Ghana ‘Paralympic Team’ flee in Norway for Greener Pastures

In a shocking turns of event, the Paralympic team representing Ghana in Norway for a marathon competition has been reported to have absconded.

A letter from National Security Minister Albert Kan-Dapaah detailed how nine members of Ghana’s paralympic team are on the run following accusations of impersonation.

According to the letter, which was copied to the Youth and Sports Minister and the Foreign Minister, the supposed ‘team’ had obtained visas from the Norwegian Embassy in Accra to participate in the Fjordkraft Bergen City Marathon in Oslo on 27 April 2024.

The letter also disclosed that the supposed team of athletes reached Oslo on 25th April 2024 for the said marathon.

However, management of the team discovered that the 11 members who were supposed to represent Ghana in the marathon failed to register for the competition, which was to be started 2 days after their arrival.

following this information, Nana Antwi, a member of the supposed team, was arrested a day after their arrival for attempting to depart Norway for Sweden on a one-way train ticket.

The coach of this ‘team’, George Gyamfi Gyasi, met his untimely death shortly after being admitted to the Oslo University Hospital (ULEVAL) following his collapse on 28 April 2024.

The other nine are currently on the run.

Due to this illegal move, all foreign diplomatic missions in Accra and the European Border Coast Guard Agency have been prompted by the Norwegian Embassy in Accra to apprehend the said team members were ever they find them.

The National Security Minister, Albert Kan-Dapaah, has also drew attention to the fact that the incident has the potential to affect the chances of Ghanaian national teams who require visas to travel for future competitions.

In an interview on the Joy Sports Link on Joy FM, Mr Samson Deen, who is in charge of Ghana’s Paralympic Committee, stated that he never signed a letter seeking visa assistance from the Norwegian Embassy.

“I have to put it on record that the Ghana Paralympic Committee has not sent anybody or sent a letter to apply for a visa,” Mr Deen told the host of the Joy Sports Link, Nathaniel Attoh.

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According to Mr Deen, who is also President of the African Paralympic Committee (APC), the persons involved forged his signature after they were initially denied visas for the Fjordkraft Bergen City Marathon event.

“Upon our checks of receiving this letter from the Ministry of Sports, we checked and realised that the letter was forged. Upon reaching out to them [Theodore Mawuli Viwotor, former Secretary general of the Ghana Paralympic Football Association, and Ernest Ayisi, founder of Ernestay Foundation] and asking how they got my signature, they indicated that one Adongo, who is nowhere to be found in Ghana now and based in Europe, is the one who forged my letter and all the signatures.”

“They forged my signature on the letter and applied for visas for some people who have no affiliation with the Ghana Paralympic Team.

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“For this matter, the two remaining individuals have been suspended from anything that has to do with Paralympic Sports in the country.”

The president of the Association further revealed to Joy Sports that he has reported the matter to the Ghana Police Service for further investigations.

“We have written to the Ghana Police Service for further investigation into this matter. The Ghana Paralympic Committee has no association with this particular issue,” he stated.

Meanwhile, the National Paralympic Committee of Ghana has indefinitely suspended Mr Theodore Mawuli Viwotor, Mr Yaw Ayisi, and the Ernestay Foundation for their involvement in the scandal.

A letter to the three indicates that the punishment has been handed to them as a result of their alleged roles in the falsification of NPC letterheads, and forging the NPC Ghana President’s signature and stamp.

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