The Managing Consultant of Rics Consult Ltd, Mr. Magnus RexDanquah, has said that the Ministry of Sports (MoS) was considering building a 5000 capacity swimming pool for the University of Cape Coast (UCC) ahead of the 2023 Africa Games, formerly called All Africa Games.
He said Ghana has bid for the hosting of the 2023 Africa Games and Cape Coast has been choosen as one of the venues for the Games.
Consequently, Mr. RexDanquah pointed out that the Ministry of Sports would put up a swimming pool in UCC for the swimming disciplines for the tournament.
Mr. Rex Danquah made this known when he led a delegation to call on the management of the University, at the Council Chamber.
The Managing Consultant, who is a representative of the MoS for the Games, said the reasons for the visit were to ascertain whether land could be available for the construction of the facility and whether there would be suitable accommodation for both swimmers and officials.
He said that after the Games, the Ministry would hand over the facility to the University to manage and maintain it, adding that,"the Ministry will come in when there is a plan for international or national exercise."
He noted that the Ministry of Sports would launch a campaign dubbed ‘Stay Healthy, adopt a discipline” this year for all stakeholders ahead of the 2023 Africa Games.
Mr. RexDanquah, who was the Chief Operating Officer (COO) of the Local Organising Committee (LOC) of CAN 2008, used the occasion to call on the management of the University to support the upcoming 2018 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations, which will take place in Sekondi and Cape Coast.
For his part,the Provost of the College of Agriculture and Natural Sciences, Prof.L.K Sam Amoah, who received the delegation on behalf of the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Joseph Ghartey Ampiah, expressed his heartfelt gratitude to the Ministry of Sports for the gesture.
He assured the delegation that management of the University would provide the requisite support for the 2023 Africa Games to be a success.
On his part, the Head of the Department of Health,Physical Education and Recreation (HPER), Prof. J.K Ogah, lauded the Ministry for considering putting up a swimming pool in UCC ahead of the Games,adding that," the move is a strategic attempt to develop Ghana Sports in a certain direction."
Later, Prof. Ogah led the delegation to inspect the newly-built UCC ultra -modern sports complex, which comprise a basketball, volleyball and handball courts, a multi purpose hall for indoor games, coaching rooms, weight room for strength building, a boxing ring and offices.
The Africa Games
The Africa Games (AG), organised by the Supreme Council for Sport in Africa (SCSA), is a regional multi-sport event held every four years (one year before the Olympic Games). The participating nations to the AG must all be from the African continent and be affiliated to the Supreme Council for Sport in Africa (SCSA).
Ghana faces stiff competition from Zambia and Kenya, who are also keen on hosting the 2023 Africa Games, with the final selected host nation to be announced in mid-March 2017.
The Ministry of Sports has selected Cape Coast, Accra and Kumasi as the cities to host the Africa Games, when giving the hosting rights.
The Association of National Olympic Committees of Africa (ANOCA) and the Technical Committee of the AU Commission Sports Unit are expected to visit Ghana to inspect the facilities required to host the Games.