The Ghana Swimming Association (GSA) has announced that the nation will no longer host the 2026 African Swimming Championships, originally scheduled for May 5 to May 10 in Accra.
This decision follows advice from the National Sports Authority (NSA) and its Board Chair that the event cannot proceed until the outstanding electoral matters within the Association are resolved.
It noted that preparatory activities for hosting the championships had stalled for months due to prolonged governance disputes, ministerial delays, and challenges surrounding the inauguration of the Local Organising Committee (LOC).
Despite repeated attempts by the Association to seek approval for the LOC and commence preparatory work, no concrete clearance was given by the Ministry.
According to the GSA, continuous interference, delayed responses from state authorities, and unresolved issues relating to its electoral process made it impossible to meet the timelines required for hosting the continental event.
The Association stated that its efforts to comply with the Ministry’s directives and accommodate the concerns of aggrieved aspirants yielded no results.
“While the Honourable Minister initially indicated a willingness to proceed, the NSA and its Board Chair subsequently advised that the Championships could not be held unless and until the outstanding electoral issues within the Association had been resolved.”
The GSA maintains that the decision, though regrettable, was necessary to safeguard the integrity of the sport and ensure stability within the Association moving forward.
“In good faith, and in the interest of restoring institutional stability, the Association made substantial concessions, including the ceding of aspects of its electoral process to an electoral committee to operate under the supervision of the Ministry.”
The withdrawal means Ghana will forfeit the hosting rights awarded in April 2025.
