The Eagles Sports Foundation, which is hoping to discover and develop young athletes in Ghana, was set-up by Sackey in December.

 

 

She officially unveiled the scheme in the Ghanian capital before an audience that included the country's Minister of Youth and Sports, Rashid Pelpuo.

 

The Foundation plans to raise funds in both Britain and Ghana to establish an athletic club like the football clubs, to help train school children to become successful.

 

Sackey said: “There are a lot of athletes who want to represent Ghana one day at such world events but there aren't any concrete structures in place for Ghana to scout for such athletes.”

 

The Foundation has already identified a number of projects that need to be carried out to help set the solid base for its athletes.

 

This includes the development of Eagle Sport Foundation track and field training ground; provision of track and field equipment, coach education programme, training camps for athletes and several others.
 

Sackey, a 24-year-old personal trainer and part-time model, a graduate of Sports and Exercise Science from Roehampton University, has been inspired by the system that has proved so successful in Britain.

 

Ghana made its debut in the Olympics at Helsinki in 1952, when it was known by its colonial name of Gold Coast.

Since then it has competed in most Games, although it missed Melbourne 1956 and boycotted the 1976 Montreal and 1980 Moscow Olympics.

Ghanaian athletes have won a total of four Olympics medals, three in boxing, and a bronze medal in football at Barcelona 1992.

But it is still searching for its first gold medal.

The country sent nine athletes to the Beijing Olympics, six boxers and three athletes.

 

Its participation at London 2012 is currently under threat because the International Olympic Committee are unhappy with what they claim is Government interference in how sport is run in Ghana.

Sackey, who has lived in Britain since she was 15, claimed that she only entered the beauty contest, which she won last September, so she could raise awareness of her new Foundation.
 

She is being helped by British-born Ghanaian athlete, Jeanette Kwakye, who finished sixth in the 100 metres at the Olympics in Beijing last year.