The Ghana University Sports Association has successfully concluded the 9th Mini GUSA Games at the University of Professional Studies, Accra (UPSA), with the University of Cape Coast (UCC) emerging as the overall best-performing university.

Held from May 5 to May 15, 2026, under the theme “Integrating University Sports with Academic Professionalism,” the competition brought together student-athletes from universities across Ghana to compete in football, basketball, volleyball, tennis, badminton, athletics and other disciplines.

The event was held under the distinguished patronage of the Vice-Chancellor of UPSA, Prof. John Kwaku Mensah Mawutor.

Participating institutions included Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), University of Education, Winneba (UEW), University of Mines and Technology (UMaT), University for Development Studies (UDS), University of Energy and Natural Resources (UENR), Ghana Communication Technology University (GCTU), University of Health and Allied Sciences (UHAS), Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA), University of Media, Arts and Communication (UniMAC), and several others.

At the end of the competition, UCC topped the medal table with 21 gold, 18 silver and 11 bronze medals, recording a total haul of 50 medals. KNUST placed second with 39 medals, while UEW finished third with 47 medals overall.

UEW dominated the football competition by winning gold in soccer and also topped the Athletics Men category. UCC, however, excelled across several disciplines, including table tennis, tennis, badminton, athletics women, volleyball women and men’s basketball.

Speaking at the closing ceremony, President of GUSA, Shaibu Ibrahim Tanko, praised UPSA for successfully hosting the competition and commended athletes for their dedication and sportsmanship.

According to him, the competition was not only about winning medals and trophies but also about promoting unity, discipline, leadership and national integration among students.

He further applauded UPSA management, staff and students for their hospitality and commitment throughout the tournament.

In an interview on the sidelines of the event, Mr. Tanko explained that the Mini GUSA Games were organised following the postponement of the main GUSA Games, which were scheduled to be hosted by UEW.

“Mini GUSA is a period that we normally use to select our athletes for international competitions like the FISU Games. Unfortunately, this year, UEW, which was to host the GUSA Games, postponed it to next year, January,” he explained.

He added that the games were necessary to keep student-athletes active and competitive throughout the academic year.

“We did not want the students to stay the whole year without sports. You could see the excitement among them. They are happy that they are playing games,” he stated.

Mr. Tanko also highlighted funding and inadequate sporting infrastructure as major challenges facing university sports in Ghana, particularly for racket games such as badminton and table tennis.

“Sports is very expensive, so if you are doing sports, you really need funding,” he said, calling on government and stakeholders to invest more in sports infrastructure and athlete development.

He stressed the need for more facilities to support disciplines such as badminton and table tennis, noting that organisers struggled to secure adequate playing spaces during the competition.

Winners in the various disciplines received medals, while universities that placed first overall were presented with trophies. UCC, as overall champions, received a giant trophy in recognition of their outstanding performance.