Ghana is expected to send a delegation of 13 athletes to participate in the national athletics championships of Togo. The competition will be held between April 17 and 18.

According to Mr Ekow Wilson, the General Secretary of the Ghana Athletics Association (GAA), the Togolese have accepted Ghana?s application for participation in their national championships and have promised to reciprocate the honour with their own participation in Ghana?s sports festival expected to be held from June 4 to 13.

He indicated, however, that the competition would provide a platform to assess some home-based athletes whose performance had been difficult in monitoring and assessing in view of the virtual non-activity.The GAA was still engaged in the selection process for the competition at the time of going to press, Mr Wilson revealed that the team for that event will exclude the foreign-based athletes.

Graphic Sports investigations revealed, however, that the Togo ?delegation?, to be led by Chief Athletics coach, S. S. Atuahene, is expected to be dominated by track personalities and jumpers ? long jump and triple jump. Ghana missed the southern and northern zonal competitions supposed to have taken place last month and Mr Wilson said the Togolese championship had come as a good substitute, particularly as the national championships had also been pushed back.

The event was initially fixed for May 4 and 5 but will now form part of the national festival. Last year, the GAA proposed to hold the national championships in Togo in view of the superior quality tracks in that neighbouring counrty, but the idea could not stand the test of time.