A 13-member executive board headed by Farida Ayishatu Idriss to run the newly formalised Ghana Para Swimming Association was sworn into office last Tuesday in Accra, marking a landmark step forward in the push for inclusivity in the promotion of para and adaptive sports in the country.

Sworn in by Ghana (NPC) and African Paralympic Committee (APC) President, Samson Deen, at the national headquarters at Ridge, this brings to 22 the number of para sports federations under the NPC as Ghana gears up to host the first ever Open Paralympic Sports and Classification Festival later in the year.

Also appointed to aid the PR and public branding were media and administrative officers for each of these federations, including Amputee Football, Ghana Adaptive Boxing, Para Athletics, Para Powerlifting, Para Archery, Para Wheelchair, Blind Sports Federation and many others.

Task

The new Para Swimming Association is tasked to regulate, develop, facilitate opportunities and boost inclusivity for swimmers with physical disabilities in Ghana to enhance participation in international competitions like the Paralympic Games. 

It is also expected to encourage greater participation in sync with global efforts to ensure inclusiveness in sports.

The first ever President, Farida Idriss, takes the role with a huge experience in managing and administering water sports as the Treasurer of the Ghana Swimming Association and the Vice-President of Africa Aquatics. 

She is also a board member of the NPC with a huge amount of time working in disability sports. She has an ambitious plan to qualify athletes right away for the next paralympics by getting coaches certified to improve the management and training of para swimmers.

"We are currently working on a strategic plan from now to Los Angeles 2028. We are looking at identifying talent within the coastal and water bodies to introduce the sport," she told Daily Graphic after the inauguration.

"We also need to push our elite para swimmers to swim at the international level for classification, without which an athlete can't qualify for either the Commonwealth Games or Olympics," Madam Idriss added.