President of the Republic of Ghana Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo o Tuesday, 13th February 2024, commissioned the beautiful edifice constructed for the organisation of the 13th African Games, to be held in our country, as well as to marked the 25th day countdown to the holding of the Games, arguably Africa’s biggest sporting event.
In its fifty-seven (57) years of existence, this is the first time that Ghana is hosting the games, despite Ghana being, under the leadership of our first leader, Dr.Kwame Nkrumah, a founding member of the African Games.
“Despite loud calls by some pessimists for our nation to withdraw from hosting the tournament, we remained resolute, and, today, our country can be proud of the massive sporting infrastructure we have put in place for the Games, which will be a huge legacy for the country.
“Our nation is expecting some five thousand (5,000) elite athletes, three thousand (3,000) experienced officials and thousands of fans in the country, together with an estimated global audience of 2.2 billion people watching through traditional and social media.
“The question is, why has Ghana not hosted the African Games until now? The answer is simple: there is a time for everything; and this is our time. We are now ready and capable of organising and hosting the rest of the continent, here in Ghana. The people and Government Ghana are honoured and grateful to the Africa Union for the opportunity to host the rest of Africa for the first time in our history” he addressed guests who turned up at Borteyman.
Minister of Youth and Sports, Hon. Mustapha Ussif, commended the consultant and contractor of the Borteyman facility for its rapid accomplishment.
He projected the Borteyman Complex as a centre for sports excellence, serving as a legacy for future generations and later turned into a University for Sports Development.
Mr. Ussif expressed hope for the facility’s sustained maintenance to ensure that future generations also benefit from it.
“The African Games will foster unity among Africans and celebrate the beauty of our diverse culture, we are ready” he pronounced.
The state of the art Borteyman Sports Complex will host competitive sports, such as table tennis, handball, tennis, volleyball, swimming, badminton, and the triathlon. Notably, four of these events – table tennis, tennis, triathlon, and badminton – will double as qualifiers for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, France.
Also at Borteyman is a 1,000-seater capacity swimming pool, comprising a 10-lane competition swimming pool and an eight-lane warm-up swimming pool, plus a multi-purpose Sports Hall capable of seating 1,000 spectators for various events such as basketball, badminton, netball, table tennis, and weightlifting.
There is a 500-seater dome for handball, volleyball, judo, karate, taekwondo, fencing, arm-wrestling, and a five-tennis court complex, including a 1,000-seater Centre Court.
The 13th African Games is from March 8 to 23, 2024.
From Sammy Heywood Okine