On Sunday, November 7, 2021, National Sports Authority (NSA) Board Chairman, Hon. Seth Panwum together with Director General of NSA, Porf. Peter Twumasi led a team of NSA leadership to donate Five (5) Table Tennis playing tables and other accessories to the Ashanti Regional branch of Ghana Table Tennis Association (GTTA).
The donation of table tennis sports equipment, which took place at the Baba Yara Sports Stadium in Kumasi forms part of the NSA’s continued effort to develop all sporting disciplines in Ghana in order to achieve excellence during international competitions.
Speaking during the brief event, Director General of NSA, Prof Peter Twumasi noted, NSA is embarking on such initiatives to develop all sporting activities in Ghana from the grassroot level as part of the preparations for the 2023 African Games and the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.
“We are at the headquarters of the Table Tennis in Ashanti Region to make donation of sports equipment and some materials that they will need to help with the grassroot development of the sports that we all love.
“I think we all have seen the contribution of table tennis to Ghana’s competitions abroad.
“Just recently, we saw our team that was also at the Africa and continental game platforms and we were able to win many medals and we were even able to get about three golds and many other silver medals.”
Confident Prof. Twumasi is optimistic, with the needed attention and support, the GTTA is one of the federations that can make some incursions at the 2022 Commonwealth Games, the 2023 African Games and the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.
“I think it [GTTA] is one of the federations amongst the 46 that we are very certain that, they have a very good chance of representing Ghana at the Commonwealth Games next year and also to proceed to the Paris 2024.
“But for us to be able to do that, especially with our responsibility to host African Games in 2023, it requires government to make some input into their development and this is one of the examples that we are demonstrating”. Prof Twumasi added.
On his part, NSA Board Chairman, Hon. Seth Panwum stated, the NSA has a mandate to develop all sports federations and that, the traditional focus on football to the detriment of the other sporting disciplines will be changed.
“When we took office, we made it clear that, we were going to have paradigm shift from the traditional huge investment in football to the detriment of the other sports.
“So today, we are here in fulfillment of such pronouncement in a bold step to present these tables to the Table Tennis Federation here in Kumasi.
“We intend to empower all the other sporting disciplines which ever means possible that the authority can.”
Hon. Seth Panwum also admonished users of the Baba Yara Stadium to maintain the facility to its utmost level and implored on the GTTA to take very good care of the items that have been donated to them.
“The era of poor maintenance culture should be a thing of the past, we will not tolerate any indiscipline act that will affect the stadium that the government has spent so much in putting it to shape now, the same way we will expect that, the equipment that has been given to you, you take very good care of it and put it to the maximum use that will profit Ghana.
Prof. Twumasi and Hon. Panwum after their brief presentations took charge of the rackets in an exhibition table tennis match to climax the donation.
Source: Stephen Afful/NSA