2 Disabled Athletes For Olympics

Chairman of the Ghana Disabled Sports Association (GDSA), Rev Adja Coffie, has disclosed that Ajara Buzanka and Bostyo Nkegbe will represent the country at the Olympic Games in Beijing, next month. Ajara competes in the 200 and 800 metres, while Bostyo runs the 100 and 200 metres in special running chairs – a tricycle specially made to suit their disability. He told the Times Sports in an interview on Monday that Ajara is presently locked up in a Kumasi camp, while Bostyo who has benefited from a sponsorship package from Databank, camps in the U.S. He is expected back to Ghana by August 14. Rev. Coffie has, however, appealed to the International Paralympics Committee (IPC) to help other equally good athletes of the association - Anita Forjuor and Patrick Obeng to take part in the Olympics. He said people still do not believe that disabled sports have anything to offer society, calling on officials to help the sport to grow. "Disabled Sports is basically to bolster the confidence level in the individual and to make them believe that they have a lot to offer the society, irrespective of their disability," he acknowledged. He also lamented the lack of finance and facilities that would have enhanced their training. "There is no place to gather the athletes for a comprehensive training and this has compelled some of them to resort to the act of begging in the streets". Rev. Coffie, therefore, called on government to support the sport in order to attain the status it has aimed at. "At the All Africa Games in Algeria last year, they were able to bring back home one gold, two silver and bronze medals", he stressed, adding if the sport is given the support it needs, more medals would be won for the country." He noted that the Amputee Soccer Team has once been African Champions but could not go to Liberia to defend their trophy because of lack of sponsorship. "The Government should invest in a sport like Disabled Sports which wins more medals for the country and is less costly as compared to other sports," he appealed.