Former Sports Minister, Nii Lante Vanderpuye says President Akufo-Addo has a bad choice as sports minister, highlighting the challenges the sector is facing under the leadership of Isaac Asiamah.

Asiamah has been in charge since the New Patriotic Party (NPP) took office in 2017. He is the longest-serving sports minister since 2001. Under his watch, the Accra Sports Stadium has been renovated with Baba Yara Stadium currently undergoing renovation.

Also, in partnership with the National Youth Authority, the Ministry is constructing 10 multi-purpose sports facilities across the country.

However, the Member of Parliament for Odododiodio has not been impressed with Mr Asiamah's works. In an interview with Joy Sports, Mr Vanderpuye said little has been done to support the sporting disciplines.

"I get complaints all the time. Boxers are complaining, Armwrestling complaining, weightlifting complaining, almost all the sporting disciplines are complaining. If they don't get support from the Ghana Olympic Committee, they don't get support at all. This is not good for Ghana Sports," he said.

"I thought that the President was somebody who I have known to love sports but I think he has a bad choice of a minister, that's the problem. I must be frank with you, I said it at the beginning that the President made a mistake of choosing Asiamah as the Minister for Sports".

During his 11 months spell, Mr Vanderpuye oversaw the construction of Trust Sports Emporium which was unveiled in November. According to him, the project and many others planned before his exit is what the incumbent government is benefiting from.

" As we are talking today, weightlifting is the only sporting discipline in Ghana that is seeing some level of (uprise), maybe to some extent swimming. Even swimming, if we had not built a swimming pool at the Bukom Boxing Arena [Trust Sports Emporium], where will swimming be?" he quizzed.

"Ghana was able to host the Africa Zone 2 tournament, brought so many countries, close to about 16 countries to Ghana. That is good, that's the vision that we had. Initially, we were going to build only a boxing Arena but we said no, lets swimming, let's add this, let's add that. It takes people with the vision to build sports for the future," he added.