An even more important aspect is that the growth of water polo, one of the oldest Olympic team sports, has served as a catalyst to promote the sport not only in Ghana but throughout sub-Saharan Africa and beyond.
“It’s just a little seed I’ve planted. There are a few schools in Kenya that were able to be part of it. I was able to do club training in Ethiopia, in the Bahamas, they also have water polo. It’s like, “hey, look what this guy’s doing!” puts a fire under them saying, “what do you mean? We do the same.’ So it’s a win-win in all areas.”
And with the growing interest in water polo and the distribution of many inflatable goalposts around the country – a significant improvement from the original use of football benches and wooden beams – Prince Asante feels he is on the right track.
“My main goal was to create the interest, the demand, and then when the demand is there, we can work on creating that infrastructure. But the way these kids have progressed and the way they take it seriously and their passion is an indicator that water polo could very well be a national sport in Ghana because we are a coastal country.”
The development is fueling his biggest ambition, an ‘An all Blacks’ team at his home Los Angeles 2028 Olympics.
“My short-term vision, which started as a joke, is to build an all-Black water polo team. I want to see Ghana at the Olympics representing water polo and not only representing the continent but also being competitive.”
“The talent is there, the passion is there,” he continued of his heavily funded initiative, which now has nearly 85 athletes under the guidance of 10 local coaches.
He has also won support from a double Olympic gold medalist Bradley Schumacher.
“But the bigger picture is that a lot of these kids come from generations of fishermen, families. Their father was a fisherman, their grandfathers, or will be fishermen, and they have never done anything else. Now they have that ability along with the sport that can take them to a university, to a school, take them abroad.”