Tamale, August 10, GNA - Mr Abdul-Rashid Pelpuo, acting Minister of Youth and Sports has announced that plans are underway to establish a boxing gym in the Northern sector of the country. Although the minister was not specific as to where it would be located, he hinted that might either be in Tamale in the Northern Region, Bawku in the Upper East Region or Wa in the Upper West Region. Mr Pelpuo announced this when he visited among other places the Kaladan Park, the new Tamale sports stadium and also held a meeting with officials and staff of the National Sports Council in Tamale at the weekend.

He said it is the ministry's conviction that the establishment of the boxing gym would help unearth boxing talents in the Northern sector of the country and also redirect the energies of the youth into more profitable ventures instead of them engaging in violent and anti-social activities.

At the Kaladan Park, Mr Pelpuo regretted that the facility has been left to deteriorate and impressed on the need for the culture of maintenance.

Mr Pelpuo said plans were afoot to re-grass and re-gravel parts of the Park which were water-logged to give it a befitting status and make it serve as a multi-purpose Park for various sporting disciplines. On the under utilisation of the new Tamale sports stadium, Mr Pelpuo said the Ministry was looking for public/private partnership to find ways on how the stadium can be used more frequently to also generate funds for its maintenance.

Mr Wolanyo Agra, Chief Executive Officer of the National Sports Council said the Ministry would organise competitions among schools in the northern sector to unearth talents for sports development. He said sporting facilities and equipment would be provided to schools to ensure effective training of sports men and women towards hosting the National Sports Festival. 10 Aug. 09