One dead, another nabbed as Ghana’s ‘Paralympic team’ absconds in Norway

A Paralympic team that supposedly represented Ghana in the Fjordkraft Bergen city marathon in April reportedly absconded upon arrival in Norway. 

The 11-member contingent had obtained visas from the Norwegian embassy in Accra and was expected to participate in the tournament in Oslo on April 27.

But according to a letter from Albert Kan-Dapaah, Ghana’s national security minister, nine of them are presently on the run, facing accusations of impersonation.

The letter, which was copied to the youth and sports minister and the foreign minister, revealed that upon arrival in Oslo on April 25, the team failed to register for the tournament.

It said a team member identified as Nana Antwi was arrested on April 26 for attempting to depart Norway for Sweden on a one-way train ticket.

The letter revealed that George Gyamfi Gyasi, their coach, collapsed on April 28 and died on May 17 at the Oslo University Hospital. The cause of death was not disclosed.

It added that security alerts have been issued for the nine members on the run.

“Consequently, the Norwegian Embassy in Accra has issued an alert to other Schengen and Western Diplomatic Missions in Accra, and the European Border Coast Guard Agency as part of efforts to apprehend and repatriate the team members,” it reads in part.

Kan-Dapaah also cautioned that the incident could impact the chances of the country’s athletes seeking visas for future competitions.

Addressing the matter, Samson Deen, who is in charge of Ghana’s Paralympic Committee, alleged that his signature was forged to procure the visas. He also denied knowledge of the 11-member team.

“The Ghana Paralympic team has not sent anybody, written a letter, and has never applied for a visa at the Norwegian embassy,” he said in an interview.

“The Ghana Paralympics committee has not sent anybody to the Norwegian embassy or even to get a visa to travel to Norway. The Ghana paralympics committee has no intention and has never had the intention of trying to participate in an Olympic qualifier in Oslo.

“Upon receiving these documents from the ministry of sports, we checked and realized that the letter was written and my signature was forged and used to apply for the visa for individuals who are not athletes.

“Upon reaching out to them [Theodore Mawuli Viwotor, former Secretary General of the Ghana Paralympic Football Association, and Ernest Ayisi, founder of Ernestay Foundation] I asked how they got my signature, and they indicated that one Adongo, based in Europe, is the one who forged my letter and all the signatures.”

Ghana will send only one representative to the 2024 Paralympics to be held from August 28 to September 8 in Paris, France.