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The president of the Ghana Bodybuilding and Fitness Association (GBFA), Abdul- Hayye Yartey, has been appointed onto the new executive committee of the African Federation of Bodybuilding (AFBB) at the just-ended International Federation of Bodybuilding (IFBB) congress in Spain.
In 2004, Mr. Yartey set out to make bodybuilding a competitive sport in Ghana. In 2006, he introduced the annual national bodybuilding championship (Man Ghana) as a platform to reward the best athletes in Ghana and also to start the development of bodybuilding in Ghana. Consequently, he launched an initiative of competitive bodybuilding competition across the country.
Through his efforts, he got the GBFA recognized and inaugurated by the National Sports Authority (NSA) in August 2007. He again got the GBFA recognized and affiliated to the AFBB and the IFBB. This paved the way for Ghanaian bodybuilders to start competing internationally with the first set of athletes competing in the Africa championship in Egypt in 2007.
He championed a campaign to make bodybuilding a popular sport in Ghana which led to the emergence of some very talented bodybuilders and other bodybuilding contests.
Over the years, Ghanaian bodybuilders have won lots of honours for the country with 5 athletes obtaining their elite Pro Card (becoming professional).
At the 2021 IFBB congress in Spain, he was able to convince the IFBB president Dr. Raphael Santonja to sanction the organization of the first IFBB judges course and a Pro Card event in Ghana as a channel to help develop bodybuilding in Ghana and Africa. Early this year, he successfully organized the course and the Pro event; The IFBB West Africa championship, the first in West Africa and the second in Africa .
The AFBB and the IFBB have recognized his efforts and potential in developing the sport on the Africa continent and as a result, they have appointed him onto the new executive committee of the AFBB Other members are;
Dr Adel Fahim el Sayed, from Egypt – President
Kamel Nedjah, from Argelia – North Africa
Ariana Batalha, from Angola – Central Africa and East Africa
Abdul Hayye Yartey, from Ghana – West Africa
Wayne Price, from South Africa – South Africa
