Ghana’s Amateur Boxers Fail to Qualify for 2024 Olympic Games
Ghana’s 12 amateur boxers were unable to secure qualification for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris as they faced defeat in the qualifiers held in Senegal. The Ghanaian team had high hopes of earning slots in the Olympics, with six boxers each from the Black Bombers and the Black Hitters, including two foreign-based competitors, Seth Gyimah (Freezy MacBones) and Ornella Sathoud.
However, the Ghanaian boxers suffered defeats across all their bouts, with Freezy MacBones losing to his Senegalese counterpart Seydou Konate. Subsequently, all their teammates faced losses against their respective opponents. Theophilus Kpakpo Allotey was the 12th fighter to be defeated, losing to Tunisia’s Ala Zidi Eddine in the Flyweight division (51kg).
The Black Bombers’ coach, Ofori Asare, noted that most of the boxers were newcomers to international competitions, except for Ornella Sathoud. However, Sathoud’s performance was affected as she fell ill during the event. Coach Asare expressed optimism about the future, stating that the experience gained in Dakar would benefit the team in future qualification series.
Ghana’s only medal in the last Olympic Games held in Tokyo in 2020 came in boxing when Samuel Takyi secured a bronze medal in the Men’s Featherweight category. The Ghanaian boxing team will have another opportunity to compete in further qualification matches later in November.
