American-born Ghanaian unicyclist, Trey Haun Manboora, wants unicycling to be recognised as an official sport in Ghana.

The 17-year-old has represented Ghana in two major competitions, winning silver and gold medals at the World Unicycling Championships in the USA. He says his mission is to raise awareness and encourage more people to get involved in unicycling, a sport previously unheard of in many parts of the country.

"I think just to raise more awareness of unicycling in Ghana and get more people interested in unicycling and involved in it," he said in an interview with JoySports.

The Ministry of Sports in Ghana is not oblivious to their efforts. In 2022, Trey received a Youth Achievement Award at Jubilee House for his success in the World Unicycling Championships and for founding the unicycling club in Nalerigu, according to his father, William Haun.

"We know the Ministry of Sports is aware of the sport because in 2022 they gave him a Youth Achievement Award at Jubilee House for his success and for founding the club, so they are not ignorant of it," William noted.

"They know about it and they have even recognised him, so going forward, what we are hoping to see is more recognition as a legitimate sport, especially in Mamprugu.

"As for Mamprugu, they all know unicycling. You can come to Nalerigu any day and you'll see boys and even girls riding on the streets. It's a common thing now, and no one will even turn and look at them because it's normal," William explained.

The journey hasn't been without its challenges, particularly in terms of logistics. Initially, they faced a shortage of unicycles to meet the growing interest.

"We raised some funds and purchased some of the unicycles, and the interesting thing is the children were too many. We reached 20, and it was too much stress for Manboora to be managing the 20 children and also training," William recounted.

Trey interjected, highlighting the scarcity of equipment: "We didn't have enough unicycles."

To cope with the demand, they encouraged children to procure their own unicycles.

"So, at 20 children, we said okay, no more, but we said if you bring your own unicycle, we will not refuse you to join the club. Somehow they started calling relatives in Techiman, Kumasi, Accra saying you have to find a one-wheel bicycle for me and people were finding them," William said.

Their perseverance paid off when a local chief, Chief Samari, contributed five unicycles.

"One of the chiefs, Chief Samari, showed up one day with five of them, and he had three children. He said these three are for my children, two for the others, and so they kept coming. Now we have about 27 of these unicycles at my house," he revealed.

Despite the growing interest in the sport, the infrastructure is not yet available to support the demand.

However, Trey considers training under difficult conditions a blessing in disguise.

"I think that training on the rocks, the old tennis court, or even in the dirt sometimes makes it… when I come here and they have a nice road or a nice track to ride on, then [it becomes] very easy. I think it's good to train in a difficult space, then you go somewhere where it's not as difficult, and you just find it very easy," Trey reflected.

Trey Manboora is hoping to get some members of his club to compete for the country in the near future.