Ghana seeks Egypt backing for armwrestling at African Games 2027

Ghana is asking Egypt to support the inclusion of armwrestling at the 2027 African Games in Cairo. The sport debuted at Accra 2023, where Ghana won 40 medals and showed its value to a host nation’s medal ambitions.

Ghana Armwrestling Federation president Charles Osei Asibey led a delegation to the Egyptian Embassy in Accra for talks with Egypt’s ambassador to Ghana, Wael Fathy Ahmed. The discussions focused on securing a place for the sport in Cairo and developing a wider Ghana-Egypt relationship around armwrestling.

Asibey, who also heads the Africa Armwrestling Federation, identified Egypt as an important partner for the sport’s growth across the continent. The proposed relationship extends beyond competition and includes technical development, athlete exchanges, training opportunities, business links, tourism and sports diplomacy.

The cooperation being explored includes joint training camps, coaching initiatives and exchanges involving athletes and technical officials. It could also cover competitions, sponsorship, sports marketing and sports tourism, giving the partnership both sporting and commercial dimensions.

Ahmed praised Ghana’s performance at the Accra Games and supported closer cooperation between the two countries. The areas highlighted for collaboration included athlete development, technical knowledge-sharing, sports business and tourism.

Ghana has also indicated that it is prepared to help Cairo deliver a successful 2027 Games. Its wider objective is for armwrestling to remain a lasting part of the African Games programme rather than a one-edition addition.

The appeal to Egypt follows Ghana’s strong introduction to the sport at continental multi-sport level. Keeping armwrestling in Cairo would provide an opportunity to build on that beginning while expanding cooperation between the two countries and strengthening the sport’s position in Africa.