Team Ghana concluded their campaign at the second edition of the ANOCA Zone III Games in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, on Saturday, winning a total of 10 medals.

The team, made up of 44 athletes, competed in four disciplines — taekwondo, karate-do, men’s volleyball, and handball (men and women).

In taekwondo, Ghana bagged three bronze medals in the -58kg, -68kg, and +80kg categories. The karate-do contingent also won four medals — two silver (Kata Seniors and Kumite 67kg) and two bronze (Kumite 75kg and Kumite 60kg).

The spotlight, however, was on the men’s volleyball team, who won gold after a thrilling campaign that saw them defeat Niger (3–1 sets), Burkina Faso (3–0), Togo (3–0), and Benin (3–1) to emerge Zone III champions.

Both the men’s and women’s handball teams fought their way to the finals but narrowly missed out on gold, settling for silver medals after defeats to Benin (men) and Burkina Faso (women).

The women’s team kicked off their campaign with a tough 29–25 loss to host nation Burkina Faso. They bounced back with a dominant 35–32 victory over Benin to secure a spot in the finals. Unfortunately, in their rematch against Burkina Faso, they fell short once again to settle for silver.

The men’s team faced a similar journey. After a heart-wrenching 34–35 defeat to Niger in their opening game, they secured a narrow 25–24 victory over Burkina Faso, won 37–30 against Togo, and drew 26–26 with Benin. Despite a valiant effort in the finals, the men were defeated by Benin 30–27 to also settle for silver.

A colourful medal presentation ceremony was held to honour all medal-winning athletes, with the volleyball team receiving a mini trophy for their outstanding performance.

Following the ceremony, the Chef de Mission of Team Ghana, Nii Lante Bannerman, team manager Nana Adu Mankatta, and other officials joined Abdulai Haruna Alhassan, acting Head of Mission at the Ghana Embassy in Ouagadougou, to congratulate the athletes on their impressive showing.

“Coming here alone to compete makes you winners. I am glad that you are going home with medals. This tournament has given you exposure, and our doors are always open to receive you whenever you come to Burkina Faso. Thank you for respecting the rules of the game, the organisers, and the host country,” said Abdulai Haruna Alhassan.