The University Sports Team has presented trophies and medals the team won at the West Africa Universities Games (WAUG) and Ghana Universities Sports Association (GUSA) Cross Country Competition to the Vice-Chancellor,
Prof. Joseph Ghartey Ampiah.
Speaking at the presentation ceremony, the Chairman of the Sports and Recreation Committee, Dr. Charles Domfeh, explained that, UCC team placed third out of the 40 universities that participated in the WAUG competition held at the University of Port Harcourt in the Federal Republic of Nigeria with only 12 athletes. He said the University could not present more athletes for the competition due to financial constraints. “Out of the 12 athletes we presented, only 10 actively participated in the events because one sustained injury and the other had tummy upset” he noted.
UCC is Local and International Champion
Dr. Domfeh said UCC participated in the competition to prove that the University was not only champions in national competitions however, could also win laurels at the international level. “Our counterparts have been mocking our students that they are only local champions and cannot even compete at the international level so we wanted to prove them wrong and our performance has confirmed this,” he noted. He said among the Ghanaian universities that took part in the games, UCC emerged as the best university in Ghana with the lowest number of sports men and women. He said the overall best athlete for the 3,000 meters race and the overall best table tennis player were from UCC.
UCC Wins GUSA Games
The Chairman of the Sports and Recreation Committee reported that UCC Men team won the men race whiles the Women team placed second in the GUSA Cross Country Competition held at the University of Professional Studies, Accra in October 2018.
Dr. Domfeh appealed to the Vice-Chancellor to help upgrade the Sports Section to a Directorate in order to effectively promote Sports in the University. “We are projecting the name of UCC very high through the Section and I believe upgrading the office to a Directorate will improve the University’s visibility. Almost all the public universities have a Sports Directorate and it’s worrying that a prestigious university like UCC is still managing sports with just a Section” he noted.
Management will Support and Promote Sports
Responding, the Vice-Chancellor congratulated the team for making the University proud once again. “Even with 12 athletes you have demonstrated that UCC is champion both at the national and international stages” he noted. He assured the team that Management would continue to support Sports in the University.
Prof. Ampiah noted that with their academic work and skills in sports, they had a bright future if they stayed focus. “Sports is not waste of time, but part of life” he remarked. He indicated that “those who do sports shape their minds….so that others begin to see them as role models”.
Tuesdays Dedicated to Sports
The Vice-Chancellor said with the construction of additional lecture theatres, the University would enforce that every Tuesday afternoon was dedicated to sports. “We will insist that as from next semester all lecturers comply with this directive so that students can participate in Sports and other extra-curriculum activities to build their talents and skills,” he stated.
Presentationn of Commemorative Medals
Dr. Domfeh and the Ag. Head of the Sports Section, Mr. Timothy Mensah, decorated the Vice-Chancellor and Registrar with the commemorative medals that were presented to the UCC team.
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