The Ghana Army has celebrated its achievements in sports on Thursday, 2 November 2023 with a float from the Nicholson Sport Stadium through some principal streets in Accra.
The Guest of Honor for the event, the Chief of the Army Staff (COAS), Major General (Maj Gen) Thomas Oppong Peprah commended the teams for winning a total of 170 medals in national, regional and international competitions. He emphasized that their achievements in sports bears testimony of the Army's contribution to national development.
He lauded individual players for their personal achievements and disclosed that 11 Army Hockey Players are currently playing the Olympic Qualifying Competition in South Africa with the main event to be staged in 2024. He also disclosed that some players have already been permitted to play professional tournaments in Malta and Australia.
COAS stated that the efforts put in place to the re-organize the teams and subsequent recruitment of one hundred and seventy (170) sportsmen and women who now form the foundation of the Army Sport has yielded the required dividends. He therefore affirmed the continuous support of Command to make the teams the best for the Army.
He added that to the Army Headquarters has dedicated a sports office under the G7 branch, a 33-seater bus as well as funds for capacity building courses for coaches and selected sports personnel at the University of Education, Winneba.
Maj Gen Oppong Peprah said, these investments, coupled with the diligence of the players, have led to the appointment of CPOI Taylor Patrick as the Head Coach of the National Women Hockey Team and the Army Volleyball Coach S/Sgt Ntaaga George as the Assistant National Volleyball and Hockey Team Coach.
COAS was optimistic of the future successes of Army Sports, revealing to the amazement of personnel that the Army has successfully introduced Bowling into its sporting discipline. The Army sports teams include football, basketball, handball, volleyball, hockey, table tennis, tennis, boxing and athletics.
The Sports Officer at the Army Headquarters, Maj D Agalga thanked COAS for his transformational leadership and support over the years leading to the successes chalked up in recent times. He therefore assured of the team’s commitment to training and professionalism in order to win more laurels in the future.
