Professor Peter Twumasi, the Director General of the National Sports Authority (NSA), has said the poor state of the Accra Sports Stadium pitch has been restored.
This positive outcome was achieved through the leasing of the stadium’s pitch to event organizers for concerts held during the festive season. Mr Twumasi, who recently appeared before the Public Account Committee, defended the decision to lease the stadium for December concerts.
Although he did not provide detailed information regarding the financial aspect, he assured that the stadium has been fully restored to its optimal condition.
“On January 9, the Minister sent an inspection team led by the Chief Director to check if we were able to recover the pitch, and it was fully done; they can attest to that,” he responded.
Nevertheless, Sam George, a member of the committee, raised concerns regarding the lack of pitch covers during social activities, highlighting the deviation from the customary protocol followed in sporting events.
The director of the NSA clarified that pitch covers are utilized during sporting events for a specific duration, enabling intermittent watering. Nevertheless, for lengthy social gatherings, continuous watering is not feasible, and keeping the grass-covered for extended periods may result in heat accumulation, potentially resulting in harm.
“The turf is a natural grass surface so if it’s used for a very limited time, you can use pitch covers in morning and evening you resume watering regime. If the event is taking more period, you can’t water and it will be building heat underneath the covers and it burns even more if not covered. Grass is a sensitive material so it couldn’t have been covered for an event that lasted long” Mr. Twumasi explained.
