GOC demands GHȻ1m debt from ministry

The Ghana Olympic Committee (GOC) is demanding for the immediate reimbursement of more than GHȻ1m owed them by the Ministry of Youth and Sports.

Dating back to more than a decade, the debt was a loan from the GOC to the ministry but has remained unpaid despite persistent reminders from the current GOC leadership.

In an interview with Graphic Sports, GOC President, Ben Nunoo Mensah, voiced his frustrations, revealing that efforts to secure repayment from the ministry had been futile. 

"Sometimes, I feel like giving up on the chase for the repayment of the loan because of the futile attempt at persuading the ministry to repay them," Nunoo Mensah expressed.

The GHȻ1 million debt is not the only outstanding amount owed to the GOC by the ministry. Nunoo Mensah disclosed that the GOC had also covered various expenses on behalf of the ministry, including trips and other costs for athletes. Despite these expenditures, reimbursement from the ministry has not materialised.

"They (Ministry of Youth and Sports) owe us plenty," Nunoo Mensah stated. "There is even a GHȻ1 million we lent to them to buy timers for the athletes, which is about 10 years old, they haven't paid," he said. 

He further highlighted instances where the GOC had to cover expenses, such as the Bombers' trip to Italy, which the ministry requested the GOC to pay on their behalf.

Nunoo Mensah emphasised that while the GOC shares an interest in supporting national teams, it is ultimately the responsibility of the ministry to fund such activities. He challenged the ministry to fulfil its obligations by allocating funds to other federations besides the Black Stars.

He admitted that the GOC was overburdened with demands from the federations when actually it was the ministry that was supposed to fund their activities and challenged the ministry to up their game by allocating funds to the other federations apart from the Black Stars.

"It is putting too much burden on the GOC because the money that comes to us is $45,000 for our administrative purposes," Nunoo Mensah explained. "If we take money that has been allocated to a particular programme, then we are putting ourselves into trouble," he disclosed.

Despite the challenges, Nunoo Mensah expressed a willingness to collaborate with the government in funding athlete activities. However, he noted that the GOC could not shoulder all the responsibilities when it is the duty of the ministry to seek financial support for athletes.