Government has declined to fund the Ghana’s hosting of the world hockey league series with just a day to the tournament. This comes after months of struggle by the Ghana Hockey Association to secure about $1000000 to prepare the Theodosia Oko Hockey pitch, the various national teams, male and female and other organizational requirements for the three day event. The hockey association is racing against time to raise the needed funds to put the pitch in a good state for passing by the hockey world governing body, the FIH before the September 7-9 tournament. Despite the agreed arrangements between Ghana Hockey and the Sports Ministry, delays at the National Sports Authority have made it impossible for government to release the needed funds to the Association. President of Ghana Hockey Oko Nii Quaye Dzanie is disappointed and told JOY Sports in an interview “we (The Hockey Association) were hopeful that all was well, a few queries were raised as to the form of the budget and so on and we addressed them all. We are really not happy at all with the way we have been treated in this circumstance where we’ve been told very late in the day that the competition cannot be funded”. Oko Nii Quaye Dzanie blames the National Sports Authority for the Government’s refusal to fund the hosting of the tournament and hopes for a quick turnaround. “We wished we knew the position of government through the Sports Authority or the ministry much earlier in the year. We would have done something about it. It came to us as a surprise, now to say that funding is not going to come certainly hits us below the belt. This has a long term implication on whether we will be given the opportunity to host another tournament or not.” Meanwhile, the spokesperson at the Youth and Sports Ministry, Kwesi Sarpong has been explaining to JOY Sports that Government declined providing funds due to the absence of resources and because the program was not captured on the National Sports Authority’s 2012 calendar. The Hockey Association will now take the responsibility of funding the three day World Hockey League series from t September 7 to Sunday September 9. The various Ghana hockey teams both male and female also had their camping plans interrupted because of the lack of finance to run a smooth preparation programme at the accommodation facility at the Theodosia Okoe hockey stadium at Accra Central. Egypt one of the three participating teams are expected to arrive in Accra on Thursday, followed by Nigeria and Zimbabwe.