The Technical Team of the Ghana Table Tennis Association (GTTA) has officially released the list of players set to represent Ghana in the upcoming 13th African Games, slated to be hosted in Accra in 2023.

Comprising ten players, the team includes five males and five females. Notably, 11-year-old Israel Aklie, recipient of the 2022 Sports Writers Association of Ghana (SWAG) award for the most exciting table tennis player, has earned a spot on the squad, making him the youngest member of the Ghanaian contingent for the African Games. Aklie, a left-handed cadet player, has demonstrated his capability to proudly represent Ghana when given the opportunity.

The approved male players are Bernard Joe Sam, Emmanuel Commey, Samuel Akayade, and Ernest Mawutor Quarcoo. Leading the female team is the seasoned Cynthia Kwabi, supported by Celia Baah-Danso, Eva Adom-Amankwaa, Bernice Borley Borquaye, and the rising star Juanita Borteye, named the 2023 SWAG female prospect of the year.

James Marfo serves as the reserve player for the male team under the guidance of coaches Anthony Owusu-Ansah and Ebenezer Tetteh Annang-Whyte. Charles Tachie-Menson, Technical Director of the Ghana Table Tennis Association, expressed confidence in the team’s preparation and anticipates a commendable performance.

Table tennis matches are scheduled to commence on Monday, March 4, 2024, at the Accra International Conference Centre, following a balloting process on Sunday, March 3, 2024, at the La Palm Beach Hotel.

With Africa’s powerhouses, Egypt and Nigeria, alongside several other nations already present, this marks the first time Ghana is hosting the African Games since its inception in Congo-Brazzaville in 1965.