JoySports editor Fentuo Tahiru Fentuo reports that all per diems owed to Ghanaian athletes prior to the start of the Olympic Games in Paris have been paid by the Ministry of Youth and Sports.

The athletes had been awaiting bonuses dating back to the Penn Relays, the World Athletics Championships relays in the Bahamas, which served as Olympic qualifiers, and the Confederation of African Athletics Seniors Championships in Douala.

According to Mr Tahiru, the Ministry's purse holder met with the athletes on Wednesday and settled all outstanding per diems before the 4×100m relay heats on Thursday.

It remains unclear whether the Sports Minister, Mustapha Ussif, who arrived in Paris to watch the team's race, played a role in facilitating the payment, given the delay in disbursement.

Unfortunately, Team Ghana was disqualified during the relay heats due to a lane violation. Joseph Paul Amoah, who anchored the quartet, received the baton from the third leg outside the designated exchange zone, leading to the team's disqualification.

Ghana's quest for an Olympic medal came to an end after the disqualification, as high jumper Rose Yeboah and swimmers Joselle Mensah and Harry Stacey were also unsuccessful in their respective events.