International Olympic Day: New Olympic sports in Ghana in preparation for Paris 2024

Surfing & Skateboarding

Sandy Alibo, the founder of Surf Ghana, has worked in France as a sport strategist for a telecommunication company for several years and has developed extreme sports events, managed athletes and created digital sport strategies.

1/ Can you briefly present your association ?

Surf Ghana is a collective of surfers and skateboarders with 30 volunteers. The association aims to support and contribute to facilitate access to board-sports for all Ghanaians. Our main goal is to use extreme sports as a drive to educate, to encourage social inclusion and to empower the youth. To that end, we have successfully collected more than 500 used sport equipment in France, Europe and the U.S in 3 years and we have been able to provide more than 2,000 surfing and skateboarding lessons in different sites in Ghana.
We also aim at promoting eco-citizen actions in Ghana like collaborative art workshop and festivals, photo exhibitions, environment programs like beach cleaning and upcycling skate equipment. For instance, during the international surfing day, we invited 30 students from Takoradi university to discover the village of Busua, to surf and to clean the beach.

2/ How can you explain the mainstream trends around surf and skateboard? Do you think that the Olympic Games will help these sports to be more popular?

Skateboarding and surfing are about freedom and self-expression. No matter the level they’re on, once the youth learn some tricks, they develop their own style. There is also a fascination about the adrenaline and sense of danger of these sports.
Olympic Games will be a great opportunity to highlight the practice of those disciplines. Like every country around the world, the African continent will have the opportunity to get exposure and new representatives for their nation. For surfing and skateboarding it’s probably too soon for Ghana but there is no doubt that these sports will be developed in years to come. For now, surfing and skateboarding are only managed by NGOs and surfing schools. Olympic sports will first help our association to develop its activities but also to create a dedicated federation to supervise these sports.
The more those sports are visible and popular, the more the government will be encouraged to develop sport facilities. This combination will definitely create a new generation of athletes.

3/ How can surfing and skateboarding be developed and how can a federation emerge?

Surf Ghana is yet to engage with Ghanaian institutions like Ministry of Youth & Sports, Ministry of Tourism and Ghana Olympic Committee to contribute to the development of those sports.
We have also initiated links with Ghana Tourism Authority to introduce the skateboarding and surfing market and we would like to work with Ghanaian architects to showcase the talent of locals and develop new tourism experiences. However, we are not the only association aiming at developing surfing and skateboarding in Ghana. but these new trends will lead to the creation of new sports federations.

4/ You are from France a country where both skateboarding and surfing are practiced. How can France support the development of those sports?

France, my second home, counts several great skateboarders like Aurelien Giraud who just won the first Olympic skateboarding qualification. Some famous French athletes are already supporting our cause: Samuel Patraix, Matthias Dandois, Anne Flore Marxrer, Yannick Granieri and Benjamin Garcia. We hope to have those very talented athletes in Accra to share their experiences with Ghanaian skateboarders. French people are also known as expert skate park builders. We could imagine multiple collaborations to develop skill set and employment in Ghana. France has also created a sport solidarity program for Paris 2024 Olympics Game and our initiative in Ghana was mentioned: we were selected to represent the “best initiatives” for the launch with Anne Hidalgo, Mayor of Paris.

3*3 Basketball

Isaac Robert Kwapong a Schools Sports consultant, a Character and Lifeskills Coach and the founder and director of IMYouth Foundation is presenting Basketball 3*3.

1/ Can you briefly present your association?

Impact Youth Foundation (IMYouth) evolved from Dynasty Basketball Association which was focused on using basketball as a tool to attract and nurture the basketball skills and character of the youth in Ghana. Impact Youth Foundation (IMYouth) is a registered non-profit organization focused on bringing out the transformational leadership character and skills hidden in young people especially those living in disadvantaged communities in Ghana, through sports.
IMYouth runs various sports and educational programs in the urban and rural parts of Ghana. Among them is the 3x3 Ghana program. We have successfully organized 13 FIBA Endorsed 3x3 events since 2012 and we are the leading 3x3 promoter in Ghana.

2/ Can you describe 3*3 Basketball in Ghana and the potential influence of the Olympic Games for this sport.

3x3 is known to be the number 1 urban team sport because it can easily be played anywhere with a hoop and a ball. 3x3 is a common game in Ghana (more than 3000 people are practicing regularly) and currently it is steadily rising in popularity and participation in cities and towns across Ghana, especially within Accra, and Kumasi. Over the past two years a Ghanaian national Under 18 and Senior team Program has been started by the Ghana Basketball Association (GBBA). This has helped Ghana’s ranking status to improve which will further increase Ghana’s chances of competing in 3*3 Africa Cup and international championships such as the Olympic Games.
The introduction of 3x3 in the Olympic Games starting 2020 is a great opportunity for Ghana to establish itself in the world of basketball. This will also increase the interest and participation in 3x3 across the country. With more 3x3 tournaments to be held in the coming years and the GBBA 3x3 national team program Ghana will rise in ranking on the 3x3 World standings.

3/ What could be done to develop the practice of Basket Ball 3x3 in Ghana?

3x3 Basketball is a sport which resonates with the youth hence investments has to be targeted to develop 3x3 in urban and rural communities, at different levels:
 Grassroot 3x3 which will consist of 3x3 camps, “clinics », workshops, and community tournaments together with the building of 3x3 basketball courts.
 Schools & Colleges 3x3 championships.
 3x3 Tours & Leagues that will involve U18 & Seniors both Male and Female divisions.
The tours and Grassroot programs will be done in partnership with corporate institutions and organizations who can support with funding and help leverage the impact.

4/ How do you think 3*3 Basketball can be structured ?

One of the goals of our organization with regards to 3x3 is to become a hub to build and promote the game of 3x3 across the country and West Africa for people who play and support the game. That is why we call our 3x3 program 3x3 Ghana aiming to partner with the Ghana Basketball Association, Ministry of Youth and Sports, and the Olympic Committee to build and promote the game nationwide. 3x3 Basketball is a chance for the GBBA to explore new opportunity of development for basketball in Ghana. We see the new Under 18 and Senior team Program that have been started by the Ghana Basketball Association as very promising sign for the strengthening of 3x3 Basketball practice in Ghana.