Ghana at the 2016 Summer Paralympics

Ghana competed at the 2016 Summer Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from 7 to 18 September 2016.

Ghana at the 2016 Summer Paralympics
IPC code	GHA
NPC	National Paralympic Committee of Ghana
in Rio de Janeiro
Competitors	3 in 3 sports
Medals	Gold 0 Silver 0 Bronze 0 Total 0
Summer Paralympics appearances
2004 2008 2012 2016 2020

Background

Wheelchairs, especially specialized ones, are very expensive in Ghana. Their high cost makes it cost prohibitive for many Ghanaians with disabilities to get into sport, especially as they often use cheap, home manufactured wheelchairs to get around. The infrastructure in Ghana also makes it difficult for people with wheelchairs to get out into society as there are few ramps and handicap accessible locations. This makes it hard to develop elite disability sport in the country to compete at the Paralympic level.[1]

Funding and support

NPC Ghana has created a program to support efforts by its Paralympians called the “Right to Dream” which provides regular funding to support athletes in their efforts to compete internationally, and not just at key Paralympic qualifying events.[2]

Disability classifications

Every participant at the Paralympics has their disability grouped into one of five disability categories; amputation, the condition may be congenital or sustained through injury or illness; cerebral palsy; wheelchair athletes, there is often overlap between this and other categories; visual impairment, including blindness; Les autres, any physical disability that does not fall strictly under one of the other categories, for example dwarfism or multiple sclerosis.[3][4] Each Paralympic sport then has its own classifications, dependent upon the specific physical demands of competition. Events are given a code, made of numbers and letters, describing the type of event and classification of the athletes competing. Some sports, such as athletics, divide athletes by both the category and severity of their disabilities, other sports, for example swimming, group competitors from different categories together, the only separation being based on the severity of the disability.[5]

Athletics

Men's Field

Athlete	Events	Result	Rank
Yusif Amadu	High Jump F42	1.68	11

Cycling

Road

Athlete	Event	Time	Rank
Mumuni Alem	Men's road time trial C2	36:10.85	15

Track

Pursuits and time trials

Athlete	Event	Qualification		Final
		Time	Rank	Opposition Time	Rank
Mumuni Alem	Men's individual pursuit C2	4:59.965	10	Did not advance

Powerlifting

Athlete	Event	Result	Rank
Charles Teye	Men's −80 kg	160	9

See also

• Ghana at the 2016 Summer Olympics

References

1. "Letter from Africa: The wheelchair gap". BBC News. 2016-09-21. Retrieved 2016-10-25.
2. "The Paralympian" (PDF). International Paralympic Committee. 2013. Retrieved 25 December 2015.
3. "Paralympics categories explained". ABC. 3 September 2008. Retrieved 25 December 2015.
4. "Making sense of the categories". BBC Sport. 6 October 2000. Retrieved 25 December 2015.
5. "A-Z of Paralympic classification". BBC Sport. 28 August 2008. Retrieved 25 December 2015.