Bring back inter-school sports – World Athletics President to Ghana govt

President of World Athletics, Lord Sebastian Coe, has admonished the government of Ghana to reconsider bringing back school sports in the country.

Inter-school sports have been inactive due to the ban placed by government as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.

For close to 4-years, schools have also complained about the inability to put up a team for games since the timetable is not suitable for sporting activities as a result of the shift or double-track system started at the high school level,

The double-track system is a process where students in the gold track go to school at a particular time and while they are on vacation the green track also go to school.

Ghana athletics were unable to assemble athletes for the World U-20 Championship in August this year.

However in an interview with selected Athletics Journalists from Africa, the WA President, Sebastian Coe, urged Ghana gov’t to consider restarting school sports “While we will not challenge governments or local health authorities on how they think it is best to contain the virus, I would say that when it comes to childhood physical activity, that is an important part of their social skills and mental wellbeing,” he said.

He added, “So where possible, I would always encourage governments, within the realms of safety, to do everything they possibly can to make sure that young people have a physical outlet; because that will help them with their studies, their self esteem as well as their mental health.

“I would encourage the [Ghana] government to do as much as the possibly can, safely, to maintain school sports activity and the opportunity for young people to find outdoor space to exercise,” he concluded.

The Inter Colleges Competition (Interco) for Senior High Schools is one of the biggest sporting events in the country which nurtures talents for the country.