Ghana’s Sports Minister, Kofi Adams, has firmly denied media reports suggesting that foreign athletes were forced to use substandard vaulting poles provided by Ghana during the African Senior Athletics Championships at the University of Ghana Stadium in Accra.
Addressing the press, Mr. Adams clarified that while Ghana’s Local Organising Committee supplied vaulting poles for the competition, none of the athletes actually used them.
“It’s a standard thing. Yours is to provide the landing surface, the cross bar, and then the stand poles,” he explained. He emphasized that the vaulting poles themselves are personal equipment, with athletes preferring to compete with their own poles for comfort and familiarity. “The only thing is that the ITOs will certify it for them,” he added, referring to the International Technical Officials who inspect and approve the athletes’ equipment.
The minister recounted an incident involving a Beninese athlete whose vaulting pole broke during the event, stressing that the damaged pole belonged to the athlete and had not been supplied by Ghana. Similarly, South African competitors used their own vaulting poles, Mr. Adams noted.
He further disclosed that the South African team had paid a deposit at Aviance at Accra International Airport for the equipment they brought into the country. This deposit, he assured, would be refunded once the athletes left Ghana with their equipment.
Reflecting on the championship as a whole, Mr. Adams concluded that the event “generally went well,” with the exception of some early power issues that were promptly addressed.
Source: Apexnewsgh.com