Sports
Africa's participation in Olympic Games
The secretary general of the Supreme Council for Sports in Africa, SCSA, has indicated that Africa hopes to participate massively at the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles. At a news conference grouping about 30 journalists of the national and foreign press in Yaounde, Mr Lamine Ba said not a single African national Olympic committee has manifested any intention to boycott the Los Angeles games.Commenting on the Soviet decision to boycott the Olympics, the SCSA Egbunike records fastest secretary deplored the move but time declined to make any valued judgement on the Soviet decision which he described as an act of sovereignty.
Mr Lamine Ba also clarified the conditions for the admission of African footballers at the soccer finals of the Olympic Games. He said African professional footballers would not be permitted to participate in the soccer finals but World Cup amateurs would be allowed to do so. On the other hand, European and Latin American amateurs, he said, would be excluded from the soccer tournament.
The press conference also dwelt on the tour by a British rugby team to apartheid South Africa, despite international condemnation. The SCSA secretary general said Africa considers the tour as a provocation. Mr Lamine Ba said Africa will pursue its policy of isolation towards South Africa and at the same time to guard against isolating the continent from the Olympic movement. He deplored the British rugby tour of apartheid South Africa, adding that when the time comes, the SCSA and other African sporting organisations will state their position. Mr Lamine Ba concluded the issue of a boycott of the Olympic Games by saying Africa's official position will be stated after a meeting of the SCSA political department scheduled to open in Ouagadougou on 16th June.
African Volleyball Confederation
A Nigerian - Dr J C Omoruan - has been re-elected vice-president of Africa Volleyball Confederation (AVC) for another four-year term. Dr Omoruan who was the former chairman of Nigeria Amateur Volleyball Association (NAVA), was re-elected during the meeting of international volleyball federation (FIVB) board of administration, held in Cancun, Mexico.He had also been re-nominated to serve as African delegate in the administrative board of the international volleyball federation for a four-year term.
Nigeria's Innocent Egbunike has recorded 44.81 seconds in the 400 metres at the Drake Westwood Athletics meet in Los Angeles to signal Nigeria's chance of winning a medal in athletics at the Los Angeles Olympic Games.
The time .95 seconds outside American Lee Evans' world and Olympic Games record set at the 1968 Olympic Games in Mexico - is the best time made over the distance by any athlete this year.
His main opponent will be the current best performer in the event, Jamaican Cameron Bertland who won the gold medal at the Commonwealth Games in Brisbane in 1982 and later confirmed his supremacy at the inaugural World Athletics Championships held last August in Helsinki. Wrestling gold for Nigeria Nigeria has retained its position as the second best nation in the African Wrestling Championship Alexandria, Egypt.
She bagged one gold, two silver and three bronze medals to place second behind Egypt who won six gold medals while Morocco was third with one gold and four bronze medals. The only gold medal for Nigeria was won in 90 kilogrammes by Macaulay-Appah.
Kotoko players injured in motor accident
Three players and the driver of Asante Kotoko sustained slight injuries when the coach on which they were travelling was involved in an accident on the Cape Coast-Accra road. The players are Joe Tex, Sam Kobeah, goalkeeper Jerry Adjei and driver Awudu. The accident occured when the front tyre of the coach burst and forced the coach to somersault into the bush. Kotoko were returning from Cape Coast after they had played Vipers in their league match. The match ended in a 2-2 draw.Ghana accepts invitation
The Ghana Table Tennis Association (GTTA) has accepted the invitation to participate in the next seventh All Africa Table Tennis Championships scheduled to take place in Alexandria, Egypt in February next year.Ghana has also accepted a similar invitation to participate in the annual Nigeria Bournvita Open Table Tennis Championships, fixed for Lagos in September this year.
Korea foots Ghana's Olympic bill
A South Korean fishing company, AFKO, operating in Ghana has given an undertaking to pay the return fares of the Ghanaian contingent to this summer's Los Angeles Olympics.AFKO's gesture is in response to the Ghanaian National Olympic Committees fundraising appeal to enable the country to compete at the games. Last year, AFKO sponsored Ghana's Tae Kwondo team to the world championships in Ecuador and also the National Football Team, Black Stars, for the 13th President's Cup tournament in the Korean capital, Seoul.
Forces games revived
Two Brigade emerged as champions in a six day armed forces soccer mini-sports festival aimed at rekindling sporting activities and ensuring a high sense of discipline and esprit de corps among the forces. They beat the former champions, Support Services by one goal to nil in their final match.In volleyball, the Air Force emerged as the champions on goal aggregate after tying with One Brigade on points.
