The inner perimeter of the swimming area of the Borteyman Sports Complex. INSET: President Akufo-Addo with Mustapha Ussif after unveiling the plaque to inaugurate the Borteyman Sports Complex
President Nana Akufo-Addo yesterday commissioned the multi-purpose Borteyman Sports Complex which is earmarked to be one of the major facilities for the upcoming 13th All Africa Games scheduled for next month.
It formed part of activities to mark the 25-day count down to the commencement of the games.
The facilities at the Complex include an Aquatic Centre which has a 10-lane swimming pool, and another swimming pool for warm up, two-indoor sport halls, each with 1,000 seating capacity.
It also has an indoor tennis court with 1,000 seating capacity, an outdoor court for warm ups and warm up tracks for athletics.
Other disciplines will be hosted at the University of Ghana, Legon due to the hybrid approach of hosting the games.
This is the first time Ghana is hosting the prestigious continental games. Ghana won the bid to host the games in 2018.
Ghana is expecting some 5,000 elite athletes, 3,000 officials, thousands of fans and global audience of about 2.2 billion through traditional television and social media.
President Akufo-Addo cut sod for the start of the Borteyman project in August 2021. Aside the facilities, there has been major road construction, mostly dual carriage to ensure that movement to and from the area would face no let or hindrance.
Just before official commissioning, President Akufo-Addo explained that Ghana’s decision to host the games was characterised by uncertainties due to the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic which affected infrastructure development.
He noted that through commitment and resilience, the government proved the doubting Thomases wrong by adopting the hybrid approach of hosting the games.
He said the decision yielded good results as facilities at both ends were ready for the commencement of the Africa Games.
In the last seven years, the President said his government has renovated the Ohene Gyan Sports Stadium in Accra, the Cape Coast Sports Stadium, and the Baba Yara Sports Stadium in Kumasi.
Apart from that, he said government was building 10 sports stadia in the ten original regions of the country, six of which were ready for use, and assured that the remaining four would be completed before the end of the year.
He said government was investing heavily in sports facility production, especially Astro Turfs for various communities, and said from three in 2016, government since 2017 had built 120 of such pitches.
The President said 100 more Astro Turfs would be added within the year, and were all demonstration of government’s commitment to the provision of sporting infrastructure to engender the right facilities for the development of sports in Ghana.
As the country enters the final stretch of preparations for the games, he said government, the African Union and other stakeholders and partners would work assiduously to make the visitors welcome and put in place the best arrangements for the events.
He, therefore, urged the Ministry of Youth and Sports and the Local Organising Committee (LOC) to go all out and organise the best African Games in history whilst pledging full commitment and that of government to ensure that all visitors to the country are secured, enjoy the best hospitality Ghana has to offer and experience the greatest of African games.
On his part, the Minister of Sports, Mustapha Ussif, said there were initial challenges but with the support and direction of President Akufo-Addo they were able to surmount the challenges and reached the current state where Ghana was ready to host Africa.
He said the games would serve as a catalyst for growth and development for the country, especially the construction of the facilities at Legon and Borteyman, which would lead to platform for athlete’s excellence and the overall infrastructure development.
The minister indicated that after the games, the facility would serve as centre of excellence for nurturing talents and provide platform for international competitions.
By Charles Takyi-Boadu, Presidential Correspondent