Accra, July 12, GNA 96 Bernard Fetrie, skipper of the national weightlifting team and younger brother of Commonwealth gold medallist, Majeti Fetrie has called for support for the sport to make it 91a gold mine for Ghana in international competitions.'

Speaking from his Sydney base in a telephone conversation to GNA Sports, the younger Fetrie said he was disappointed at the total neglect of the sport by those at the helm of sports development as they 91never do anything to encourage those of us who are spending our time and resources to sustain interest in weightlifting.' =91I am calling for a change in attitude of those who are in charge of sports development so that they will realise the great potential the nation has in weightlifting and harness it to the benefit and glory of mother Ghana.'

He said the lack of respect and regard for the sport manifested in the poor treatment meted out to weightlifters compared to other sports men and women, citing the indebtedness of the National Sports Council (NSC) to him after he had used his money to raise a platform for the team to train on before the Commonwealth Games. =91I spent close to 10 million cedis to raise a platform for the team to train on and despite several assurances from the NSC and ministry officials to refund the money, they failed to do so.' Bernard said the platform he raised was the only one on which all Ghanaian weightlifters trained, whereas they needed about 10 platforms to give them ample time to train to enable them to attain their championship ambitions. The national weightlifting skipper said his greatest disappointment with the neglect and lack of interest in the sport was when equipment sent to the Ghana Weightlifting and Body Building Federation (GWBBF) by the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) was left at the Tema Port for more than two years. =91Though I did not spend my money in clearing the goods, but for my initiative, maybe the equipment would still have been at the Tema Port.' On his continued stay in Australia after the Commonwealth Games in Melbourne, Bernard said he did not go seeking asylum as was rumoured in certain quarters in Ghana but that he earned a scholarship to train in a Sports College in Sydney. He said he was training very hard to reach a new level in the sport so that he would be able to win laurels for himself and Ghana in international competitions, particularly in the next All Africa Games fixed for Mauritius next year. The skipper appealed to corporate organisations to support weightlifting because 91it is one sport, which can win numerous honours for Ghana.'

In his reaction, Mr Charles Henry Aryeh, Deputy Chief Executive of the NSC said they could not refund Bernard's money to him because he was not in the country.

He said the NSC would do everything within its resources to support every sport, including weightlifting and appealed to weightlifters not to relent in their efforts in striving to win laurels for Ghana, adding that the success of the sport would make it more popular and enhance its profile.