The Ghana Olympic Committee (GOC) has commended the Ghana Badminton Association (GBA) and the national badminton team for their exceptional performance at the Badminton Grand Slam 2026 tournament.
The five-day tournament, held at the Borteyman Sports Complex, ended last Sunday with Ghana winning one gold, one silver and two bronze medals to place second on the medal table among 38 participating countries.
A GOC press statement signed by Mr Richard Akpokavie, president of the committee, noted that the achievement was a testament to the immense talent in Ghana’s badminton.
The committee described the performance as a watershed moment for Ghana’s sporting sector, saying it represented the country’s strongest individual-event showing at an Olympic qualifier in 64 years.
“This is the best qualifying result in over six decades, and it signals our readiness for the international stage, including the upcoming Youth Olympic Games in Dakar and Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games,” the statement indicated.
“On behalf of the GOC, I congratulate our badminton team for this historic success. These young athletes have proven they can compete and win against the best in Africa and the world,” he said.
Mr Akpokavie assured the GBA of the GOC’s continued support and urged the athletes to remain focused as they prepare for the 2026 Youth Olympic Games in Dakar, Senegal.
The tournament would mark Ghana’s first appearance at the Youth Olympic Games in a decade.
The Badminton Grand Slam 2026 was organised as an official world-ranking event and Los Angeles 2028 Olympic qualifier, featuring intense national and regional competitive stages.
The GOC also noted that over the past year, Ghana’s badminton teams had won a combined 29 medals across six global tournaments hosted in Ghana, in addition to four medals at the African Youth Games in Angola.
BY TIMES SPORTS REPORTER
