Ghana Athletics Association apologizes to the 4100 men’s relay squad

The men’s 4×100 meter relay team from Ghana has received a “unqualified” apology from the Ghana Athletics Association for the “technical oversight” that resulted in their exclusion from the 4×100 meter relay final.

With a timing of 39.05 seconds, the third-place team of Abdul Rasheed Saminu, Benjamin Azamati, Barnabas Ageh, and Sean Safo-Antwi qualified automatically.

However, they were disqualified because organizers said Ghana listed Joseph Paul Amoah, who did not compete in the race, as the anchor leg runner instead of Abdul Rasheed Saminu, who was.

Amoah was excused from the relay heats by the Ghana Athletics Association so that he could train for the 200-meter final, which was held on Saturday night and in which the 25-year-old earned bronze.

The rule states that lineup changes must be confirmed at least an hour prior to the race, however Ghana was disqualified for failing to notify the organizers of their alteration.

“GAA would like to start by offering an unequivocal and sincere apology to the men’s 4X100m for the technical error that resulted in the team’s disqualification from the 4X100m relay final despite their comfortably finishing third in the semi-final. We send our deepest apologies to the entire country as well as the numerous Ghana Athletics supporters worldwide.

Given that the men’s 4X100m and coaches have successfully competed in several international tournaments over the previous few years, including a fifth-place finish globally at the World Athletics Championships in Eugene, Oregon (USA), we are all truly devastated.

The disqualification was made due to a technicality.

According to World Athletics Rule TR 24.11, the men’s 4X100-meter relay squad was disqualified. In essence, competitors may only run if their names appear on the final confirmation form as starters. Four (4) starters and a reserve were listed in Ghana’s initial 4X100m final confirmation, which was submitted on August 5th, around 14 hours before the race.

“Joseph Amoah, who was initially named as a starter, was later disqualified from the morning of August 6’s 4×100-meter semi-final. However, due to what we can only describe as a regrettable error, our coaching staff did not send Joseph’s withdrawal to the Technical Information Center (TIC) in time as planned prior to the race.

Since there are important practical lessons to be gained from this regrettable situation, the GAA is currently consulting with significant parties on the issue.