About 160 athletes drawn from the ten regions and the security agencies participated in this year's National Cross country Competition in Tamale with the Ghana Armed Forces and the Central Region emerging as winners of the men and women races.
The Central Region was adjudged the overall best team with 13 points while the Ghana Armed Forces were the runners up with 21 points with the Western Region placing third with 43 points.
The event organised by the National Sports Council (NSC), forms part of activities marking the 50th Independence Anniversary Celebration and also marks the resurrection of the event after the last event in Sekondi in 2001.
The Ghana Universities Association (GUNSA), Immigration Service, CEPS and the Prisons Service who were earlier mentioned as some of the participants failed to turn up for the competition.
The Tamale event was both interesting and also a sorry sight as residents of Tamale poured out in their numbers onto the streets to watch the competitors but regrettably most of the female athletes, some as young as 14 and below run the race with bare feet while others used bathroom sandals (sleepers).
The women’s eight-kilometer race was won by Lance Corporal Esinam Torgbaza of the Armed Forces from the Military Support Service Unit, Accra in a time of 30 minutes 26 seconds and Esther Afadzie from the Central Region following at the second position in a time of 30 minutes, 33 seconds while Lucy Baidoo from Western Region finished third in a time of 31 minutes, 34 seconds.
Laborun Daniel of the Ghana Armed Forces, Sixth Infantry Battalion (6BN), Tamale finished the men’s n12-kilometer race in a time of 38 minutes, 48 seconds with his colleague Yin Anthony coming second in a time of 39 minutes, four seconds while William Akuka from the Northern Region came third in a time of 40 minutes, 42 seconds.
The Greater Accra Region, Ghana Police Service and Northern Region performed poorly in the women's event and occupied the bottom three positions while the Upper East Region, Upper West and the Ghana National Fire Service men performed badly and also took the last three positions.
Prince Ernest Oduro-Mensah, Chief Executive Officer of the National Sports Council (NSC) who presented the awards to the winners, called for closer collaboration between stakeholders and the Council to ensure the sustenance of the competition.
He said athletics could help reduce poverty, promote unity and enhance national development with those who qualify to participate in international competitions would market the country for investment opportunities.
Prince Oduro-Mensah commended the athletes for the show of enthusiasm and sportsmanship and appealed to them to advised to encourage many youngsters to participate in future events.