Former Black Stars striker Asamoah Gyan has highlighted the abundance of untapped talent in Ghanaian sports following the success of the recently concluded 2023 African Games hosted by Ghana.
Gyan emphasised that the African Games showcased Ghana’s wealth of talent across various sporting disciplines, urging authorities to broaden their focus beyond football and boxing.
“In the past it was football and boxing…We produced a lot of champions in boxing. Now we had a high jump guy who also won gold [in the African Games]. We have a lot of potential weightlifting and all of that. This African Games raised awareness that Ghana is blessed with talents. But this is the time we have to showcase them more,” he told 3FM.
The African Games, hosted by Ghana for the first time, saw the nation secure its largest medal haul in history, with a remarkable total of 69 medals, including 19 golds, 29 silvers, and 21 bronzes.
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Gyan highlighted the surprising success of disciplines such as Armwrestling, which emerged as Ghana’s top-performing sport at the Games.
“No disrespect to them [Armrestling]. It raised eyebrows because nobody expected that but with all due respect to the association they ended up winning more gold for Ghana which motivated a lot of disciplines which also started getting gold for Ghana,” he added.
Gyan, who retired from football after a successful career, has been actively involved in promoting sports beyond football. His initiative, the All Regional Games, aims to unearth talents from diverse backgrounds and regions across the country.
Asamoah Gyan says it's the Mohammed Kudus era.@_owurakuampofo looks at the contribution of the West Ham player for the Black Stars so far.#3Sports pic.twitter.com/wrFiNMkIyh
— #3Sports (@3SportsGh) April 4, 2024
“The All Regional Games aim to discover talents regardless of popularity or background,” Gyan explained. “We want to create opportunities for everyone to showcase their skills, whether they are in the city or on the farm.”
Gyan hung up his boots in June 2023 ending his envious career as Ghana’s all-time leading scorer with 51 goals in 109 appearances. He is also Africa’s top scorer at the World Cup with six goals.