Reigning peace in Athletics as Ghana Youth Olympic Gold Medalist Martha Bissah reinstated after 6 years sideline
Peace may be blowing in Ghana’s athletics environment after Ghana Athletics Association solving their 6-year conflict with one of their most trusted medalists.
The Ghana Athletics Association (GAA) has reinstated the status of Martha Bissah into Ghana Athletics again.
According to the GAA Executive Committee (EXCO) meeting outcome, they have accepted the unqualified apology letter which was allegedly written by Martha Bissah.
The suspension has been lifted with immediate effect.
The Ghana Athletics Association now welcomes back the Youth Olympic Gold Medalist, Martha into Ghana Athletics and she can now take part in any of the local competitions held by GAA and other race organisers.
According to the press release, GAA is keen on discussing the future of Martha and how she can attain her goals as they do for other athletes in and outside the country.
GAA commended the Minister of Youth and Sports, Hon. Mustapha Ussif for the role he has played and how he handled the issue between the two parties.
Again, GAA also expressed their profound gratitude to the Director-General of the National Sports Authority (NSA), Professor Peter Twumasi, and all the stakeholders who helped to bring a solution to this issue
GAA is forever grateful to all and sundry.
The press release is signed by the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Ghana Athletics Association (GAA), Mr. Bawa Fuseini.
What has happened?
In 2016, Bissah was suspended indefinitely by the Ghana Athletics Association (GAA) for indiscipline and bringing the name of the association into disrepute.
Martha’s suspension letter was drafted on May 23 but she was evasive and refused to receive the document anytime officials of the GAA try to serve her.
The suspension limited Martha from competing in GAA-sanctioned events, as well as represent the nation at any international athletics competition.
The suspension was handed in the wake of over a year of media rows involving the Executive Board of the Athletics Federation led by its president Professor Francis Dodoo, and Martha’s camp which comprised of her guardian Mikki Osei Berko and his close confidantes, George Lutterodt and Kweku Nimako.
The development marked a stunning fall from grace for Martha who had struggled to reproduce her gold-medal winning feat at the 2014 Youth Olympics Games in Nanjing, China, where she completed the 800 metres race in a time of 2:04.90 minutes even though she had since competed on poor tracks including grass and cinder.
A state-sponsored athletic scholarship offered her by President John Mahama to study and develop her sporting abilities in the United States had also remained elusive.
A source disclosed that Martha further drew the ire of the GAA executive Board for consistently absenting herself from scheduled welfare meetings.
“She had avoided meetings with the GAA but at the last Circuit Championships which took place at El-Wak, the GAA Executive Board once again reached out to her but she left the venue without speaking to them,” Phillipina stated.
“After several back and forths involving the GAA and her guardian, Mr Berko finally granted the GAA audience with Martha. She came to the meeting with her brother and Mr Nimako who the association does not recognise as a representative of the athlete”.
“When Mr. Nimako was asked to leave the meeting, Martha said she cannot participate in the meeting without him so she followed him out. That was when the decision was taken to suspend her indefinitely although she has since refused to accept her suspension letter on countless occasions,” she added.
Martha’s guardian, Mr Berko said he was not aware of the suspension of his ward urging the GAA to be more merciful and professional with the youngster.
Meanwhile, Mr George Haldane Lutterodt, one of the benefactors of Martha Bissah, has vowed to go to court to overturn the decision of the GAA.
He stated that the GAA could not act as a law to itself and, therefore, called on the Youth and Sports Minister, Nii Lantey Vanderpuye, to call the association to order.
Mr Lutterodt, who described the GAA’s decision as reckless, vindictive and witch-hunting, told the Daily Graphic in an interview that it was born out of hatred for the young girl who spoke her mind about the ill-treatment being meted out to her by the GAA.
“This is illegal; the due process was not followed and we don’t suspend an athlete indefinitely,” an angry Lutteordt noted.
According to him, the action taken by the GAA smacked of victimisation, since Martha was neither forewarned nor given a hearing.
The former chairman of the GAA stated that the reasons given by the GAA for Martha’s suspension were untenable.
The GAA on May 23 suspended Martha Bissau on grounds of disrespect, not honouring an invitation and bringing the name of the association into disrepute.
Martha’s apology on way to reinstatement
After six years of sideline, the US-based Ghanaian athlete has written to apologise to Professor Francis Dodoo and the Ghana Athletics Association (GAA) for wrongfully accusing them. The GAA received Martha’s apology letter on 9th November 2021.
She was asked to issue an apology to the parties involved in order to see her ban lifted. Bissah has now written a letter to the GAA as she begins the steps to resolve the situation. The letter written to the GAA through the National Sports Authority (NSA) reads:
“I wish to humbly express my sincerest apology and utmost regret for my behavior towards the Ghana Athletics Association in general and Professor Francis Dodoo in Particular sometime in 2015.
“I am really sorry for my unprofessional and immature behavior as well as my subsequent defamatory comments.
“I know my actions have damaged our working relationship and hope this broken relationship will be restored to enable us work together again.
“I assure you that I will not act in that manner again.
“Please accept my apologies.”
