Africa Sports

Exclusive: All Ghanaian sports journalists denied Olympic Games accreditation because of Australia visa scandal

Ghanaian Sports Journalists have been left feeling the effect of the Australia visa scandal after they were denied accreditation for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.

The decision by the International Olympic Committee to refuse Ghanaian journalists the accreditation was with the official reason that there were too many requests for accreditation in the non-rights holders accreditation category.

But checks by Mynewsgh indicate that the blanket decision was motivated by the country’s last scandal at the 2018 Commonwealth Games in which more than 60 Ghanaians were deported for entering Australia as ‘fake journalists’. They were found to possess media accreditation but were discovered to be non-journalists.

The incident prompted a probe which led to the suspension of the then Director General of the National Sports Authority, Robert Sarfo-Mensah, the NSA’s Board Chairman Kwadwo Baah Agyemang and then Deputy Sports Minister, Pius Enam Hadzide. The last two have since been cleared while Sarfo-Mensah resigned from his position.

The IOC’s decision is set to take a massive toll considering Ghana’s U23 football team, the Black Meteors could qualify for the Olympic Games for the first time since 2004.

With the sort of interest football generates in the country, it will be a huge disappointment not to have journalists in Tokyo covering the event.

Source: Mynewsgh.com

Ogyem Solomon

Solomon Ogyem – Media Entrepreneur | Journalist | Brand Ambassador Solomon Ogyem is a dynamic Ghanaian journalist and media entrepreneur currently based in South Africa. With a solid foundation in journalism, Solomon is a graduate of the OTEC School of Journalism and Communication Studies in Ghana and Oxbridge Academy in South Africa. He began his career as a reporter at OTEC 102.9 MHz in Kumasi, where he honed his skills in news reporting, community storytelling, and radio broadcasting. His passion for storytelling and dedication to the media industry led him to establish Press MltiMedia Company in South Africa—a growing platform committed to authentic African narratives and multimedia journalism. Solomon is the founder and owner of Thepressradio.com, a news portal focused on delivering credible, timely, and engaging stories across Ghana and Africa. He also owns Press Global Tickets, a service-driven venture in the travel and logistics space, providing reliable ticketing services. He previously owned two notable websites—Ghanaweb.mobi and ShowbizAfrica.net—both of which contributed to entertainment and socio-political discussions within Ghana’s digital space. With a diverse background in media, digital journalism, and business, Solomon Ogyem is dedicated to telling impactful African stories, empowering youth through media, and building cross-continental media partnerships.

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