The vice president of the Republic of Ghana, His Excellency Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia has lamented over how the deadly disease, COVID-19 has ravished sports in Ghana for almost two years.
COVID-19 caused the truncation of 2019/20 season due to the rapid spread of the virus.
Speaking at the 46th SWAG Awards event, Dr. Bawumia boldly divulged “…I could go on and on, in the last two decades the global sports market has created jobs for the youths and many opportunities through its evolution. He said.
“Sports just like all industries has been badly ravished by the devastating effects of COVID-19 for the two years around the world and in Ghana.
“During the peak of the pandemic, leagues and sports competitions around the world were suspended and when these competition resumed, the returned to empty stadia in line with COVID-19 protocols to save guidelines.
“Thanks to power of television and other digital technologies. A number of leagues and competitions that were temporarily suspended returned. A million of people around the world were reached and their favorite sports even as the world strived to find a solution to the pandemic. Thanks to the power of sponsorship for merchandising and digital technology, a number of European football clubs helped themselves uploat and to considerable extent survived the diblitating impart of the pandemic.
“Even though, this clubs and sports federations lost revenues due to the economic impart of the pandemic, their cooperation was not affected and most of them did not require stimulus packages to survive. The situation was however completely different in Africa and here in Ghana in particular. Our Sports federations and clubs were limited in maximizing opportunities in television, sponsorship packages and E-COMMERCE even as they play in empty stadium.
“Our competitions just as in Europe were suspended during the peak of the pandemic and returned later without fans.
“The difference was that while European sports federations and clubs had the luxury of leveraging on lucrative television deals.
“Sponsorship packages and E-COMMERCE, our federation and clubs were limited in leveraging this opportunity which have become indispensable in sports development in this era. The effect of which to our sports were that not many fans were able to enjoy their favorite Sports. Again, the clubs and federations were also stabbed of much needed revenue leading the external bodies and the government for financial support which the government responded positively by supporting Premier, and Division One football clubs as well as female footballer’s and other athletes through the YEA’s youths in sports. Ladies and gentlemen, the negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on sports in Ghana should be an opportunity for all stakeholders to reflect and have a certain look at what we have been doing in Ghana sports that has not gone well to make difference. Why have we not leveraged on media right, sustainable sponsorship and digitization to reposition sports at as a striving industry in Ghana. His Excellency Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia.
Source: ghanasportspage.com
