[ad_1]
Former President Jerry John Rawlings’ leadership marks Ghana’s sporting history as its most successful era in terms of talent discovery, development and ultimately annexation of great laurels on global platforms .
At the time, the country only had two large stadiums (Accra and Baba Yara in Kumasi) and other smaller facilities that served as organized competitions and training. With this rather modest number of buildings across the country, major progress has been made.
In boxing, four of ten world titles have been won during his combined military and civilian administrations. Azumah Nelson, Africa’s greatest boxer, won the WBC Super Featherweight title in 1984 after his 11th round loss to Wilfredo Gomez.
Five years later, “Marvelous” Nana Yaw Konadu won the WBC Super Flyweight title after beating Gilberto Roman. It was a double strike in 1994 as Ike “Bazooka” Quartey stunned the world by stopping then-champion Crisanto Espana to win the WBA welterweight title which he defended seven times.
There was also the late Alfred ‘Cobra’ Kotey who won the WBO bantamweight title after recording a unanimous victory over Rafael Del Valle.
The difference here was that he was personally involved in their respective stories, especially that of Azumah Nelson. Ike Quartey personally told me about a good personal relationship with Rawlings, which also meant he could visit the president at home and be invited to the year-end presidential dinner.
In football, one of Ghana’s four African Cup of Nations trophies was won when he took power from Dr Hilla Limann in 1982. The irony of this episode was that his predecessor Dr Limann had made the decision not to participate in the Ghana Black Stars. in this AFCON tournament, they had already qualified due to bitter diplomatic relations with host Libya.
Rawlings, after seizing power from Limann, reversed the decision and through the efforts of his area secretary, Zaya Yebo at the time, the resources were brought together to fund the final preparation and team participation. Ghana emerged victorious for the fourth time – a feat the nation has since eluded.
It should be noted that the only two FIFA U-17 World Cup trophies were won during his tenure – in 1991 and 1995. Added to this is Ghana’s and Africa’s first ever Olympic medal in football, the bronze medal in Barcelona at the 1992 Games.
Most of the successful Black Starlets ’91 team graduated from the Olympic team which achieved the historic feat. In addition, nine medals including one gold during the period on the Commonwealth Games stage.
Ghana’s oldest football club, Accra Hearts of Oak, of which President Rawlings was a big fan, also won the CAF Champions League in its last year in office – the year 2000.
The support of the deceased former president at Hearts was facilitated by some of its key members and its vice-president in his second term, Professor John Evans Atta Mills, a shareholder of the club. Much like Ato Ahwoi, senior government adviser, Ato Austin and ET Mensah, both sports ministers in the 1980s, played key roles within the club at different times and mobilized their own resources to support the club. We cannot forget his Minister of Education, Harry Sawyer, who has become the main boss of the club.
President Rawlings has watched some of the Hearts of Oak games and even performed kick-off ceremonies for bigger ones like the Africa Cup Games.
And the ministers responsible for executing his sports policy through the Ministry of Sports during the period were Zaya Yebo who was only in charge for one year, Major Amarkai Amarteifio (Rtd), who served between 1983 and 1986 and Ato Austin, who served between 1986 and 1988. From 1988 to 1991, Mr. K Saarah Mensah passed the baton to Lt Gen Arnold Quainoo. Mr. ET Mensah, who to date is the oldest in the country’s history, served between 1993 and 2001.
Over the course of the two decades they have collectively executed policies under the Rawlings administration, in training technical people, and in building and galvanizing good local competitive platforms.
These included the National Sports Festival later renamed the National Unity Games, the Sports Security Services Association (SESSA) Games, and grassroots and college level competitions across the country. Collectively, these competitive platforms have served as nurturing units for the national teams. In listing these great feats, there are some key events during and after his reign that are worth mentioning.
The beans and gari credited were for the Ghana boxing team
Growing up in Ghana from the late 1980s to the early 1990s, one could easily hear folk episodes about President Rawlings, the military ruler of the time who still bought gari and beans (a Ghanaian delicacy) on credit. .
What most of our younger generation at the time hardly knew was that Rawlings barely had the gari and beans for his personal use but for members of the Ghana amateur boxing team, the Black Boxers. , who were camping in Winneba, 30 minutes from the capital, Accra.
This team included the young boy who would become the greatest boxer in Africa and Ghana – Azumah Nelson, who revealed it in his book The Professor – The life story of Azumah Nelson.
In a rather moving tribute, Azumah Nelson revealed that Rawlings would sacrifice himself and go buy Gari and Beans on credit just so he and his teammates could train and be strong.
“Always a man of subtle acts of kindness for years, as I trained as a struggling boxer I was randomly given portions of beans and gari. It wasn’t until many years later that I found out that we were beneficiaries of the debt you owed the bean vendors. You even rented an apartment for me, ”recalls Azumah in the tribute.
Sammy Osei Kuffour invites Rawlings to his testimony
“We were able to conquer the rest of the world because we stood on the shoulders of a great man. Your Excellency, Thank you for inspiring us. I want you to honor my testimony game. Please, please Your Excellency, I will be grateful if you can be present.
These are the words of one of the most decorated Ghanaian footballers of all time to invite him to his testimonial match, marking the end of his career. It was exactly ten years ago.
Sammy Osei Kuffour in his quote above was referring to Ghana conquering the world in the 1991 FIFA Under-17 World Cup of which he was a part. And he has become one of Ghana’s most decorated players of all time.
In addition to the FIFA U-17 World Cup trophy, an Olympic bronze medal in 1992, a club world champion title and released the most valuable player, a Champions League title of the ‘UEFA, six German Bundesliga titles and five German League Cup titles.
He finished second at CAF African Footballer of the Year in 2001, after finishing behind eventual winner El Hadj Diouf of Senegal.
Rawlings Rewards Banku and Ayittey Powers
If any event passes for one that sparked a renaissance of major boxing / sport promotions in Ghana over the past 15 years, Bukom Banku (Brimah Kamoko) v Ayittey Powers on May 16, 2014 ticks the boxes. The hype before the event, and the resulting public interest, twists and turns, and combat made it a piece of history.
As the announcer of the fight night, I remember President Rawlings and his wife Nana Konadu in the ring. They sat in a row which made it easy for me to spot them among the hundreds of creamy guests at ringside. Rawlings was tense like any boxer’s manager or cornerman and had his eyes fixed on the action.
Periodically he would stretch his neck to see the detail of the punches and movement – a scene that seemed to be replicated from that historic world title fight between Ghana’s first world champion DK Poison and Danny Little Red Lopez in the same Accra stadium. A younger and slimmer Rawlings sat ringside with his beloved wife Nana Konadu.
With a stern gaze he watched every bit of the action and chewed gum up so fast like Sir Alex Ferguson did on the sidelines in Manchester United games.
Bukom Banku won this fight by a unanimous decision, but both boxers were greatly praised for their performance.
Weeks later, President Rawlings invited the two boxers to his Ridge Accra office for a presentation and I was the linguist for the Ghana Boxing Authority delegation that had accompanied the two boxers.
President Rawlings, his wife and daughters led by Dr Zanetor Rawlings, who is now MP for Klottey Korley constituency, presented a token of 20 bags of rice and 40 boxes of chicken to the boxers for their performance which he said , sold Ghana boxed the rest of the continent and brought great entertainment to people. Added to this is the facilitation of their inclusion on a list of government sponsored fans to watch the Ghana Black Stars at the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil.
Ayittey Powers revealed that President Rawlings offered her a Mercedes Benz ML vehicle as part of the package.
Flt Lt. Jerry Rawlings left many legacies and the sport was no exception. Ghanaians would surely be grateful to have another era of achievement like Rawlings’.
–
Source link
