2023 African Games medal winners cry over unpaid bonuses
By Joseph AGBOBLI, Accra
Medal winners from the 2023 African Games have voiced their frustration towards the Ministry of Youth and Sports over unpaid bonuses from the continental competition.
Winifred Ntumi, who secured one gold and two silvers in the weightlifting discipline has taken to the public to express her disappointment at not receiving the promised rewards for her achievements.
She stated that despite her efforts to communicate with the government regarding her bonuses, there has been no progress in receiving them since the conclusion of the competition.
“I’ve not received the money yet. [All the disciplines] have not heard from them up till now. Sometimes, when I call, they don’t even pick up,” she said on Happy FM.
“It is with the Minister (Mustapha Ussif) and we’ve not heard from him.”
The 21-year-old further emphasized that the situation was markedly different when she achieved success at the previous edition of the African Games.
“It is very heartbreaking because this is the first time I’ve experienced this. In Rabat (Morocco), I got the money immediately after I finished the competition. This is my home country,” she continued.
“I competed on the 10th of March, and today is 18th of April. We don’t even need reasons, but let’s hear from you.”
Prior to the commencement of the competition, the ministry had announced that athletes who secured medals would receive cash bonuses.
Gold medalists were promised $3,000, $2,000 for winning a silver medal, while bronze medalists were set to receive a cash prize of $1,000.
By the conclusion of the games, Ghana had amassed an impressive 69 medals overall, marking the country’s highest medal haul in the 59-year history of the competition.
The breakdown of the medals revealed that Ghana had secured 19 Gold, 29 Silver, and 21 Bronze medals across 10 sporting disciplines.
Notably, Armwrestling contributed the most medals, accounting for 41 of the country’s total haul, which amounts to 60% of the overall medals won.
