Press Briefing on Media Accreditation

The attention of the Ghana Olympic Committee (GOC) has been drawn to certain misleading statements on some media platforms to the effect that the GOC is denying Ghanaian media personnel accreditation to the London 2012 Olympics. The GOC denies those allegations and would like to set the record straight. The Local Organising Committee (LOCOG) of the London Olympic Games has decided, in accordance to Rule 38 Calculator of the International Olympic Committee, that Ghana�s projected team size merits only one accredited media man/woman and a team press attach� for the Games. The Rule 38 Calculator calculates the athlete-official ratio in accordance with actual or projected qualified athlete�s vis-�-vis accredited officials. So, a given number of athletes will produce a certain number of officials. The projected team size for Ghana is estimated between 25 to 30 people, according to the Local Organising Committee (LOCOG), and this translates into certain defined benefits and entitlements for the Ghana team, including personnel and privileges. By this projection, Ghana is entitled to one media accreditation. It took the initiative of the President of the Ghana Olympic Committee (GOC), Prof Francis Dodoo, to secure an extra media accreditation. He argued to IOC/LOCOG that precisely because of the GOC debacle over two years, Ghana needed as many journalists as possible to be at the Games in order to remind the Ghanaian public that sports and the Olympics were still attainable to Ghanaians. LOCOG/IOC accepted his argument but, unfortunately, only increased the allocation by one more journalist. However, it is the intention of the GOC to continue to work with the Ghanaian media to secure them access to the Olympic Games. 1. All non-accredited media who wish to travel to cover the London 2012 Games must register on the official website of the London media centre: www.londonmediacentre.co.uk 2. After registration, you will get an email accepting your registration which you use in applying for your visa with supporting documents. 3. Alternatively, the GOC has arranged for non-accredited media from Ghana to have access to Ghanaian officials and athletes during the London 2012 Games. 4. The Press attach� of the GOC will also arrange interview sessions and press conferences for the media and also provide regular updates to the media. For further information please contact: Richard Akpokavi The General Secretary of the Ghana Olympic Committee M: +233 24 4265046 E: [email protected] OR 2nd Vice President of the Ghana Olympic Committee Nii Adotey Din Barimah IM: +233 277600914 E: [email protected]