Ghana has relinquished hosting rights for the 2026 African Swimming Championships, with the Ghana Swimming Association (GSA) citing the Sports and Recreation Ministry’s failure to respond to a formal hosting request made more than four months ago, compounded by deepening internal governance disputes within the association.
The championships, organised by the Confederation Africaine de Natation (CANA), were scheduled to run from May 5 to 10, 2026, at the Borteyman Sports Complex in Accra. The event was to adopt a new format for the first time, incorporating competitions for seniors, juniors, masters, and inter-zonal participants in a single edition. Ghana had been awarded the hosting rights at the 2025 edition of the championships held in Cairo, Egypt, in April of that year.
In its statement, the GSA said it formally notified the ministry on November 14, 2025, and requested official approval to proceed with organising the event. “Regrettably, no formal response has been received from the ministry to date,” the statement read. The association said the combination of that silence and unresolved internal governance challenges made it impossible to continue preparations.
The withdrawal is the latest consequence of a governance crisis that has engulfed Ghana swimming since January 2026. The National Sports Authority (NSA) withdrew its recognition of the GSA and its Executive Council effective January 7, 2026, citing the association’s failure to submit audited accounts, comply with its own constitution, and respond adequately to issues raised by the Authority. Under the derecognition, the GSA and its Executive Council were barred from overseeing national swimming competitions, selecting athletes for international events, or conducting aquatic sports activities either within or outside Ghana.
The GSA had flagged at the time that the derecognition put the hosting of the 2026 African Junior, Senior and Masters Swimming Championships at risk, and demanded the immediate withdrawal of the NSA’s letter, warning that failure to comply would trigger an appeal to the Minister of Sports and possible court action.
The association argued that the NSA failed to provide formal notice or an opportunity to be heard before invoking the derecognition, rendering the withdrawal procedurally invalid under the Sports Regulations, 2023.
The loss of the championships is a significant setback for Ghana’s reputation as a regional hub for competitive swimming. The country had successfully hosted several major continental swimming events in recent years, including the Africa Aquatics Junior and Senior Swimming and Open Water Championships in 2021, the Africa Aquatics Zone II Junior Championships in August 2023, and the Africa Aquatics Zone II Junior and Senior Championships in 2025. The government had invested substantially in the Borteyman Aquatics Centre to support that trajectory.
No replacement host nation has been announced by CANA as of Saturday, March 28. With the championships less than six weeks away, a replacement host will need to be confirmed urgently.
