November 22

DAILYHERITAGE.COM.GH
Sports
DAILY HERITAGE
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 22, 2018
15
Kumasi catches ‘Maltavator Challenge Season 2’ fever
EXPECTANT RESIDENTS of Kumasi
poured out onto the Opoku Ware Senior
High School (OWASS) Park as the Maltavator
Challenge Season 2 train made a
stop in the Garden City.
Hundreds thronged the venue to register
and participate in the fierce obstacle
course challenge, with the hopes of grabbing
a place in the most sought-after six
spots to represent Ghana at the Pan
African Championship to be held in South
Africa in 2019.
At the end of a gruelling competition,
10 top performers were selected from Kumasi
to join the already selected 20 from
Accra and Takoradi.
The overjoyed winner of the Kumasi
Challenge, Daniel Gawuga Abotsi, said he
was grateful for the motivation from his
family and friends to participate.
“I was initially apprehensive about participating
until my friends and loved ones
encouraged me to try my luck, and I’m
glad I listened even in the face of the intimidating
physique of some of my opponents,”
he said with a laugh.
• Some of the participants
The Brands Manager of Malta Guinness,
Roland Ofori, said he was already
looking forward to the Ghana grand finale
because of the stock of competitors recruited
so far.
“I must say that I am super-impressed
by the sheer determination and dedication
exhibited by everyone who has participated
in the recruitment events in Accra,
Takoradi and Kumasi. All the 30 finalists
have showed they can be great, and I am
excited Malta Guinness is fuelling that passion.
I am highly confident that team
Ghana can go all the way to South Africa
to pick up that $20,000 prize money.”
The Maltavator Challenge makes its
final recruitment stop at the Tamale Stadium
Annex in Tamale on November 24,
2018 where the final 10 contestants will be
selected for the Ghana finale.
The 40 top contestants will then compete
for the last of the six available slots in
the grand finale to represent Ghana in
South Africa. Ghana’s six representatives
will battle other competitors from Nigeria,
Cameroun, Kenya, Ethiopia and Cote
d’Ivoire for the $20,000 prize money.
Encourage playing of
draughts — Ho clubs
appeal to govt
• Two of Black
Maiden players
BY PATRICE SYLVESTER SELORMEY, HO
pselormey2015@gmail.com
THE CHAIRMAN of Ho
Cards Club, Innocent Dei, has
appealed to the government
to support the playing of
draughts as a national sports
as done to other major sporting
disciplines.
Mr Dei noted that in the
early 1970s draught was listed
as one of the sporting events
in the country and clubs were
formed but due to unavailability
of funds and sponsorship,
the whole thing waned.
He is, therefore, appealing
to the National Sports Authority
(NSA), the National
Youth Authority (NYA), philanthropists
and lovers of the
game to support its development.
The Chairman, in an interview
with DAILY HER-
ITAGE, said Ho Card Club
is registered with the NSA,
NYA and the Ho Municipal
Assembly as a communitybased
organisation and had
launched a campaign against
the use of illicit drugs such as
tramadol, cocaine, heroine
and marijuana amongst the
youth.
Heve All Stars won by 180
games to 150 against Bazuka,
another draught club.
“As a youth club, we
would be glad if NYA can
support our activities in a way
of encouragement to be
united and to also acquire
skills for our development,”
Mr Dei said.
...in the early 1970s
draught was listed
as one of sporting
events in the
country and clubs
were formed but
due to unavailability
of funds and
sponsorship, it
waned.
Under-17 FIFA Women World Cup:
Black Maidens face
Mexico in semifinals
Sunday
GHANA WILL face
Mexico in the quarterfinals
of the FIFA
Under-17 Women's
World Cup on Sunday,
November 25, in Montevideo,
Uruguay.
This was after the Maidens topped
Group A after beating New Zealand
2-0 in the final match and scored a
total of 10 goals while conceding one
throughout the three games, making
coach Evans Adotey's side one of the
favourites for the title.
By way of statistics, the Maidens
thrashed their Uruguayan counterparts,
the host country, by 5:0 before
beating Finland 3:1 in the second
group game and finished as group
winners when they dispatched New
Zealand 2:0
Ghana has qualified for the last
eight for the fourth consecutive time
with their best performance in tournament
history in 2012 when they
finished in third place.
As Group A runners-up, New
Zealand will take on Japan in Colonia
Del Sacramento on Saturday, November
24. The Kiwis will be competing
in the knockout stage of Under-17
Women's World Cup for the first
time.