For the first time in the history of Ghana sports, the contingent participating in the upcoming Africa Games in Morocco, have signed to a ‘code of conduct’ ahead of the competition and as such, expected to be of good behavior.
Ghana’s Chef de Mission, Rev Richmond Quarcoo, who addressed a press conference in Accra yesterday, said athletes that fail to comply with the code of conduct, will be sanctioned.
The move, he said, was aimed at ensuring that athletes and officials remain disciplined and focused on winning medals for the country.
That is also expected to deal with occasional reports of sexual abuse among athletes in camp.
“With these codes, we hope we will have a serene atmosphere in camp. It will also help the athletes to know the ‘dos and don’ts’.
He added that, “there are situations where athletes abuse cleaners at hotels, not only sexually but touching them in a way that is not pleasant and we need to avoid all that.”
Aside the sexual abuse, Rev Quarcoo mentioned the case of physical and verbal abuse among athletes, adding that, “we have cautioned them about these and other things that could destabilize the mood in camp.”
He said, the movement of athletes in and out of camp, especially people trying to sneak out to town have all been captured in the code of conduct and must be adhered to.
“The Ghana Olympic Committee, federations, and the Ministry have sanctions they could give to athletes that fail to adhere to instructions. It ranges from being banned from participating in competitions and federation events, “he stated.
“This is for everyone participating in the competition, including athletes, officials, coaches and the medical team. No one is above the law; it guide everyone to acts professionally,” he stressed.
He said, the country must sustain the initiative after the African Games so that Ghana would have smooth participation in competitions in future.
BY MICHAEL D. ABAYATEYE
