PRINCE ERNEST Oduro-Mensah, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the National Sports Council (NSC), and members of his management team, have outlined the council’s achievements in the past year. The first feat came from Australia, precisely in Melbourne, where Long Jumper, Ignatius Gaisah, and Weightlifter, Majeti Fetrie, grabbed gold medals at the Commonwealth Games. In boxing, Awusone Yekini snatched the bronze medal, thus helping Ghana to record her highest-ever medals in the Games, so far. Charles James Aryeh, NSC’s Chief Administrative Officer, led the Ghanaian contingent, which included ping-pong players, boxers and runners. In August, the NSC boss led Ghanaian athletes to the 15th Senior Athletics Championship in Mauritius, where Sprinter Vida Anim emerged Africa’s fastest woman, while Ignatius Gaisah was tops in the Long Jump category. Vida again won Gold in the 4x100 race alongside Esther Dankwa, Elizabeth Amolofo and Rosina Amenedebe, lifting Ghana’s name high. This streak of successes was maintained by the national weightlifters, who bagged a number of medals at the African Weightlifting Championship in Morocco. At the World Cup in Athens, Greece, Vida again won bronze medal for Ghana. It was in remembrance of the above-mentioned achievements that on December 22, 2006, the management of NSC organised a thanks-giving party to thank almighty God for the successes chalked in 2006. Speaking at the function, Mr Oduro-Mensah commended NSC staff for their co-operation and support, so far, and called for God’s strength and unity of purpose, for the betterment of Ghana Sports. The CEO stressed the need for the NSC staff to rejuvenate and reposition themselves, with the view to bolstering sports development in the country. Mr Oduro-Mensah, also the immediate past Member of Parliament for Techiman South, hinted that the NSC would soon outdoor a strategic plan scheduled to tee off in 2007, pointing out that some people had branded the NSC ineffective, but this time around, the Council would prove all wrong. Having in mind the turning points in life, the former MP affirmed, “I’m prepared for the storm. The strength of a man is how much he can fight his battle, but not how much people can fight for him.” “Management has resolved to make a great mark in the sporting world, and so somehow, someday, the NSC would emerge the best in Africa.” In his remarks, the president of NSC Senior Staff Association, Mr Erasmus Adorkor, called for attitudinal change and unity to turn the NSC’s challenges into opportunities. This, he stated, would help the Council thwart the efforts of enemies of progress, so that 2007 would be a year of action. Mr Adorkor could not end his speech without expressing gratitude to the management of NSC, saying, “We appreciate management’s efforts at making the Council formidable, and we promise to work harder.” In the course of the programme, the NSC honoured its immediate past Chief Accountant, Mr Issah Amadu, for his nine years of remarkable service to the Council. Daily Guide