BY ISSAH OLEGOR
Ghana will send a 13-member team of young athletes to Senegal for the 2026 Youth Olympic Games, as the country prepares to compete in an edition that will make African sporting history.
The Ghana Olympic Committee (GOC) has confirmed the contingent for the Dakar 2026 Games, scheduled for October 31 to November 13, with Ghanaian athletes set to compete across eight disciplines.
The selected athletes, aged between 13 and 17, qualified through their respective International Federations and will represent Ghana in athletics, badminton, beach volleyball, boxing, judo, swimming, table tennis and taekwondo.
In athletics, Mary Coffie will compete in the women’s 400m hurdles, while Stephen Oduro Jnr will represent Ghana in the men’s 400m hurdles.
adminton will see Andy Amofa compete in the men’s singles, while Ghana’s beach volleyball pairing will comprise Justice Adusei Amoafo and Daniel Lartey.
In boxing, Robert Amartey Tagoe will compete in the men’s 70kg category, while Bernice Mawena Akakpo will represent Ghana in women’s judo in the -63kg division.
Swimming will provide one of Ghana’s largest representations, with Kelvin Abdallah, Mercedes Abdallah, Tamba Akin Boamah and Jada Yankey all selected.
Kelvin Abdallah will compete in the men’s 50m backstroke, 50m butterfly and 50m freestyle.
Mercedes Abdallah is entered in the women’s 100m backstroke, 100m butterfly and 50m backstroke, while Tamba Akin Boamah will compete in the men’s 100m breaststroke, 100m freestyle, 200m breaststroke and 50m backstroke.
Jada Yankey will compete in the women’s 100m freestyle, 50m breaststroke, 50m butterfly and 50m freestyle.
Ghana’s table tennis representation will come from Joanita Borteye, who will compete in the women’s singles, while Jessica Mensah will carry the country’s hopes in taekwondo in the women’s +63kg category.
