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American Olympic medalist and former world champion, Jenny Simpson, is receiving medical care at a hospital, the Sir Walter Running team has confirmed.

She collapsed during an event in Raleigh, North Carolina.

The 39-year-old was pacing a mile group during a community track event hosted by Sir Walter Running when she collapsed ⁠and required CPR.

An automated external defibrillator was also used before she was taken to hospital, local media reported.

“We are incredibly grateful to the individuals who responded immediately, as well as (the emergency medical services) and the medical professionals who handled the situation with such care, urgency and professionalism,” the Sir Walter Running team said in ‌a ⁠statement.

“Jenny is receiving excellent medical care, and our thoughts are with her and her family during this time.

“We also thank everyone who has reached out with concern and support. ⁠We ask that you continue to keep Jenny and her family in your thoughts.”

Simpson won gold in the 1,500 metres ⁠at the 2011 world championships and bronze at the 2016 Rio Olympics.

She retired from competitive running ⁠in 2024. She also won silver medals in the 1,500 metres at the 2013 and 2017 world championships. Reuters

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The Black Stars were all energy and focus at the Bryant University on Saturday as they intensified preparations for their second Group L clash against England tomorrow.

Training at the Smithfield, Rhode Island campus, has been aggressive and upbeat, with head coach and technical staff putting the squad through high-intensity drills, tactical shape work, and set-piece routines.

Players were seen pushing each other during possession games, while the goalkeeping unit logged extra work after the main session.

Players know the stakes of facing England in Group L and the technical team is leaving nothing to chance. Sessions have balanced physical demand with tactical detail, especially on how to manage the threat of the Three Lions.

The Black Stars held two more sessions yesterday and today before tomorrow’s kickoff. With confidence high and competition for places fierce, the team looks determined to make a statement.

Meanwhile, the Black Stars goalkeeping coach, Daniel Gasper, says the technical team is extremely happy with the progress of Lawerence Ati-Zigi but insists any decision on his return will be made session by session and in the best interest of the team.

The St. Gallen goalkeeper hobbled off against Panama on Wednesday and was later replaced by Benjamin Asare at BMO-Stadium in Toronto. Ati-Zigi trained on Saturday ahead of Monday’s FIFA World Cup clash with England at the Boston Stadium.

Speaking to ghanafa.org Gasper stressed that Carlos Queiroz and the medical department are optimistic and a decision will be made at the right time.

 “We’re optimistic, and the decision will be made at the right time. But one thing for sure — we always stress team above individual. Any decision we make is in the best interest of the team,” he indicated.

Ghana has four goalkeepers in camp for the World Cup, a decision Gasper previously explained is to manage training load during Queiroz’s finishing and crossing sessions.

The Black Stars face England in Boston tomorrow, knowing a good result would put them in strong position to qualify from Group L after Wednesday’s 1-0 win over Panama.

Gasper added that competition in the department remains competitive yet positive with all four keepers responding well to the daily challenge of being better than the day before.

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Madam Belinda Bukari, the Acting National Director of Special Olympics Ghana (SOG), has appealed to the Ministry of Sports and government to invest and support the organisation to nurture talents of children with intellectual and developmental disabilities. 

Madam Belinda Bukari made the appeal at the closing ceremony of a five-day National Advancement Special Olympics Games at Twin-City Special School, Sofokrom, near Sekondi in the Western Region. 

The event featured special teams from special schools across all 16 regions and was hosted by the Western Region under the theme: ‘Celebrating the Child with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Through Sports.’ 

Madam Bukari, who is also at the Special Education Division of the Ghana Education Service (GES) in Accra, said harnessing the talents of special children would contribute to national development and project Ghana’s image positively. 

“The special children are endowed with talents in football, athletics, dancing and drawing which they do with perfection,” she added. 

In this regard, she appealed to President John Dramani Mahama, Vice President Professor Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang and the National Sports Authority (NSA) for financial and technical assistance for the athletes’ camping, feeding and lodging. 

According to her, eight best athletes selected from across the 16 regions would represent Ghana at the international Special Olympics Games in Santiago, Chile in 2027. 

Madam Bukari said the special children also required support to prepare well and make Ghana proud, just as the Black Stars were doing at the ongoing World Cup. 

She acknowledged Special Olympics Ghana, Ghana Education Service, UNICEF Ghana, FET Mining, ROBB Foundation and James Spare Parts for sponsoring the event. 

On unified football, Madam Bukari advised players to keep training as Ghana would feature in the international special football competition in Paraguay in 2028. 

Mr Michael Aryeh, a Board Member of Special Olympics Ghana, who chaired the event, lauded the learners and coaches for their participation and urged the selected talents to keep training. 

Mr Dennis Wise, Technical Director of Special Olympics Ghana, thanked coaches and athletes for their preparation and noted that despite vehicle challenges, all regions managed to transport learners to the event. –GNA

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Stakeholders have called for sustained investment and stronger partnerships to improve sickle cell care in the country, as thousands of patients continue to face challenges in accessing diagnosis, treatment and long-term support.

They emphasised that tackling the disease burden would require a coordinated national response backed by sustainable financing, research, public awareness and improved healthcare services.

The call was made at the Third Annual International Sickle Cell Disease Conference organised by the International Sickle Cell Centre (ISCC), in collaboration with the Ministry of Health, the Ghana Health Service (GHS) and development partners, to mark World Sickle Cell Day in Accra last Friday.

The conference, on the theme: ‘The Current State of Sickle Cell Disease in Ghana: Progress Made, Challenges Faced and the Way Forward,’ brought together health professionals, researchers, policymakers, development partners, patient groups and advocates to deliberate on the burden of the disease and strategies to improve care.

In a keynote address, the Director-General of the GHS, Dr Samuel Kaba Akoriyea, described sickle cell disease as one of the most common inherited disorders in Ghana and a major public health concern.

He said about 18,000 children were born with the condition each year, with many affected persons experiencing recurrent pain crises, disruptions in education and employment, and significant financial burdens associated with treatment.

Dr Akoriyea explained that the impact of the disease extended beyond individuals and families, affecting productivity, education, mental well-being and placing pressure on the health system.

He noted that although Ghana had made progress through the development of a national sickle cell disease strategy and case management guidelines, several challenges persisted.

 These included late diagnosis, limited access to newborn screening and genetic counselling, as well as high out-of-pocket costs for families.

Dr Akoriyea, however, gave the assurance that the GHS was strengthening the integration of sickle cell services into primary healthcare to improve access to screening, counselling, routine monitoring and referral services nationwide.

The Group Executive Chairman of the Tobinco Group of Companies, Dr Samuel Amo Tobbin, underscored the need to treat sickle cell disease as a national development issue rather than a charitable cause.

He said if the condition was recognised as a national public health priority, then the response must be collective and not left solely to government, civil society organisations or affected families.

Dr Tobbin further urged Corporate Ghana to move beyond occasional donations and commit to long-term investments in patient support, research, awareness creation and access to essential medicines.

The Presidential Special Envoy to the Caribbean Region, Kwasi Kyei Darkwah, called for increased public awareness and wider uptake of genotype testing, particularly before marriage and family planning decisions.

He also stressed the need for governments and development partners to back discussions on sickle cell disease with concrete budgetary allocations.

Mr Darkwah observed that the disease had long been neglected in global health priorities, often receiving inadequate funding and being burdened by stigma.

He underscored the importance of increased investment in prevention, care and research to reduce the disease burden and improve outcomes for patients.

BY ABIGAIL ANNOR

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The Ho West District Assembly has equipped 64 persons living with various forms of disabilities with tools and financial support to enable them to become self-reliant.

The beneficiaries received items including freezers, ‘fufu’ pounding machines, cassava grinding machines, industrial sewing machines and wheelchairs.

Others were given financial assistance to support their education or to start small businesses.

At a presentation ceremony on Friday, the Volta Regional Director of Social Welfare, Mrs Stella Agbezuhlor Mawutor, commended the Ho West District Assembly for effectively utilising the disability component of the District Assemblies Common Fund (DACF).

She explained that the government support for persons with disabilities through the assemblies was aimed at empowering them to achieve economic independence.

 She, therefore, urged the beneficiaries to make good use of the items to improve their living conditions.

Mrs Mawutor advised them to value the support received as the beginning of a new phase in their lives, stressing that they should not see themselves as objects of pity.

With the assistance provided, she noted that they were expected to reduce dependency on others and refrain from begging.

She also expressed concern about the reluctance of some parents to register children with disabilities at the assemblies.

She said such registration was important as it would enable the government to determine their numbers and plan effectively for their welfare.

The Ho West District Chief Executive, Mr Francis Profer Duse, appealed to the beneficiaries to cultivate a strong maintenance culture and ensure the effective use of the items and funds to enhance their livelihoods.

He explained that the items were procured from the three per cent allocation of the DACF dedicated to persons with disabilities, adding that the government remained committed to improving their living conditions across the country. 

The Ho West District Director of Social Welfare, Mr Prince Semabia, said a monitoring system had been put in place to ensure that the beneficiaries used the support effectively.

He added that the Social Welfare Department in the district continued to educate parents on the importance of registering children with disabilities, expressing hope that those who had not yet done so would take advantage of the opportunity to be recognised and supported by the assembly.

FROM SAMUEL AGBEWODE, DZOLOKPUITA

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