International Women’s Day 2025 – AWISA President Joyce Mahama condemns violence in sports that affect women

The President of African Women In Sports Association (AWISA) Mrs. Joyce Mahama has called for an end to violence in sports especially against women.

In a statement released to celebrate this year’s 2025 International Women’s Day, she vehemently condemned hooliganism and violence of all kinds in sports that affect women and children.

According to Mrs. Mahama, some acts of violence at the various stadia indirectly affect women and children, referring to the recent stabbing to death of top Kumasi Asante Kotoko fan, Mr. Kwasi Frimpong aka Nana Pooley whose demise has affected his  family, wife and six children plus the entire football fraternity in Ghana.

“I wish to add my voice that what happened at Nsoatre in a GPL football match between Asante Kotoko and Nsoatreman was not only primitive in this era when football or sports competitions are supposed to foster development, friendship, unity and love, but very criminal and pray that the assailants would be arrested to face the law, because Nana Pooley demands full justice” she said.

She recalled how a female referee Theresa Bremansu was brutally assaulted because she failed to add some extra time to the duration of a game.

Mrs. Mahama tasked the Ghana Police Service and other security agencies to intensify their efforts in checking, monitoring and enforcing security and safety protocols at the various sports stadia, especially in the rural areas.

She expressed her joy that the Ghana Police has intended to offer Sports Policing as course to train its personnel.

She made a compassionate appeal to the Ministry of Sports and Recreation and National Sports Authority as well as the Ghana Olympic Committee and National Paralympic Committee to encourage and adequately reward females especially the physically challenged who excel in their disciplines.

According to the President of AWISA and Women Sports Associations of Ghana (WOSPAG) she feels unhappy that Abigail Quartey who became Ghana’s first female world champion in Boxing has not been recognized and honoured by the nation as a country that does not recognise its heroes is not worth dying for.

Mrs. Mahama urged more females to participate in sports as there is so much to be achieved. She was sad that the national boxing team were not allowed to take part in the IBA World Women’s Boxing Championship in Nis, Serbia.

She called on African sports women to work hard and also aspire for greatness and higher achievements.

On the upcoming 2025 African Women’s Football Championship in Morocco, she prayed for a successful tournament and hoped that the best team will win.

She said Ghana has a good squad in the Black Queens and they should go out there to prove that they are among the best on the African continent

Concluding, she advised African women to take up leadership roles in sports as it is believed that what men can do, women can do better and this can change the fortunes of African Sports.

By Sammy Heywood Okine

Ghana Olympic Committee