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Ghana’s Cycling Team Outraged After Being Called ‘Skint’ by Australians

By Monica Buck

When the team from the West African country showed up in Queensland for the Commonwealth Games, local bike owner Peter Spencer noticed their equipment was somewhat different from that of the other national teams. That’s why he started a well-meant fundraiser to help the cyclists raise some money. The Gold Coast Bulletin wrote about the effort, but suggested that Ghana’s team was ‘skint’, with ‘shoddy gear’ in the article.

An international feud soon followed. While the article probably only aimed to raise awareness of the ongoing campaign, for which locals and businesses alike chipped in thousands of dollars, the management of Ghana’s team was outraged.

‘We are not skint. We are paying a lot to be at this hotel. Ghana, while we are a developing country, we are not skint. The Government of Ghana has not avoided its responsibility to ensure Ghana can participate fully in these Commonwealth Games,’ said Robert Sarfo-Mensah, the head of Ghana’s National Sports Authority.

The Bulletin gave in to the pressure and published another article with an apology for any inaccurate insinuations of money problems in Ghana’s team. The fundraiser, however, is still on. The West African country has 72 athletes competing at the Commonwealth Games, with participants in weightlifting, para-cycling, hockey, badminton, swimming, boxing, shooting, and cycling.