History of Ghana Sports

The Gold Coast Amateur Sports Council was created by the enactment of Ordinance 14, 1952. By its creation, sporting activities were brought under one controlling body for the development and promotion of Amateur Sports. A Sri Lankan born British, Mr. Hercules Joseph Ranadurai became the first Sports Administrator.

During this time interest in amateur sports grew, but sports development was hampered by the lack of funds and trained Coaches. On playing fields, there were many open spaces earmarked for sports at that time, which were partially developed especially for football. Since Independence, however, despite the upsurge of physical development, these open spaces were gradually encroached upon and some of them have disappeared. Some of such open spaces were.

The Asylum Down Cricket Oval, the Cricket Oval itself (where the Accra Sports Stadium stands now), the old Polo grounds, and the Victoria Park in Cape Coast. During this period, the Sports Council succeeded in setting up an Olympic and Commonwealth Games Committee, which prepared and sent teams to the Helsinki Summer Olympics in 1952 and the Vancouver and Cardiff Commonwealth Games in 1954 and 1958 respectively.

Though no successes were chalked in these games, our sportsmen were brought into direct contact with world standards in athletics and Amateur Boxing. The experience gained did not only help raise their level of performance but also served to reveal the lack of technical know-how and the means for achieving improved standards in future.

On 1st July 1960, a Central Organization of Sports (COS) was established through a Presidential pronouncement, to replace Ordinance 14, 1952. Mr. Ohene Djan, then Secretary General of the Ghana Amateur Football Association was appointed as its first Director of Sports.

After the 1966 NLC Military Coup de’tat, Mr. Ohene Djan was removed and replaced by Mr. W.T. Marbel. His term covered the period 1966-1969. From 1969 to 1972, Mr. Francis Selormey was in charge operating under Decree 330. The Central Organization of Sports was renamed Sports Council of Ghana. Between 1972 and 1974 there were many changes, namely; Major General G.Y. Boakye – 1972-73 and ACP Imoru Lafia, 1973-74. In order to enable the Sports authorities operate efficiently, Decree NLC 330 was repealed and replaced by NRCD 254, with the new Sports boss Mr. R.T. Orleans-Pobee re-designated Executive Chairman and answerable directly to the Head of State on matters of Sports. The Sports Council of Ghana was re-designated National Sports Council (NSC).

In 1976 Decree NRCD 254 was repealed and in its place SMCD 54 1976 was enacted LI1088 section 42 to regulate the establishment of amateur and professional associations. By the tenets of SMCD 54, 1976, the terminology Executive Chairman was replaced by Chief Executive.

Between 1978 up to date, fourteen Ag. Chief Executives have served the Council, until the government finally decided to appoint a substantive Chief Executive to run the affairs of the Council. Mr. Prince Ernest Oduro-Mensah therefore became the first substantive Chief Executive of the National Sports Council.