Other Sports of Monday, 30 July 2007

Source: GNA

Ghana to bid for 2015 AAG

Accra, July 30, GNA - Ghana will bid for the right to host the 2015 All African Games when Sports Ministers around the continent converge in the country for a conference next year.

Dr. Emmanuel Owusu Ansah, Chief Director at the Ministry of Education, Science and Sports (MoESS) told GNA Sports that the ministry was preparing to put in a bid for Ghana to host the quadrennial event for the first time.

Ghana failed in an attempt to bid for the 2011 event due to indebtedness to the Supreme Council of Africa Sports (SCSA) in 2005 but expressed the hope to be lucky during the second edition of the Conference of African Sports Ministers.

"We were not even allowed to express our interest in biding for the 2011 event when we attempted in Algeria in 2005 due to our indebtedness.

"But now that we have cleared the over $150,000 owed SCSA, we are hopeful of landing the bid to enable us to showcase our true identity in sports to the rest of the world in 2015".

Zambia hosts the 2011 event.

Ghana hopes to take advantage of the conference which Osei Bonsu Amoah, Deputy Minister of MoESS chairs to bid for the right to stage the multi sports event.

Dr Owusu Ansah told GNA Sports: "Hosting such an event is one sure way of developing sports on a whole since the motivation to amass medals will propel us to prepare massively".

He expressed optimism that winning the bid will similarly help Ghana to improve infrastructure that will remain a lasting heritage for the country.

The last event was held in Algiers, Algeria earlier in the month where Ghana amassed 24 medals.