By: Francis Abedi
The Ashanti Regional Association of Para Sports in collaboration with the Ashanti Regional Coordinating Council has launched a Para Sports Festival aimed at promoting social inclusion, driving policy attention towards disability-friendly development, and building unity through sports across the Ashanti Region.
The maiden event is to be held in August this year.
This initiative seeks to harness the power of sports to foster inclusive communities, challenge stereotypes, and promote equal opportunities for individuals with disabilities.
The first in a series of the Ashanti Region Para Sports Festival which will be held in Kumasi from 27th to 31st August this year, will feature amputee football, skate football, wheelchair football, wheelchair tennis among other activities.
The event is expected to feature contingents from Ivory Coast, Togo and Burkina Faso.
At the launch of the event in Kumasi, the President of the Ashanti Regional Association of Para Sports, Mr. Benjamin Annor explained that the reasons for the organization of the event is showcase the talent found within persons with disabilities.
“The reason why we are organizing this event is to allow the world to appreciate the talent that is found within persons who are physically challenged and also to informed equal physically challenged persons who are begging on the street that they have the capacity and talent to show in sporting” he stated.
The Ashanti Regional Board Chairman of the Association, Dr. Isaac Donkor indicated that over the years, disability sports continue to receive little attention in the country.
“I can boldly say that disability sports have won more medals for this country than any other sports but yet little attention has been given to it. It’s so sad not even funding” he said.
The Ashanti Regional Coach for the Para athletics, Mr. Patrick Yaw Obeng appealed for equal recognition for disability sports as is done for other sporting disciplines.
“See we form majority of sporting activities in Ghana here, sometime we train so much but we don’t even get any matches to play because they don’t recognize us much which is very painful. You train and you can not even get opponent to play with to measure your competency” He stressed.
The maiden Ashanti Region Para Sports event will be hosted at the Baba Yara Sports Stadium.
