The Ambassador of the Arab Republic of Egypt to Ghana, H.E. Wael Fathy Ahmed, has praised the Ghana Armwrestling Federation for its contribution to the growth of the sport and called for stronger cooperation between Ghana and Egypt to promote armwrestling and broader sports development across Africa.
The Ambassador made the call when executives of the Ghana Armwrestling Federation met with him at the Egyptian High Commission to discuss opportunities for strengthening sports relations between the two countries.
The discussions focused on the development of armwrestling, its proposed inclusion in the 2027 African Games in Egypt, athlete and technical exchanges, sports business, tourism and youth development.
The meeting was attended by Board members Dr. Kofi Addo-Agyekum, Edwin Amankwah, Hon. Joseph Cudjoe, Kenneth Odeng Adade, Husseni Akueteh Addy, Robert Appiah Ameyaw and Benjamin Ohene Danso.
Ambassador Fathy commended Ghana’s achievements in armwrestling and described sport as an effective tool for deepening relations between Ghana and Egypt, particularly through youth development and people-to-people engagement.
“Ghana and Egypt have a long and historic relationship, and we should continue to look for new areas where our two countries can work together. Sport provides an excellent platform for bringing our people, especially our young people, closer together,” he said.
He further encouraged both countries to explore the economic and tourism opportunities associated with sports, stressing that cooperation should extend beyond sporting competitions.
“We should look beyond the competition itself and see the wider opportunities that sport can create. There is potential for cooperation in investment, business, tourism, training and youth development, and these are areas where Ghana and Egypt can work together,” Ambassador Fathy added.
A major issue discussed during the meeting was the inclusion of armwrestling in the 2027 African Games, which will be hosted in Egypt. The Ghanaian delegation highlighted the sport’s strong performance at the previous African Games in Ghana and its potential to contribute significantly to Egypt’s medal prospects as the host nation.
President of the Ghana Armwrestling Federation and Africa Armwrestling Federation, Charles Osei Asibey, said the meeting presented an opportunity to establish a strategic partnership between Ghana and Egypt for the advancement of armwrestling and sports development.
“We see Egypt not only as a sporting powerhouse but also as a strategic partner for the development of Africa Armwrestling. Our objective is to build a partnership that goes beyond the table to technical development, athlete exchanges, business, tourism and sports diplomacy. We believe Ghana and Egypt can pull Africa together to create a stronger future for Armwrestling and African sport,” Osei Asibey said.
He explained that the proposed partnership could involve technical and athlete exchanges, coaching programmes, training camps and competitions aimed at sharing expertise and improving the capacity of athletes, coaches, referees and administrators.
“When Armwrestling succeeds, it creates opportunities for athletes, coaches, businesses, tourism operators and young people. We want Ghana and Egypt to work together to make Cairo 2027 a success and to ensure that Armwrestling becomes a permanent and valuable part of the African Games movement,” he added.
The two sides also explored ways to connect Ghanaian and Egyptian businesses through sports, including sponsorship, sports marketing, event management and investment.
They further discussed using major armwrestling competitions and training camps to promote sports tourism, hospitality and cultural exchange.
The Ghana Armwrestling Federation believes the engagement will lay the foundation for long-term Ghana-Egypt cooperation in armwrestling, sports business, tourism and sports diplomacy, while contributing to the continued growth of the sport across Africa.
By: Prince Martey-Sogar