The Ghana Swimming Association (GSA) released a statement on Thursday announcing that the country will no longer host the 2026 African Swimming Championships, which are set to run from May 5 to 10, due to internal disputes and various governance challenges.
Ghana was awarded the rights to host the 2026 event at the 2025 African Swimming Championships in Cairo, Egypt, last April. That decision was also approved by the African Aquatics Bureau, and later communicated to Ghana through the Honorable Minister for Sports and Recreation and the GSA in October. The association further sought the Ministry’s acceptance to proceed with formally hosting the Championships, but never received a response.
Internal governance issues have also played a role in Ghana’s withdrawal as host, as the statement cites challenges including “individuals wielding governmental authority and influence”. In October, the Association’s Elective Congress was disrupted illegally by national “security personnel employed by some of the aspirants using their link to government, even though no injunction had been granted by a court of competent jurisdiction.”
According to the statement, the National Sports Authority (NSA) had stepped in to support Ghana’s hosting efforts, then “Unilaterally communicated to World Aquatics a withdrawal of its recognition of the Association in Ghana, without due consideration of the adverse consequences of such action on the development and administration of swimming in the country”.
The decision to step down as host comes close to the start of the championships, with 43 countries already committed to compete and several already making travel plans.
“The Ghana Swimming Association remains committed to principles of integrity, fairness, and the protection of its constitutional processes. It is, however, unable to disenfranchise its regional representatives or compromise its electoral framework to accommodate individuals who are not yet members of the Association.” The statement reads. “These continued attempts by the National Sports Authority to alter these processes risk undermining both the governance of the sport and Ghana’s reputation in the international sporting community.”
Mohammed Muniru Kassim, the General Secretary of the GSA and the author of the statement, said this decision is a major setback for the nation and illustrates a “lack of commitment to its development, despite the Association’s sustained efforts to advance the sport, often with limited governmental support.”
The GSA stated that this decision is a “last resort after exhausting all reasonable efforts” to pull together the necessary resources and support to host the championships, closing their statement that they will be “working with all relevant stakeholders to restore confidence, resolve outstanding governance issues, and ensure a stronger foundation for the future development of swimming in Ghana.”
The governance issues have been caused by the erstwhile executives of GSA themselves who have failed to be accountable and transparent for a very long time. Ghana cannot continue to accept and allow things to go on which is unacceptable, and although they are making it sound as though it’s political, it’s never the case. How can a federation not provide audited accounts for the last 10 years and counting and expect their stakeholders to sit back and watch? Our athletes deserve better, and we will not relent to provide the right environment for them to thrive. I hope this prestigious magazine will also publish the real reasons why GSA’s recognition has been withdrawn by the National Sports Authority. This… Read more »
Tyranny is not a conspiracy theory; it is an effective control mechanism for the masses. It never bodes well for the individual athlete but it is the go-to for the anxious and fickle public. These lessons are eternally recurrent.
…remains committed to principles of integrity, fairness, and the protection of its constitutional processes…
…unable to disenfranchise its regional representatives or compromise its electoral framework to accommodate individuals who are not yet members…
…undermining both the governance of the sport and Ghana’s reputation