Ghanaian badminton player Leslie Addo has revealed a startling incident where he and his teammates were forced to sit in the back of a pickup truck to reach the match venue during the 2023 African Games.
Addo, part of Ghana’s men’s doubles badminton team, explained in an interview with Ghanaweb that due to the lack of transportation, they had to rely on their coach’s private pickup truck.
Unfortunately, the limited space in the vehicle meant that some players had to sit in the truck bed, putting their safety at risk.
Lamenting the woes the team has faced, Addo said, “You guys have not supported us.”
He added, “Today, when we were coming to play our matches, we sat in our coach’s vehicle and it was a pickup, so most of us were in the bucket. We didn’t get any transport. We, the host nation, are playing for the country and no one is supporting us.”
The Office of the Minister of Youth and Sports procured 332 vehicles for the 2023 African Games, consisting of 29 Landcruisers, 3 Toyota Prados, 106 saloon cars, 78 waggon cars, 55 Team Marco Polo buses, 30 Ayalolo buses, 26 minibuses, and 5 trucks.
The badminton player, speaking to JoySports, expressed frustration over the team’s neglect. He revealed that they were provided with only 36 shoes instead of the required 47.
Additionally, they were unable to train properly as they did not have access to essential equipment such as rackets, despite the government purchasing them.
“The equipment that we got didn’t come on time. Nobody has even trained with the equipment. The racket I used to play in the tournament, I got it yesterday and I never tested it. The shoe I wear is size 47 and they gave me a size 36; what am I going to use it for?,” Leslie Addo quizzed.