The Minister of Youth and Sports, Mustapha Ussif, has explicitly stated that he cannot be held responsible for the Norway Scandal, which has caused a significant uproar in Ghanaian sports.
A group posing as para-athletes, who were supposed to represent Ghana at the Bergren Marathon in Oslo, Norway, in April, disappeared upon arriving in the country. Tragically, one individual lost his life, and another was detained by Norwegian authorities while attempting to relocate to Sweden.
This incident was detailed in a letter from the Ministry of National Security, which was also sent to the Sports Ministry and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and National Integration.
Samson Deen, President of the National Paralympic Committee-Ghana, disclosed in a video that his signature had been fraudulently used on the visa application letters submitted by these individuals.
Earlier this week, the Ministry issued a statement condemning the actions of the alleged para-athletes and pledged to impose “punitive measures” on those found guilty of impersonation.
During a press conference at the Ministry of Youth and Sports, Mustapha Ussif stressed that he could not be held accountable for the scandal, as the proper procedures had not been followed.
He explained, “You follow protocol by writing to the National Sports Authority and the National Sports Authority will write to the Ministry (Sports). In this case, I have just told you, that nothing of such nature happened until I even got the reportage, we didn’t know.”
He further added, “Secondly, the Norwegian authorities who issued the visas to the athletes didn’t see it prudent to even verify from the Ministry to see whether these are genuine athletes or not so to your question whether I will take responsibility, I’m sorry I can’t.”
