Previously, the Ghana Olympic Committee (GOC) had only been given scholarships for athletics through the Olympic Solidarity programme but this has been extended to include badminton, boxing, judo and taekwondo. 

Taekwondo's Terrence Tetteh Asare and David Koney Adjetey and Mathide Boateng, Robert Martey, Timothy Abeyie and Flings Joyner Owusu-Agyapong from athletics will all receive financial help in the build-up to next year's Olympics.  

They will be joined by badminton player Daniel Sam, boxers Sulemanu Tetteh, Abdul Wahid Omar, Jesse Lartey and judokas Sandra Szogedi and Razak Mumuni Abugri,

Each scholarship is worth $200,000 (£133,000/€188,000).

The scholarships will aid the athletes with funding for Olympic qualification events and will give them access to high-standard training facilities as the GOC aim to continue the rapid development of sport across the African nation by improving performance on the Olympic stage.

Ghana's Chef de Mission for the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio Chris Essilfie feels the scholarships will help his nation's chances of securing their first-ever Olympic medal next year ©GOC/Facebook



"Today we are able to say that we are going to grant scholarships to athletes from five different disciplines so 12 people from five sports disciplines are benefiting today," GOC President Francis Dodoo said at a meeting held in Accra.

"We are glad about this as it will aid the athletes ahead of the commencement of the Games in Rio.

"The Ghana Olympic Committee has a duty to help the country, Government in the development for its athletes towards major competitions like the Olympics and Commonwealth Games.

"We try to diversify the scholarships and extend opportunities in different areas so here is an opportunity to help our athletes who are also based in Ghana to develop."

The scholarships run from January 1 this year until August 2016, although this is dependent on the athlete complying with the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) code as well as the GOC regulations on discipline.

"We are also expecting to harness the expected collaboration between the Ghana Olympic Committee and the Ministry of Sports especially as Ghana expects to win more medals at the Olympic Games and these scholarships puts is in an even better position," Ghana's Chef de Mission for the Rio 2016 Olympics Chris Essilfier added.

Ghana's last Olympic medal came at Barcelona 1992 when the football team won a bronze ©Getty Images

Ghana have won four Olympic medals since making their debut at Helsinki in 1952, a silver and three bronze.

The first was won by boxer Clement Quartey, a silver in the men's light welterweight at Rome 1960.

But they have failed to win a medal since Barcelona 1992 when their men's football team claimed a bronze medal.

At London 2012 Ghana sent nine competitors in four sports.

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