Wanted: Realistic sports manifestos
Ahead of the December polls, political parties are sharing ideas and policies, they are making campaign promises here and there. Over the weekend, the Vice President and NPP’s Presidential candidate, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia launched the party’s manifesto in Takoradi giving a litany of promises – some for Ghana sports.
Next week, former President and the NDC’s presidential candidate, John Mahama will also outdoor his party’s manifesto. We wait for the NDC’s manifesto. The NPP vows to an operation Olympics glory for Ghana to win medals at Los Angeles 2028 and beyond, build more astro turfs, upgrade infrastructure, support Ghana Premier League clubs with buses and build six stadiums in the six new regions.
They say they would adopt a maintenance module to better manage and maintain sports infrastructure, create a Ghana Schools Sports Secretariat, establish a sports development fund, incentivise corporate institutions through tax rebates to support and invest in sports, etc. Some of these promises are necessary. They appear realistic too.
Like the measures for sustainable funding, operation Olympic glory, Ghana Schools Sports Secretariat, upgrade of infrastructure, maintenance, etc. However, others are superfluous and unrealistic – like the provision of buses to clubs and the construction of six new stadiums. Ghana sports need realistic manifesto promises.
First, there is a patent challenge with properly maintaining the already existing sports infrastructure. Some National Youth Centres that were built lie in ruins; others are uncompleted. For example, the one at Ho, which hosted the 2023 Independence Day celebration is in a state of disrepair (see Graphic Sports, August 19-25, 2024).
“Colonies of snakes, armies of frogs, packs of rats and battalions of wild rabbits have claimed the facility, which is now more of a wildlife sanctuary than a hub for [sports]. It is crumbling, and the grounds have become overrun with weeds, transforming the site into an overgrown wasteland” says the Graphic Sports publication.
“The only ‘sporting activities’ now are the battles between wild rabbits and the dogs belonging to the security personnel. The football field is overrun with serpents emerging from the unchecked growth of weeds”. It is the same for most of the centres nationwide.
It is depressing. The political parties in their sports manifestos must acknowledge these embarrassing problems and directly proffer solutions. Their manifestos need not be lofty when there are fundamental difficulties with sports development which are not being dealt with. Let them campaign for their votes but let their messages address realities on the ground. That matters most.
For sports, if the public cannot be shown in convincing terms how snakes and rodents would be chased out of the rotting national youth centres, it is difficult to accept that six new stadiums would be built and more especially when the ten that were earlier promised have not been done, and even those completed are decaying.