Kumasi, July 4, Professor Patrick A. K. Addy, Deputy Minister of Youth and Sports, has said Ghana has reached a stage where collective, bold, pragmatic and imaginative sports development initiatives should be adopted in implementing the National Sports Policy. Opening the eighth Ghana/Mobil National Athletics championships in Kumasi yesterday, he said, the policy \aims at improving upon the quality and raising standards in sports. The old tradition which makes government the sole agency responsible for funding sports development and providing logistics for every sporting activity should become a thing of the past. This means there should now be the need for Ghanaians in all walks of life to assist in developing sports in partnership with the government, as is the practice in other parts of the world. Professor Addy said effective sports development and promotion are a very expensive undertaking which can no longer be considered the sole responsibility of government. He therefore appealed to all Ghanaians to consider themselves as collectively responsible for providing funding for sports development. The Deputy Sports Minister said his Ministry will team up with the private sector on equal footing towards the realisation of Ghana's sports development objectives. On the first day of the championships, Agnes Afiyo set the tone for records breaking with a new throw of 55.36 metres in the women's Javelin to erase her own record of 53 metres set in the recent three-nation athletics competition in Kumasi.