Ghana and Egypt are exploring a broader sports partnership that could unlock new opportunities in sports business, tourism, athlete development and armwrestling ahead of the 2027 African Games.
The proposed collaboration emerged during a meeting between the leadership of the Ghana Armwrestling Federation and Egypt’s Ambassador to Ghana, Mr Wael Fathy, at the Egyptian Embassy.
The discussions focused on strengthening bilateral cooperation through armwrestling, with particular attention to the sport’s proposed inclusion in the 2027 African Games in Egypt.
Ambassador Fathy welcomed the initiative and praised the Ghana Armwrestling Federation for its consistency in developing the sport and promoting it beyond Ghana’s borders.
He said Ghana and Egypt could use sport as a platform to deepen bilateral relations while creating commercial opportunities for businesses and young people.
“Ghana and Egypt have a long and historic relationship, and we should continue to look for new areas where our two countries can work together. Sport provides an excellent platform for bringing our people, especially our young people, closer together,” he said.
The Egyptian envoy urged both countries to look beyond sporting competition and explore the economic potential of sports, including investment, tourism, training and youth development.
“We should look beyond the competition itself and see the wider opportunities that sport can create. There is potential for cooperation in investment, business, tourism, training and youth development, and these are areas where Ghana and Egypt can work together,” he added.
### Armwrestling targets bigger role in Cairo 2027
A major issue on the agenda was the potential inclusion of armwrestling as a sports discipline at the 2027 African Games in Egypt.
The Ghanaian delegation highlighted the sport’s potential to contribute to Egypt’s medal ambitions, drawing on Ghana’s strong performance when the country hosted the previous African Games.
The federation believes the inclusion of armwrestling could also provide a platform for greater investment in the sport and create opportunities for athletes, coaches, officials and businesses across the continent.
President of the Ghana Armwrestling Federation and Africa Armwrestling Federation, Charles Osei Asibey, said the meeting marked an important step towards establishing a strategic Ghana-Egypt partnership.
“We see Egypt not only as a sporting powerhouse but also as a strategic partner for the development of Africa Armwrestling. Our objective is to build a partnership that goes beyond the table to technical development, athlete exchanges, business, tourism and sports diplomacy,” he said.
He said the proposed partnership could involve athlete and technical exchanges, coaching programmes, joint training camps and competitions.
Such initiatives, he added, could strengthen the capacity of athletes, coaches, referees and administrators while facilitating the transfer of expertise between the two countries.
“When Armwrestling succeeds, it creates opportunities for athletes, coaches, businesses, tourism operators and young people,” Mr Osei Asibey said.
He expressed confidence that closer cooperation between Ghana and Egypt could help make Cairo 2027 a success while positioning armwrestling as a sustainable component of the African Games and the wider African sports industry.
The meeting was attended by members of the Ghana Armwrestling Federation’s board, including Dr Kofi Addo-Agyekum, Edwin Amankwah, Joseph Cudjoe, Husseni Akueteh Addy, Robert Appiah Ameyaw and Benjamin Ohene Danso.
