The Paris 2024 Olympics concluded on a disappointing note for Ghana, as the country failed to win any medals, a step backward from their performance in the Tokyo 2020 Games, where they had secured a medal, highlighting a decline in their Olympic achievements.
Ghana’s triumph in Tokyo, where Samuel Takyi’s bronze medal ended a nearly three-decade Olympic medal drought, was not replicated in Paris, leading to widespread disappointment and frustration among Ghanaians, who are now demanding a radical overhaul of the country’s sports development strategy to avoid similar failures in the future.
Ghana’s eight-member team, comprising athletes from track and field and swimming disciplines, represented the country in Paris, including notable athletes such as Joseph Paul Amoah, Benjamin Azamati, and Abdul Rasheed Saminu, among others, who competed in events like the men’s 4x100m relay, sprinting, high jump, and swimming, but unfortunately failed to secure any medals.
Ghana’s Olympic campaign got off to a disappointing start in the swimming events, as Harry Stacey and Joselle Mensah both failed to advance beyond the preliminary heats in the men’s 100m freestyle and women’s 50m freestyle, respectively. With the swimming team’s early exit, attention turned to the track and field events, where expectations were higher for the Ghanaian athletes to deliver improved performances and potentially secure medals.
The disappointment persisted for Ghana as Rose Yeboah, a highly touted athlete making her Olympic debut in the high jump, failed to clear the preliminary round, a significant setback given her impressive pre-Games form, which had hinted at medal potential, leaving the team’s hopes of securing a podium finish dwindling further.
Although the track events provided a brief glimmer of optimism, Ghana’s sprinters Benjamin Azamati and Abdul Rasheed Saminu ultimately fell short of expectations, narrowly missing out on the finals after reaching the semi-finals in their respective events, with Azamati finishing ninth and Saminu seventh in their heats, a heartbreaking conclusion to their promising Olympic runs.
Ghana’s last hope for redemption at the Olympics lay with the men’s 4x100m relay team, comprising Joseph Paul Amoah, Ibrahim Fuseini, Benjamin Azamati, and Abdul Rasheed Saminu, who were anticipated to deliver a standout performance and potentially secure a medal, providing a much-needed consolation for the country’s otherwise disappointing campaign.
In a devastating repeat of their Tokyo 2020 fate, Ghana’s men’s 4x100m relay team suffered a disheartening disqualification in Paris, as a botched baton exchange outside the designated area crushed their medal aspirations, eerily echoing the same mistake that had dashed their hopes three years prior, and bringing a disappointing end to Ghana’s Olympic campaign.
The disappointing outcome in Paris has triggered a surge of scrutiny and introspection within Ghana’s sports circles, prompting Charles Osei Asibey, Vice President of Ghana Athletics, to concede the subpar performance and pinpoint insufficient investment in sports as the primary cause, highlighting the need for a strategic overhaul to revitalize the country’s athletic prospects.
“I must confess it [poor performances in Paris] is the result of what we have invested,” Asibey said to Citi FM. “I feel that if we had done more, we would have come better. I have always said that preparation should have started four years ago. As a federation, we did our best and the results we saw are the investments we made as a country.”
The disappointment and discontent among Ghanaians are evident, with widespread demands for a thorough examination and revamp of the country’s sports infrastructure.
As a nation renowned for its rich sporting tradition, the failure to secure medals in Paris serves as a stark wake-up call, underscoring the urgent need for enhanced investment, improved planning, and a revitalized approach to unlock Ghana’s full athletic potential.
