though Ghana sports authority tried cutting down the amount allotted to the other sports except football, with passing years it increases the amount so that active participation can be seen from the other sports segments.