Come March 2024, Ghana will witness, perhaps one of the biggest sports carnivals in history when the Cultural Games Association (CGA) stages a week-long festival to make a momentous entry into Ghana’s sports scene.
The CGA is unknown to many sports enthusiasts in the country though it has been under the National Sports Authority (NSA) since 2018 and is enjoying a massive goodwill from the Ghana Education Service (GES) and the National Commission on Culture (NCC).
Among the traditional games captured under the CGA are ampe, Charles kele, catapult, sky ball, push boxing, ate, oware, amanball and African wrestling.
Though it may be a very young association comparing to the likes of football, athletics, boxing, taekwondo, cycling and others, but it has already stirred interest among a huge number of the youth, especially those based in the hinterlands.
Commencing the month of March 2024, the association will stage its first national event dubbed ‘the Ghana International Cultural Games Festival’ with participants expected to be drawn from all regions across the country.
It will be opened to other nationals resident in Ghana and familiar with some of the traditional sports considered by the CGA with the final day of activities to be held on Ghana’s Independence Day celebration.
The CGA is registered at the NSA as an association tasked with the development and promotion of traditional games that have been abandoned in pursuit of foreign disciplines.
The CGA kick started its activities on a pilot basis with an inter-schools games at the Accra Girls Senior High School in Accra on February 18, and it has since held pilot projects in the Eastern, Ashanti, Bono and the Greater Accra regions.
With the hope of seeing an event in the form of an Olympic Games one day, an international wing of the association has been established in the United Kingdom where the group’s activities appear to have caught up with a lot of people, especially Africa migrants.
Spearheaded by the Krontihene of Senchi Asokore, Nana Boateng Gyimah II, the national President of the CGA and Mr K.O Oppong, Vice Chairman of the UK Cultural Games Association, the group hopes to make participation in the abandoned cultural games very attractive for Ghanaians.
Speaking with the Times Sports last week, Nana Boateng Gyimah II disclosed that before the NSA’s recognition, the group had existed, undertaking a number of research studies about the traditional games and finding ways to review them and come up with rules and modifications for them.
“Ampe for instance is one of the popular games we have added to our collection. It is a very popular sport not only in Ghana but some other Africa countries. We have introduce rules to modify it and come up with modalities on how to play it.
“The process has been same with other sports including ‘Charles kele’. We have created new equipment for them so there may be some few changes but the concept remains the same,” he said.
Regarding the March breakout flagship event, the Senchi Asokre Krontihene told the Times Sports that the association had reached out to market queens in the various markets across the country to encourage market women especially, and other business operators to be part of it.
But that would be preceded by a National Inter Schools Cultural Games festival in February with venues earmarked for the two events yet to be confirmed.
Contributing, Mr Oppong, the Vice Chairperson of the UK branch, said the UK wing of the association was doing well with huge numbers often recorded at their games, adding that there were plans to also strengthen the branch in France.
He described the CGA as a non-discriminatory group opened to other African nationals, adding that it opens the door for other African cultural games from other countries to be added.
“We hope to see one big gathering in future like the Olympic Games with only African cultural games. It will be a big platform to celebrate Africa.”
He disclosed that the UK wing which enjoys the support of the Ghana High Commission would be launched in December.
Following that will be the hosting of the World Cultural Games/ Sports summit in May 2024, an event opened to all African nationals, and a brand every member must identify with.
BY ANDREW NORTEY
