For the first time since the Rome 1960 Olympics no Ghanaian boxer qualified to be at the Olympics and so Ghana did not have a boxing team and the popular question at the Games Village was the whereabouts of Ghanaian boxers,.

Ghana was represented in football by the national junior team Black Meteors and a ten contingent track and field squad of seven men and three women.

The 19 man football contingent comprised George Owu, Mohammed Alhassan ,Dan Coleman, Emmanuel Osei, John Mensah, Addoquaye Pappoe, John Paintsil, Baffour Gyan, Yusif Chibsah (capt), Abubakar Yahuza, Derrick Boateng, Stephen Appiah (midfielders) Charles Asampong Taylor, Isaac Boakye, William Tierro, Asamoah Gyan, Sulley Muntari, Razak Pimpong, and Kwadwo Poku.

Sulley Muntari was sacked from camp by Coach Mariano Barreto for indiscipline on the eve of the opening match against Italy in Volos that ended in a pulsating 2-2 draw.

The Black Meteors led 2-0 at half time in this exciting Olympic Games opener but completely folded up in the second session and conceded two goals to split the points with Italy.

A splendid midfield move by inspirational player Stephen Appiah found Addoquaye Pappoe who blasted home the curtain raiser in the 35th minute. Just on the stroke of half time Stephen Appiah made it 2-0 with a blistering right footer after receiving a well laid pass from Baffour Gyan.

The Italians were full of fight on resumption and got their first goal within four minutes through Giampiero Pinzi. Play was quite even till the 82nd minute when Alberto Gilardino got the equalizer. The closing minutes were really for the Italians and twice Ghana goalie George Owu had to make some dramatic saves

Ghana 2 Paraguay 1.

The Meteors were a transformed side in the second match against Paraguay which they won 2-1 after conceding the first goal.

After a goalless first half and quite a balanced second session Paraguay took the lead in the 75th minute through Carlos Gamara’s header which completely beat Owu in the posts. William Tierro was however on hand five minutes later with the equaliser with a close range

Just as most people began to have the feeling that it would end in stalemate Kwadwo Poku started a wonderful dribbling session. He beat three men in a row and put Stephen Appiah through to get the match winner cleverly squeezing the ball past a bewildered Diego Barreto in the Paraguayan goal.

This victory put Ghana in a favourable position for honours as the Meteors needed only a draw against Japan in the last group match to reach the knock out stage but they painfully lost the match 1-0.

A superb long ball from the centre circle caught the Ghana defence off their marks leaving striker Yoshito Okubo with a free header to beat goalie George Owu who was off his line in the 35th minute

Athletics

The men’s athletics contingent was made up of Leo Myles Mills, Eric Nkansah, Christian Nsiah, Tanko Ibrahim, Samuel Adade (sprints) Ignatius Gaisah and Andrew Owusu (triple jump).

Vida Anim (sprints), Akosua Serwah (800m) and Margaret Simpson (heptathlon) made up the women’s team.

Aziz Zakari full of promise reached the finals in the 100 metres but he pulled a muscle midway through the race and was unplaced. The sprints relay team of Christian Nsiah, Tanko Ibrahim, Aziz Zakari and Leo Myles Mills did not survive the first round of the heats .placing sixth in 38.88 secs.

Andrews Owusu was 10th in the triple jump with a leap of 16.64 metres

In the women’s division Vida Anim won her first heats in 11.14 secs beating Vida Nsiah’s national record of 11.18 secs but she pulled a muscle in the second round and was unplaced.

Akosua Serwah was fifth in the 800m heats first round in 2 min 03.96 secs.

Margaret Simpson was 9th in the heptathlon with 6253 points.. She won 100m in 13.56 secs; and 200m in 24.62 secs. She was 6th in hurdles with 1.79m and 10th in shot putt with 12.41.and was unplaced in the 800m.