Samuel Takyi of Black Bombers
Ghana's national boxing team, the Black Bombers, is gearing up for the final Olympic qualifiers in Bangkok, Thailand, despite uncertainties surrounding their participation.
Coach Kwasi Ofori Asare has started training with his boxers, even though Ghana's participation in the May 23 - June 3 qualifiers, which offers the last chance for boxers to secure one of the 51 coveted spots at Paris 2024, is still undecided.
"We don't know yet if we will go to the qualifiers in Bangkok or not, but we must train and prepare should we be told we are going by the authorities," Coach Asare said in an interview with Graphic Sports.
Regarding team selection, Coach Asare indicated that if the team gets the green light to go to Bangkok, priority will be given to members of the Black Bombers team who won medals at the recent African Games in Ghana.
No Ghanaian boxer has qualified for the Paris 2024 Olympics despite participating in two Olympic qualifiers in Dakar and Italy last month.
The Bangkok competition remains the only route for Ghanaian boxers to qualify for the Olympic Games after disappointing performances in the African Championships in Senegal and the first world qualifying competition in Italy.
Despite the uncertainties, Coach Asare remains optimistic, hoping that the authorities will secure the necessary funds to send some boxers to Bangkok next month.
"If we go to Bangkok, some boxers will qualify there and we will get a representative at the Olympics," he expressed.
Coach Asare refuted reports that light-heavyweight boxer Abubakar Kamoko, one of Ghana's medallists at the African Games, had been omitted from the team considered for the Bangkok qualifiers.
He also clarified the inclusion of African Games gold medallist Mohammed Aryeetey, stating that Aryeetey, a professional boxer, was considered despite not participating in the national championship, which served as the justification exercise for the games.