The President of the Ghana Badminton Federation (GBF), Mr Evans Yeboah, is confident that Ghana’s strong showing at the just-ended Ghana Badminton Grand Slam 2025 will boost the team’s image at upcoming global competitions.
Speaking at the end of the 21-day championship held at the Borteyman Sports Complex, Mr Yeboah noted that the Olympic dream would not come easy as it would demand heavy investment to get Ghana there.
Some of the upcoming championships lined up for the Ghana team includes the World Junior Championships in India in September, the African Youth Games in Angola in December, and the 2026 Youth Olympic Games in Senegal.
“All these tournaments serve as pathways to the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games,” said Mr Yeboah who expresses the belief that with proper investment, Ghana can qualify for all.
“The federation is currently doing its best to get Ghana there, but we cannot do it alone. It must be a collaborative and unified approach by stakeholders, including government, the private sector, civil society, etc., to aid in achieving the Olympic goal which we all desire.”
According to him, the performance from the just-ended Grand Slam 2025 championship was a testimony of the continuous investment in Team Ghana by way of playing in international tournaments.
Team Ghana bagged a total of 21 medals in five tournament categories, including the Africa Air Badminton Championships, Junior Mixed Team Championships, Junior Individual Championships, Junior Air Badminton Championships, and the JE Wilson Ghana International Series.
“The likes of Africa’s best junior mixed doubles pair of Moslena Ama Koramah Adu and Obampo Adu-Mintah, as well as Moses Yaw Ansong Adu, Hannah Adu, and Melchizedek Takyi, among others who won gold have a bright future in the sport,” he stated.
On the organisation of the championships, Mr Yeboah mentioned that his outfit was extremely satisfied with the way it went.
“It has received great reviews from not only the Badminton World Federation but also from top players from Indonesia, Australia, Japan, Canada, Switzerland, Portugal, and Thailand, among others.”
“We have proven that hosting mega world-class tournaments is not beyond us. We did it previously, and this year we have done it again, and we promise Ghanaians to bring more of such tournaments here,” he said.
In all, a total of 78 countries battled for honours and world ranking points in the championships for the 2026 Youth Olympic Games and the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games, in five tournament categories, including the Africa Air Badminton Championships, Junior Mixed Team Championships, Junior Individual Championships, Junior Air Badminton Championships, and the JE Wilson Ghana International Series.
BY RAYMOND ACKUMEY