Minor sports in Ghana could be under threat from a focus on football, Ghana Olympic Committee President Ben Nunoo Mensah has warned ©Getty Images

Ghana Olympic Committee (GOC) President Ben Nunoo Mensah has urged the nation's Government to diversify its sports focus away from football, claiming smaller sports are at risk of dying out if strategy is not changed.

He claimed resources have been moved away from other sports over the years.

"This is a trend we must halt as a nation else financial challenges will kill the other disciplines," said Mensah, according to the Ghanaian Times.

"The national teams are properties of the state and the state must be seen to be showing concern about the state of these disciplines."

Mensah recently attended a ceremony at the Handball Association of Ghana who launched a new logo.

While there as a special guest of honour, Mensah warned the Government had to allocate a percentage of football funds to allow other National Federations to survive; calling out the Ministry of Youth and Sports and the National Sports Authority to take action.

Ghana's men's football team is one of the most consistent in Africa, qualifying for four of the last five FIFA World Cups ©Getty Images
Ghana's men's football team is one of the most consistent in Africa, qualifying for four of the last five FIFA World Cups ©Getty Images

"National teams are properties of the state but sadly they don't get the needed support from the state," added Mensah

"As a result it hinders their preparations for events and struggle to challenge other nations.

"What happened at the last Olympic Games should be a good example for us as a country. 

"I believe if we had prepared well enough, our story would not have been the one bronze we won. 

"It was not the best for us as a country.

"We must accept one reality that every Ghanaian child cannot be good in football. 

"The other disciplines will also offer similar routes in sports for the youth to also pay their dues to the state just like what a footballer does."

Mensah previously asked the Government to fund sport better to improve the medal results at the Paris 2024 Olympics, following the one bronze from Samuel Takyi in men's boxing.

Ghana had the smallest African delegation that made the medal table.

Samuel Takyi won Ghana's first Olympic medal in 29 years when he claimed bronze at Tokyo 2020 ©Getty Images
Samuel Takyi won Ghana's first Olympic medal in 29 years when he claimed bronze at Tokyo 2020 ©Getty Images

Ghana's last Olympic medal before then came at Barcelona 1992, ironically in football when the men's team had won the bronze by beating Australia 1-0 in the third place playoff.

The GOC President bemoaned poor training camp conditions and transport as part of this lack of development.

Ghana's men's football team qualified for the FIFA World Cup again this year in Qatar, but did not make it out the group stage.

Mensah also attended the Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the GOC and Commonwealth Games Ghana at the Ga Mashie Hall of the Trust Sport Emporium.

There, Mawuko Afadzinu, President of the Ghana Table Tennis Association was elected first vice-president with 38 votes to 19 against Mohammed Adjei Sowah, chairman of the Greater Accra Regional Swimming Association.

The GOC President added at the AGM that preparations for the 2023 African Games in the country were continuing, as well as the Paris 2024 Olympics.

He revealed that the International Olympic Committee would allocate Olympic Solidarity funds to National Federations for the next edition of the Games, hinting that the GOC could benefit from this, according to Modern Ghana.

Mensah also met with Ghana President Nana Afuko-Addo recently to introduce the new administration in the GOC; and while there he floated the idea of a biannual sports festival to encourage sports nationwide.