The Minister of Youth and Sports, Mustapha Ussif, has clarified that his ministry was not involved in securing visas for a group falsely claiming to be Ghana’s Paralympics team for a marathon event in Oslo, Norway.
He emphasized that the ministry must have been informed about the marathon event, and the team did not travel on behalf of Ghana.
During a press briefing on Wednesday, July 24, 2024, the Minister explained that associations typically inform the Sports Ministry through the Olympic or Paralympic Committees and the National Sports Authority about upcoming events.
He stressed that no request was made for the Norway event, and the team that went did not represent the Ghana Paralympic Team.
The Minister outlined the usual visa application process for athletes, noting that the Sports Ministry collaborates with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to secure visas and does not directly send letters to embassies. He expressed shock and dismay when the scandal was exposed, revealing that an 11-member Paralympic team had absconded after arriving in Norway, with one member arrested and another deceased, leaving nine members unaccounted for.
This incident has tarnished the reputation of the Paralympic Committee and put the lives of individuals whose images were wrongly posted in the media at risk.