Ghana authorities dey investigate report of ‘Paralympic team’ wey japa from tournament inside Norway

Di national security ministry togeda wit di Ministry of Youth and Sports and di police for Ghana don dey investigate how one 11-member team wey present diasef as Ghana Paralympic team for Norway vanish afta dem arrive di kontri.

One letter from di national security ministry to di Sports Ministry don tok say di team wey enta Oslo say dem dey go participate for di Fjordkraft Bergen City marathon, run away afta dem arrive on 25 April 2024.

“Tori we get tok say di 11-member team no register and no participate for di competition wey happun on 27 April,” di letter from di national security explain.

Officials for Norway arrest one member of dis 11-member team as im “dey try to run away from Norway to enta Sweden with one-way train ticket.”

Di Norwegian Embassy for Ghana don issue alert to oda shengen and western diplomatic missions for Accra and di European border coast guard agency say make dey find dem and return dem to Ghana.

Inside di letter from di national security ministry, dem tok say pesin wey present as team coach for dis competition for Norway don die.

“George Gyasi, di team coach, collapse on 28 April and dem admit am inside di Oslo university hospital - wia im die on 27 May.”

Di letter wey di national security minister Albert Kan-Dapaah sign wey dem copy to di foreign minister, di sports minister, tok say make di relevant agencies investigate di mata well well.

Dem add say dis tin wey happun so, go “affect future Ghanaian sport teams.”

Already, tok-tok dey for town say ova di period, about three or four oda teams dey call diasef di Ghana Paralympic team even though goment neva recognise dem.

One ogbonge sports journalist wey bin work on di local organizing committee for di first Africa para games for Accra, Saddick Adams allege say some “former executives of di official para team fit dey do shady deals.”

Im add say for example, “wen di original amputee football team don dey prepare for di Amputee AFCON wey just end for Egypt, anoda team also bin dey train for Ghana for di same tournament.”

“Na court order dem take stop di fake team from entering plane to Egypt ahead of di official team,” Saddick write for Facebook.

Im add say “at di moment, athletes of di official Ghana Paralympic team wey don qualify for di upcoming Paralympic Games for Paris, already dey Paris for dia pre-competition camping.”

'Di team wey go Norway na fake'

Chairman of di committee, Samson Deen tok say afta im receive di letter from di national security ministry, dem do checks wia dem find say di pipo wey enta Norway no be members of di Paralympic team.

Im tok say di pipo forge di association im letterhead and signature for di visa application document.

“Di Ghana Paralympic team no send any athlete, we no write any letter and we no apply for visa for anybody for di Norwegian Embassy,” oga Samson Deen tok.

Im add say di “local organising committee no get any intention to participate for any event for Norway.”

“Upon our checks, we find say di pipo wey carry our letterhead and forge my signature to apply for dis visa in di name of di Ghana Paralympic team, na past executives of di amputee football association togeda wit anoda travel agent wey dey stay for Europe,"Deen allege.

Even though di chairman of di Paralympic committee tok say dem don report di mata to di police, im announce say di two past executives of di association don chop suspension.

Im add say im write to di Ghana police to investigate di mata to “reveal all di fact.”

Sports ministry say dem go punish evribodi wey dey involved

Di sports ministry for one statement tok say dem dey collaborate wit "di relevant agencies to investigate di matter and we go sanction any pesin wey dey involved for dis scam."

Di ministry tok say di matter dey unfortunate, but "e no define di dedication and integrity of di sports fraternity".

"We don dey take di measures to ensure say dis kind tin no happun again for di future."

According to di sports ministry, unlike di normal process wia di national sports authority go write to di ministry to assist any of di national teams to get di visas, dis 'fake' Paralympic team no go thru di ministry.

Di ministry dey advise all "embassies and consulate offices for di kontri say make dem verify all visa requests for sporting competitions and tournaments wit di ministry, especially those wey tok say dem dey go represent Ghana for national capicity."

No be di first time dis wahala don happun

Dis be di second time in five years wey sometin like dis dey happun.

For 2018, dem deport more dan 60 pipo from Australia as dem pose as journalists to enta dat kontri for di Olympic games

Afta di matter blow, goment suspend di director general of di national sports authority and di deputy sports minister wey supervise di travelling of di national teams.

Afta di criminal investigative department investigate di matter, dem find some pipo wey dey involved.

Di CID find say some of di pipo wey apply for visas for di Olympics at di time, use fake documents wey tell embassy officials say dem be journalists.