<\/p>\n
A former chairman of the Ghana Athletics Association (GAA), George Haldane Lutterodt, has demanded the immediate resignation of the current GAA executives and the coaching staff of the national athletics team for supervising Ghana\u2019s disqualification from the 4X100m at the just-ended Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.<\/p>\n
While congratulating the Ghanaian athletes who hoisted the national flag high at the Birmingham Games, Mr Lutterodt called for a quick review of Ghana\u2019s abysmal performance at the event to avert another disaster at the African Games in Ghana next year.<\/p>\n
He noted that athletics fans and stakeholders in the country had no confidence in any enquiry being set up to investigate what went wrong in Ghana\u2018s disqualification at the Games.<\/p>\n
Mr Lutterodt, therefore, called on President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and the Minister of Youth and Sports, Mustapha Ussif, to ignore the so-called apology rendered by the leadership of the GAA and demand their immediate resignation.<\/p>\n
\u201cHeads must roll indeed; in 1996 when a similar fiasco happened at the Atlanta Olympics due to the incompetence of the GAA officials, the association was disbanded soon after their return. So there is precedence.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe GAA apology is not worth the paper it\u2019s written on. Actions have consequences and the GAA must do the honourable thing by resigning after making the nation a laughing stock in the world,\u201d an upset Mr Lutterodt told the Daily Graphic in an exclusive interview yesterday.<\/p>\n
Team Ghana missed a good opportunity to add to its five-medal tally when the men\u2019s 4x100m relay team were disqualified for a technical violation despite placing third overall prior to the final.<\/p>\n
GAA\u2019s apology<\/p>\n
In a subsequent apology, the GAA explained that the technical reason for the disqualification of the men\u2019s 4X100m team was per World Athletics Rule TR 24.11.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn short, only athletes whose names are on the final confirmation form as starters can run during the competition. Ghana originally submitted its 4X100m final confirmation list of four starters and a reserve about 14 hours before the start of the race on August 5.<\/p>\n
\u201cJoseph Amoah, who was originally listed as a starter was subsequently ruled out of participating in the semi-final of the 4x100m on the morning of August 6. However, in what we can only describe as an unfortunate oversight, Joseph\u2019s withdrawal was not transmitted in time to the Technical Information Center (TIC) by our coaching crew as intended before the race,\u201d it said.<\/p>\n
\u201cGAA is currently engaging major stakeholders on the matter since there are valuable logistical lessons to be learned from this unfortunate outcome,\u201d the statement added.<\/p>\n
However, Mr Lutterodt insisted that, \u201cThis is why the GAA executives and the current coaches must immediately resign because these athletes have lost confidence in them\u201d.
He also called on the Sports Minister to kick out all unqualified and non-elected persons from the GAA.<\/p>\n
Mr Lutterodt, during whose tenure Ghana won the most medals at the All Africa Games in Abuja in 2003, said the errors committed by this current GAA were too many to be forgiven.<\/p>\n
\u201cSince they took office over a decade ago, it has been one error after another and this has brought the nation too many embarrassments; it is time they go,\u201d he stressed.<\/p>\n
He called for a paradigm shift in the way athletics was run in the country and stressed the need for more investment in the sport.<\/p>\n
Source: graphic.com.gh<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Featured Video\n<\/p>\n\n
\n Disclaimer<\/span>: Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of . accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n