…one dead, another arrested
By Ernest Bako WUBONTO
Five years after Ghana was involved in an Australia visa scandal relating to sporting activity, a more incriminating one has happened again.
It would be recalled that in April 2018, a group of 60 people were deported from Australia for posing as journalists to enter the country during the Commonwealth Games. A second has happened; but this time the paralympic team is the centre of attention.
An 11-member ‘paralympic team’ who left Ghana for Norway in April 2024 to participate in an Olympics qualification competition has gone missing, with a new report indicating one death and an arrest.
According to a leaked letter from the National Security Minister, Albert Kan-Dapaah, to the Minister of Youth and Sports (MoYS) and the Foreign Affairs Minister, 10 of the 11-member ‘paralympic team’ from Ghana were on the run, even before their ulterior motive was detected as impersonators.
The National Security Minister shared that the Norwegian Embassy has drawn his attention to the supposed ‘paralympic team’ made up of 11 members who obtained visas from the Norwegian Embassy in Accra to participate in the Fjordkraft Bergen City Marathon in Oslo on April 27, 2024; but upon arrival disappeared, with most of them believed to be hiding in other Schengen states.
The letter detailed that the supposed athletes arrived in Oslo, the capital of Norway, on 25th April, 2024 for the marathon slated for 27th. However, the team failed to register for the competition, which was to be held two days after their arrival.
Nana Antwi, a member of the team, was arrested a day after they arrived in Norway when he attempted to onboard a train with a one-way ticket to Sweden.
On 28th April, 2024, the second day of the marathon, another member of the team, George Gyamfi Gyasi, identified as the imposter coach of the squad, collapsed and was rushed to the Oslo University Hospital (ULLEVAL), where he met his untimely death shortly after being admitted.
Unfortunately, three months on, the other nine impostors are yet to be apprehended even though security agencies in the country and other neighbouring countries have been alerted to be on the watch out for these individuals.
“As a result of this scandal, all Western Diplomatic Missions in Accra, as well as the European Border Coast Guard agency, have been alerted by the Norwegian Embassy in Accra to repatriate and apprehend the said team members,” Ken Dapaah stated.
He cautioned the Sports Ministry that the incident has the potential to affect the chances of Ghanaian national teams who require visas to travel for future competitions, especially the paralympic team.
President of the Ghana Paralympics Committee (GPC) and the African Paralympic Committee (APC), Samson Deen, in a media interview, denied prior knowledge of any such tournament, stating that he did not sign the letters used to seek visa assistance from the Norwegian Embassy.
“I have to put it on record that the Ghana Paralympic Committee (GPC) has not sent anybody or sent a letter to apply for a visa. The persons involved forged my signature after they were initially denied visas for the said event.
“Upon our checks on receiving this letter from the Ministry of Sports, we realised that the letter was forged. We reached out to those suspected – Theodore Mawuli Viwotor, former Secretary-General of the Ghana Paralympic Football Association, and Ernest Ayisi, founder of Ernestay Foundation, who indicated that one Adongo, who is nowhere to be found in Ghana now and based in Europe, is the one who forged my signature and letters,” he said.
He mentioned that the afore-mentioned individuals have been suspended indefinitely from paralympic sports in the country.
At the moment, athletes of the official Ghana Paralympic Team who have qualified for the upcoming Paralympic Games in Paris, are already in France for their pre-competition camping.
MoYS assures to penalise all culprits
The Ministry of Youth & Sports, in a press release, has declared that strict disciplinary actions will be taken against the group of Ghanaian para-athletes who allegedly absconded in Oslo, Norway, while intending to participate in the Fjordkraft Bergen City Marathon.
The MoYS clarified that they were unaware of the paralympic team’s participation in the marathon. It further stated collaborations are underway with relevant authorities to investigate the situation and uncover the details surrounding the incident.
Australia visa scandal
More than 60 people were deported from Australia for posing as journalists and entering the country during the games in April 2018.
The scandal led to the suspension of the then Director-General for the National Sports Authority, Robert Sarfo-Mensah, and Deputy Minister for Youth and Sports, Pius Enam Hadzide.
Again in 2018, Ghana, on the pretext of sending some deaf and dumb persons to a football tournament in Australia, ended up sending men who could hear and speak.
These happenings are about a phenomenon that has become endemic, bringing shame to the motherland anytime sportsmen go out to compete for medals at international sporting events. It is about the failure of successive governments to crack the whip to ensure an end to this canker.
