Sports
Ghana’s 4x100m relay squad aims for Olympic qualifying against strong competition
Team Ghana’s 4×100 relay performance of 38.43 seconds in the 2023 African Games qualifies them for the Olympic Games this year. However, there are several technicalities and a long way to go.
That time, however, puts Ghana in 15th place in the world relay rankings, a very excellent position.
All of this may be null and invalid by the time the Olympics arrive, given this is merely the beginning of the Athletics outdoor season.
Ghana and Nigeria, along with the other African countries who competed in the event, are among the few nations in the world to have participated in a competitive relay race.
This implies that, as the outdoor season advances, the ranking may alter.
Other countries may come in with superior times and leapfrog Ghana to qualify.
Ghana’s relay time falls within a range that several other countries have run or might run before the qualification window closes later this year.
However, the Penn Relays later this month provide Ghana with the potential to improve on their performance in the African Games and remain in respectable positions on the rankings.
The Ghana Athletics Association has already won a berth at the Penn Relays, which begin on April 25.
Ghana will have to stay in the 38-second region since it will be extremely tough considering that there will be many other countries vying for a chance to have a strong position in the rankings.
Many other relay teams will be participating in their first outdoor event of the year. Joseph Paul Amoah, Benjamin Azamati, Edwin Gadayi, and Solomon Hammond’s experience at the African Games might benefit the team.
On May 4, however, the World Relay Championships will take place in the Bahamas. This tournament will be the primary qualification for the Olympic Games. The eight teams that make it to the final will qualify to run in Paris, regardless of their timings.
To ensure a spot in the Games, Ghana must first qualify for the final in the Bahamas. The Bahamas will be a sure bet to qualify. If Team Ghana does not go to the global Relays final, it will be decided based on global rankings and timings accumulated throughout the outdoor season. The top timings will then join the core eight who have qualified for the global relays in the Bahamas.
Ghana may have a terrific race time and is now ranked in the top 15 in the world, but this is not cause for jubilation. There is still a lot of work to be done before we can book a flight to Paris.
Sports
Black Stars fitness coach Ricky Roy reportedly dead
Romeo Ricky Roy, the fitness coach for Ghana’s senior national team, has died.
According to Ghana Football Association president Kurt Edwin Simeon Okraku’s Facebook post, he died in Accra on Sunday, April 28, 2024.
Roy joined the Black Stars’ backroom staff in 2021, during Milovan Rajevac’s second spell as coach.
He remained with the national squad for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar and the current Africa Cup of Nations in Ivory Coast.
Roy rose to prominence as a member of the coaching staff for Division One League club Vision FC in February 2020, before joining the national squad.
Sports
Veteran Sports Commentator Joe Lartey dies at 96
The Sports Writers Association of Ghana (SWAG) has reported the death of Joe Lartey, a veteran Ghanaian football pundit and sports writer.
He passed away on Friday, April 26, 2024, at the age of 96.
Joe Lartey was born on June 6, 1927, in Accra and attended Accra Academy. Lartey, often known as “Over to You,” was a well-known broadcaster and SWAG’s founding president.
Lartey began his media career as a football commentator with the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC) in 1961.
He grew to be a popular figure in Ghana’s sports community.
He subsequently spent a decade at Radio Nigeria before returning to GBC in 1990. During his stint, he presented shows including Sports Digest on GTV.
In appreciation of his achievements in sports journalism, Lartey received the coveted “A Life in Sport” award from the International Sports Press Association (AIPS) during the AIPS Sport Media Awards ceremony in Doha, Qatar, in June 2022.
Lartey’s impact stretched well beyond Ghana, with numerous Ghanaian football analysts praising him for moulding their careers.
Fans and colleagues alike will remember him warmly for his pioneering work in sports broadcasting.
Sports
Xavi to stay as Barcelona’s coach until at least June 2025
Barcelona coach Xavi will stay with the club until at least the end of his contract in June 2025, having changed his mind about this being his final season.
The 44-year-old stated in January that he will stand down as manager this summer.
However, with president Joan Laporta desperate for him to stay, the former Barcelona and Spain midfielder has made a U-turn.
Xavi took over as manager of Barcelona in November 2021, after leaving Qatari club Al Sadd, and led the team to the Spanish title in his first full season in charge in 2022–23.
However, they are 11 points behind La Liga leaders Real Madrid with six games remaining in the current season.
Barcelona were eliminated from the Champions League last week after losing to PSG in the quarterfinals.
Xavi, who won 25 honours during his brilliant playing career at Barcelona, said he felt “liberated” with the revelation that he would leave the position at the conclusion of the season.
When he announced his departure following the defeat to Villarreal, he felt he was not being safeguarded by the club and there was no clear direction.
However, the team’s fortunes have improved since Xavi felt comfortable taking a more casual attitude.
They went ten games undefeated in the league before falling 3-2 to Real Madrid on Sunday.
On Wednesday, there was a meeting at Laporta’s residence, and the club’s desire for him to stay was clear.
If Xavi is unable to strengthen the squad before the conclusion of the 2024-25 season, Barcelona will attempt to persuade one of the high-profile managers out of contract, including Pep Guardiola, Luis Enrique, and Mikel Arteta.
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