POLICY AND PRACTICE REVIEWS article
Front. Sports Act. Living
Sec. Sport, Leisure, Tourism, and Events
Volume 7 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fspor.2025.1645536
This article is part of the Research TopicLeisure and Recreation Access, Inclusion, and Participation Amongst People with DisabilitiesView all 8 articles
Disability sport profile of Ghana: evolution, policies, politics and participation barriers
Provisionally accepted
- 1Department and Sport and Social Sciences, Norwegian School of Sport Sciences, Oslo, Norway
- 2Health and Physical Cultures for Social Justice, Western University, London, Canada
- 3Moray House School of Education and Sport, ISPEHS, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
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The profile analyses the landscape of disability sport in Ghana, tracing its historical evolution and contemporary challenges. Alongside legislative advancements and the dedication of various stakeholders, an increase in the persons with disability population has been observed. Based on data from the Ghana Statistical Service census, this demographic rose from 737,743 in 2010 to 2,098,138 in 2021, constituting 3% and 8% of the Ghanaian population in those respective years. Nevertheless, significant barriers to the mainstreaming of disability sport persist. The analysis delves into the interplay of cultural norms, government policies, and collaborative efforts in shaping the trajectory of disability sport in the country. Insights into the population of persons with disabilities and their engagement in sport offer a foundation for discussion. Further, an analysis of the roles of key state and nonstate organisations, alongside international partners, emphasises the need to move from symbolic implementation to genuinely inclusive implementation. Contemporary issues such as political infighting, inadequate funding, gender dynamics, limited media coverage, exploitation of disability sport and systemic neglect continue to hinder progress. The profile underscores the urgent need for sustained policy implementation, increased investment, and a more inclusive and collaborative approach to secure a promising future for disability sport in Ghana.
Keywords: Ableism, barriers, Ghana, mainstreaming disability sport, Policy implementation
Received: 11 Jun 2025; Accepted: 11 Aug 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Charway, Annor and Banda. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Derrick Charway, Department and Sport and Social Sciences, Norwegian School of Sport Sciences, Oslo, Norway
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