Sports, a universal language has over the years been a tool for uniting nations but has grown to become an avenue to also raise the awareness of a country’s resources as well as adding to the economic gains of countries, with massive infrastructural development.
The Ghana Badminton Association (GBA) which has introduced badminton, a sport gradually becoming a household name in Ghana with a growing interest by the day is set to host the 2019 J E Wilson Ghana International Series in Accra from July 18-21 at the Trust Emporium at the Bukom Square.
The three-day event sanctioned by the Badminton World Federation is expected to bring over twenty-seven (27) countries and one hundred and one (101) international Olympic players and forty-six (46) foreign officials to Accra, as Ghana prepares to host the 2019 International Olympic Qualifier.
The qualifiers, which aims at displaying the beautiful culture of Ghana to Africa and the rest of the World will seek to raise the profile of the Country, where Ghana is considered a beacon of peace, hope and sound hospitality.
With sports evolving from just participating to creating opportunities and avenues, this year’s Olympic qualifiers will see Ghana being heavily advertised to the global community, resulting in the biggest participation on the continent for the global badminton event.
The maiden badminton qualifier in Ghana is expected to bring about a quite a number of visitors, athletes and media to have a greater feel of Ghana, which will provide an increase in spending and injection of money into the local economy before, during and after the tournament due to the influx of foreign visitors with its corresponding spending ability.
As enthusiasm is being built ahead of the game, Ghana is also expected to get a boost in the Tourism industry, as the games will bring in more foreigners, with a Visa on arrival of USD150 to be paid by each participant.
The three-day event, which is expected to provide about three hundred (300) direct jobs and six hundred and seventy-eight (678) indirect jobs in different capacities ranging from media, transportation, catering, photography and technical support will have tickets sold for each day at the five hundred and fifty-eight (585) seating capacity of the SSNIT Emporium, boosting sports presence and Ghanaian entertainment.