Kurt Okraku, Asamoah Gyan and others at the All Regional Games launch
Ghana Football Association (GFA) President, Kurt Okraku, has described Asamoah Gyan as a gift to sports.
Consequently, the GFA boss has promised to stand ‘shoulder-to-shoulder’ with the legendary footballer ahead of the maiden edition of the All Regional Games.
At the media launch of the sports project held in Accra yesterday, Okraku highlighted the GFA’s commitment to offering technical support to the organisers of the multi-disciplinary competition.
The initiative is a brainchild of Gyan, which will see each region holding trial competitions and identifying their top sportsmen and women in June, in preparation for national championships scheduled for November.
The competition will feature nine disciplines including football, volleyball, table tennis, arm-wrestling, athletics, boxing, tennis, basketball and E-sports.
He praised Gyan saying, “I am happy for the invitation to be part of this historic event. But most importantly, I am very happy to get the chance to speak about one special person I’ve known in our times – the Baby Jet, Asamoah Gyan.”
He added, “The man who has brought us here (Asamoah Gyan) is a gift to sports in our dear country. Asamoah distinguished himself as one of our very best footballers. He chalked all the successes one can think about in football. He did not only chalk successes, he went beyond that to invest in other sporting disciplines, including but not limited to football and boxing. I am speaking about what I know! What I do not know about I daresay, are even more.
“Today, he (Asamoah) has decided again to give back to the world. From humble beginnings we look forward beyond the happenings of today.”
“These talents from the platforms that are being offered today via the All Regional Games, will grow up and represent Ghana in international meets. Some will grow up and compete for stellar clubs beyond the shores of Ghana. Some may even end up playing for other countries. This is what I mean by the ‘Baby Jet’ (Asamoah Gyan) given back, not only to Ghana, but to the world.”
The All Regional Games fit into the GFA’s two key areas of development and growth.
“The idea of the All Regional Games fits into two key areas of our current football ecosystem. Fixing the fundamentals and catching the talents young. In organising these Games, Asamoah Gyan and his team are helping the country in fixing the fundamentals,” Kurt stressed.
“The Football Association will stand shoulder-to-shoulder with you, Asamoah Gyan. You are a proud son of our industry. We will give this product and this project all the support you undoubtedly deserve, especially with our ‘Catch Them Young Referees’ primed to be part of this awesome initiative.
“The All Regional Games should be our project. We should not leave it in the hands of only a few,” he pointed out. Ideas, the GFA President said, may normally come from one man, but the execution of the ideas must come from a group of people with the right levels of passion and dedication.”
By Kofi Owusu Aduonum