Director General of the National Sports Authority (NSA) Yaw Ampofo Ankrah has admitted that the nation’s sporting authorities must take responsibility for the poor showing at the 2026 Commonwealth Games.

His comments come amid concerns over Ghana’s preparations and management of its athletes at the Games in Glasgow.

Ghana returned from the Games with two medals – one bronze in boxing and one silver in women shot put.

Black Bombers head coach, Ofori Asare blamed inadequate logistical support, revealing that some boxers were forced to share competition equipment.

Speaking to Luv FM, Yaw Ampofo said “we let the boxers down” and more importantly, “let our athletes down.”

According to him, the feedback from athletes and coaches pointed to several areas that could have been handled better.

“Did we give them 100% chance, opportunity to win? If we did, then you can say, ‘Look, we did everything we could. They couldn’t win it. It was bad luck’,” he said.

The NSA boss said authorities must move away from imposing decisions on athletes and coaches without sufficiently listening to them.

“In this case, listening to them, there were a lot of things that they felt could have been done better, and we need to also engage more and listen to the athletes and the coaches more, rather than imposing certain things on them,” Ampofo said.

“I think in camp, you know, there were opportunities for conversations to be had. Those opportunities were missed until the team arrived in Glasgow,” he said.

For Ampofo, the experience should serve as a wake-up call for Ghana’s sporting authorities rather than another occasion to shift blame onto athletes.

“These are lessons that we must learn from, so that we do not repeat them at the next games that Ghana represents,” he added. “We need to be honest, especially with the young athletes that we assembled at the Commonwealth, one of the youngest teams.”

He called for preparations to begin early for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, as well as upcoming junior and senior competitions, including the junior games in Senegal.