Some coaches of the various National Federations have made a passionate appeal to the Minister of Youth and Sports, Isaac Asiamah to help revive the Security Services Sports Association (SESSA) Games.
According to them, the absence of the Games is having a negative impact in the promotion and development of sports especially hand-[ads1]based sports in the country.
Speaking in an interview with Awake Sports, Technical Director of the Handball Association of Ghana (HAG), Mr George Bankole said the inability to organize the Games in the last six years was gradually depleting the majority of the national teams of the requisite young talents needed to replace the veterans.
He said many of these disciplines, including handball, volleyball, netball and basketball had been drawing their key players from the security agencies but since the SESSA Games went dead, it has been difficult for the security agencies to even recruit sportsmen.
The games was supposed to have been in September 2015 after it was postponed in 2013 to 2015 but inadequate funding compelled the organisers to push it to the first quarter of 2016 which was also not honoured.
The 13th edition of the biennial Games was to be hosted by the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS) but the Service claims they do not have the financial capacity to hold the games.
Awake Sports’ sources at the GNFS disclosed that although plans were far advanced for the games, funding had been their major source of worry and will have no option than to hold on for now.
He added that the service has got a sole sponsor who would want to remain anonymous for now but would still have to sort for sponsorship from other corporate bodies.
The 13th edition of the games was launched at the GNFS headquarters in 2013 under the theme ‘Promoting espirit de corps among Ghana’s Security Services through sports.’
SESSA is made up of the Ghana Police Serve, Ghana National Fire Service, Ghana Prisons Service, Ghana Armed Forces, Ghana Immigration Service and the Ghana Revenue Authority.
The SESSA Games over the years have served as a breeding ground for talents search in the various disciplines at the national level.
It is on record that apart from football, personnel of the Security Services form the nucleus of the various national teams notably; volleyball, basketball, handball and hockey among others have contributed to the development of sports in the country.
