By George Ernest Asare, Kumasi
The Ashanti Regional branch of the Ghana Dwarfs Sports Team has appealed to Tarkwa Goldfields to sponsor the team to enable it participate in local and international competitions.
Commending Goldfields for their financial support to the senior national team that had made it possible for the Black Stars to achieve many laurels for the nation, the Dwarfs’ team, a.k.a, Little Black Stars, said similar financial support to it would enable them develop their potentials to the fullest.
The team’s National Coach, Mr Adu Akyeampong who made the appeal on their behalf when they paid a familiarisation visit to the Graphic Communications Group Limited’s (GCGL) Kumasi offices, said it was time various companies, institutions and firms extended financial support to the Dwarfs’ team which is made up of football stars, athletes and table tennis players.
The visit to the Kumasi office was also in appreciation of the tremendous support the company had been offering them since the team was formed a few years ago.
It also created a platform for their officials to appeal to the GCGL to continue supporting the physically challenged in terms of publicity for society to appreciate their worth.
Mr Akyeampong, who is also the Sports Development Co-ordinator noted, “it takes both the able and the disabled to develop a nation, but in sports, the disabled are always neglected and sidelined, making it impossible for them to nurture and develop their talents to support national development”.
“ We may lack the physical structures, but in terms of skills, know-how, ability, zeal and commitment, we have them in abundance” he added.
Expressing concern about their neglect when it came to sponsorship in sporting programmes in particular and other socio-economic development in general, Mr Akyeampong pointed out that, “when we participated in the Benin games a few months ago, we won trophies in football by beating Benin 9-0 to win the trophy at stake and in table tennis, we won it hands down, a feat that we are eager to further explore to enable us win more laurels for the country in future”.
“Apart from boxing and wrestling, we can participate in any sporting programme because we have the potentials and the ability to excel” adding, “since we are always referred to as the little Stars, we deserve a little of the national cake in the form of sponsorship to enable us participate in both local and international tournaments”.
Lamenting on the lack of sponsorship which he said undermined the development of the team, he said, “we have only one football for the team. Our players also train with different colours because we have no jerseys, boots and other sports kits”.
He said it was due to the problems they had been encountering in terms of sponsorship that “we have now decided to launch ourselves for the public to appreciate our worth. This is because we have been neglected for far too long”.
Mr Akyeampong commended Mr Daniel Arhin, who is the Chief Executive of Friends for the Physically Challenged Foundation and his wife Mrs Elizabeth Arhin for their continuous support for the team.
He said the couple had sponsored their team to participate in major local and international tournaments “but looking at the situation they cannot do it alone, hence our appeal to every Ghanaian to come on board to support us with sponsorship packages”.
The sports co-ordinator said it was equally important for premier clubs in Ghana to adopt them to play curtain raisers during their matches as a way of creating interest for football fans who might be willing to support them.
He pointed out that keeping interest in sports that promoted the Dwarfs’ team and those who were handicapped physically would reduce the stigma associated with such members.
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