Author: Victoria Nana Adwoa Kwofie
The Ghana National Armwrestling team, the Golden Arms, paid a courtesy visit to the Minister of Youth and Sports on Tuesday, September 3, 2024, after their triumphant performance at the World Armwrestling Championship in Moldova, where they clinched a gold medal.
The visit aimed to express gratitude to the minister and his ministry for their ongoing support and to present the gold medal won by Grace Mintah.
The delegation was led by Charles Osei Asibey, President of the Ghana Armwrestling Federation, along with Vice President Kofi Agyekum, General Secretary Jessy Agyapong, and a board member.
The team also included Golden Arms captain Edward Asamoah, Godwin Sackey, Blessed Abeka Nunoo, Mabel Yeboah, and the star of the moment, Grace Mintah. Accompanying them were officiating officials Mr. Hussein Akueteh Addy, Nii Otoo Larkyne, and Abigail Fremah, who were the only African referees at the championship.
The Minister of Youth and Sports Honorable Mustapha Ussif commended the team for their remarkable achievements at the African Games, where they secured 41 medals, and for their historic victory at the World Armwrestling Championship.
“Let me congratulate you, Ghana Armwrestling, for your outstanding performance during the African Games. I had no challenge at all when the opportunity came for you to represent us again at the World Stage. I thought it was an opportunity for us to give it to the athletes, so once they get there, the exposure.
“I didn’t even know they would go there to win a medal again, not to mention gold, so I want to once again congratulate you on behalf of the president, the entire team, and the gold medallist for bringing glory to our nation and for lifting our flag very high in Moldova,” the minister said.
The minister further pledged continued support for wrestling and other less-funded sports, stating, “As government and the Ministry of Youth and Sports, we will continue to support the less sponsored sports, and wrestling happens to be one. So, we will continue to give you equitable support for all the lesser-known sports so that you can also exhibit the talent God has given you.”
He also encouraged all sports federations to fully utilize the sports facilities and equipment acquired during the African Games, emphasizing, “Let’s build tomorrow’s champions today.”
‘This goes to all Federation to engage the security services for athletes, one thing I noticed during the just ended Olympic Games was that majority of the athletes from other countries were security personnel competing for their country and we all know the results they achieved’, the Honorable Minister added.
Charles Osei Asibey, President of the Ghana Armwrestling Federation, appealed to the minister to assist the federation in securing a dedicated training center to nurture future talents. “Checking through my records, I don’t remember Ghana winning a World Championship gold medal, and this is unprecedented.
“I feel that the ministry should help us celebrate not just wrestling but the gold medalist. Secondly, for the purposes of development, Armwrestling needs a training centre, primarily; it is not just Charles Osei Asibey or the board; we need a training centre,” he said.
Grace Mintah, the gold medalist, expressed her joy after presenting the medal to the minister, sharing her pride in winning gold for Ghana. “I feel so happy for winning a gold medal for my country, Ghana. I wasn’t expecting to win a medal because there were athletes from about 61 countries.
“But because I had been at the World Championship before and couldn’t win anything for Ghana, it would have been like losing hope for us. So I decided to give it my all and raise the flag of Ghana high, and I did all I could to win a medal for Ghana, and God was on my side, and I was able to win gold for Ghana,” Mintah said.
The visit served as a celebration of the Golden Arms’ achievement and a call for further investment in the sport’s future.