Off the wire
• U.S. stocks open mixed amid rate hike concern  • Poland international Blaszczykowski joins Wolfsburg  • New diving queen Wu Minxia eyes perfection in Rio  • China launches free technical training project in poverty relief  • 5 killed, 1 injured as wall collapses in south China  • Indonesia, Philippines to hold high level meeting to discuss hostage release: minister  • 40 pct of Taiwan workers plan to leave island for work: survey  • Commentary: ICC ticket prices and lack of star power leave Australians cold  • IOC to make decision on Russian Olympic team admission with 24 hours  • Officials warned not to conceal disasters  
You are here: 　 Home

Ghana' s team departs for Rio Olympic Games

Xinhua, August 1, 2016 Adjust font size:

Ghana' s team for the 2016 Olympic Games departed Accra last night for the event which begins on August 5 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

The team was seen off at the Kotoka International Airport by officials of the state-run Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC), which sponsored their travel expenses.

During a send-off party for the team, the GNPC indicated that it would support the Ghana Olympic Committee (GOC) to identify and nurture talents to ensure that Ghana was adequately represented on the world stage.

The Chief Executive Officer of the GNPC, Alexander Kofi Mensah Mould, said his outfit was proud to play its part to ensure that Ghana participated in the Olympics, the world' s biggest spectacle.

He said although most people associated GNPC with football, the corporation was already expanding its scope across sports, and working with key stakeholders to identify where it could make the most impact through infrastructure, partnerships and initiatives.

The President of the GOC, Professor Francis Dodoo, said the current Ghana Olympics squad comprised mostly young athletes with an average age of 22 years.

"We believe exposure at the Rio Olympics will develop them further to make a bigger impact in 2020," he said.

Ghana' s team will comprise 16 first-time Olympians as it hopes to end a 24-year wait for medals at the Olympics.

More than 200 member associations of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) are expected to compete in the 2016 Rio Games while more than 10,000 athletes will compete in the first edition of the Games in South America. Endit