The Ghana Deaf Sports Federation (GDSF) has announced its participation in this year’s 24th summer Deaflympics to be staged in Caxias do Sul in Brazil from May 1-15.
Ghana will join other African countries including Senegal, Mali, Kenya and Egypt at the showpiece and has confirmed participation in six events.
Ghana will feature in the men’s handball, volleyball and cycling disciplines. In the female event, Ghana will be represented in the 100 and 200 metres races while both men and women will be fielded in the taekwondo and judo events.
At a media briefing in Accra yesterday, President of the GDSF, Jonathan Amuah, said his outfit was preparing their athletes to ensure a successful campaign.
He called for support for their participation and activities, saying that deaf sports had huge potential to win Ghana laurels whilst also providing a source of employment and livelihood for deaf athletes.
He called for investments into the sport, saying that their target was to make sports lucrative to the deaf and to increase their participation in the sporting disciplines at major events.
Vice-President of GDSF, Mr. Kingsley Asah, added that statistics from the 2021 census, labelled over 470,000 persons with different levels of deaf disability, meaning their activities must be intensified and supported to capture these numbers for the growth of deaf sports.
He said as the theme for this year’s Deaflympics was hinged on equality, it was time Ghanaians rallied behind the sport to ensure it was lifted to the standard it deserved.
A Director of Sports and Promotions at the National Sports Authority (NSA), Jeffrey Kumi- Manzan Owusu assured the GDSF that they had the backing of the NSA as they prepare for the competition.
He said the NSA through its parent body, the Ministry of Youth and Sports (MoYS), would provide financial support for the competition while also encouraging corporate bodies to assist their laudable cause.
The occasion was also used to announce the GDSF’s partnership with travel and tour agency, Asa Plus Destinations who expressed excitement at the opportunity to partner GDSF to develop deaf sports.
BY NANA BENTSI ODURO
