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In a resolute bid to uphold the integrity of Paralympic sports and restore its tarnished reputation, the President of the National Paralympic Committee of Ghana (NPC-Ghana), Samson Deen, has pledged to work closely with national security agencies to track down a team that posed as para-athletes and disappeared in Oslo, Norway.
The group, described by Mr Deen as a "fake team", had travelled under the guise of participating in the Fjordkraft Bergen City Marathon.
Mr Deen has implicated Theodore Mawuli Viwotor and Ernest Yaw Ayisi of the Ernestay Foundation as the masterminds behind the scandal.
These officials allegedly submitted counterfeit documents to the Norwegian Embassy in Accra, securing visas for the 11-member team.
During an interview with Accra-based Joy FM last Saturday, the national paralympic chief distanced the NPC-Ghana from the scandal, stating unequivocally that the organisation did not authorise or support any team to represent Ghana in Norway.
He clarified that the individuals were imposters, with no ties to the national team or any endorsement from the Paralympic body.
He disclosed that the implicated officials confessed, during a phone conversation on July 17, to conspiring with a man named Adongo to forge his signature on falsified NPC-Ghana letterheads to obtain visas from the Norwegian Embassy in Accra.
"Upon our checks, we realised that the letter was forged. They forged my signature and applied for a visa for some people who are not athletes," Mr Deen stated.
The scandal came to light on July 3 when National Security Minister, Albert Kan-Dapaah, alerted the Foreign Affairs Minister and the Minister of Youth and Sports.
He reported that 11 supposed members of the Ghana Paralympic team had absconded to other Schengen states after arriving in Oslo on April 25. The Norwegian Embassy in Accra subsequently alerted other Schengen and Western diplomatic missions, as well as the European Border and Coast Guard Agency, to assist in apprehending and repatriating the absconded individuals.
It was revealed that the team’s coach, George Gyamfi Gyasi, collapsed on April 28 and was admitted to Oslo University Hospital, where he later died.
Expressing his indignation, Mr Deen denounced the scandal as a national disgrace. He revealed that NPC-Ghana had requested the Ghana Police Service to investigate the matter thoroughly.
He emphasised that he had never signed any letter to the Norwegian Embassy for visas related to this purported competition in Norway.
In a decisive move, Mr Deen announced the indefinite suspension of Messrs Viwotor and Ayisi from the Paralympic Movement and all para-sports activities, both in Ghana and abroad.
He condemned their actions, stating that their "illicit activities have not only brought disrepute to the Paralympic Movement in Ghana but also caused international embarrassment and jeopardised the chances of genuine athletes and officials participating in future events".
