The captain of Ghana’s weightlifting team, Gabriel Owusu, won three silver medals at the 2025 African Senior Weightlifting Championships held in Mauritius.
In the lead-up to the competition, concerns were raised about the status of Ghana’s participation.
Team Ghana had been withdrawn from the competition by the President of the Ghana Weightlifting Federation, Jerry Ahmed Shaib.
In a statement dated April 22, 2025, Kevin Frey, CEO of Just Keep Going Inc.—an organisation sponsoring several of the athletes—criticised what he described as the “unilateral, unjust, and deeply damaging” withdrawal of some of Ghana’s top weightlifters.
He alleged that the withdrawal was politically motivated.
“The athletes targeted are those who have voiced support for reform and a leadership change within the Federation. Their removal… is not only punitive; it is political,” he stated in a press release.
However, the Ghana Weightlifting Federation (GWF) refuted these claims in a subsequent statement, explaining that the athletes in question were never formally authorised to compete.
The Federation emphasised that participation in international competitions requires prior clearance.
“Their presence in Mauritius was not sanctioned by the GWF. No team list was submitted, no entry clearance was granted, and no oversight was provided by the Federation,” the GWF noted, adding that enforcing governance structures should not be mischaracterised as betrayal.
The GWF further maintained that Mr Jerry Ahmed Shaib remains the duly recognised president of the Federation and called on stakeholders to respect institutional authority.
“Participation in international championships goes far beyond showing up to compete. It involves formal authorisation, recognition, and accountability at the national level,” the Federation stressed.
Despite the impasse that almost derailed Ghana’s participation, the country ultimately presented four athletes: Paul Agrama (55kg), Marie Korkor Agbah-Hughes (+87kg), Gabriel Owusu (+109kg), and Sylvanus Kugblenu (89kg)—though Kugblenu’s weight category was initially misentered as 81kg due to technical issues.
Owusu’s three silver medals came in the +109kg division, adding to Ghana’s medal haul despite the earlier setbacks.
JoySports understands that the team was able to participate because the country’s Minister for Sports and Recreation, Kofi Adams, and the Director-General of the National Sports Authority, Yaw Ampofo Ankrah, intervened to ensure Ghana was ultimately represented at the Championships.
Initially, eight athletes were expected to compete, but only four participated.
Notably, Winifred Ntumi, who had been scheduled to compete, was absent; no official explanation has yet been provided for her withdrawal.
The team is expected to return home on April 30, 2025, arriving at Kotoka International Airport.
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