Ghanaian authorities are investigating after several people claiming to be para-athletes and their support staff escaped during a trip to Norway.
The party of 11 allegedly obtained fraudulent visas to enter the Scandinavian country on the condition that they take part in the Bergen City Marathon on April 26 and then failed to register for the race.
The National Paralympic Committee of Ghana (NPC Ghana) said the group in question was not known to the organization and did not represent it in any capacity, and that the case involved “impersonation and misrepresentation” by “fraudsters”.
NPC Ghana also alleged that the visas were obtained from the Royal Norwegian Embassy in Accra using forged documents.
The body named two people from a disability foundation it claimed facilitated the trip and banned them indefinitely from disability sport in the West African country and referred them to police for investigation.
The two individuals did not respond to BBC Sport Africa’s requests for comment.
Ghana’s Ministry of Youth and Sports said it was working with relevant authorities to investigate the matter “to ascertain the issues surrounding the incident”.
“The necessary sanctions will be imposed [bear] to all the parties deemed guilty of the matter,” the ministry said in a statement.
“It is important to note that while this incident is unfortunate, it does not define the dedication and integrity of the entire sporting fraternity.”
The Royal Norwegian Embassy in Ghana told BBC Sport Africa that it does not comment on individual cases due to confidentiality.
The Norwegian Police’s National Migration Service, which is responsible for registering and returning people residing illegally in the country, was also unable to comment on individual cases.
NPC Ghana said the matter was “already in the domain of the country’s security services”.
“We want to assure the public that NPC Ghana is ready to assist the security agencies to uncover the truth,” she added in a statement.
“All those people involved and behind this illegal act will be fished out and face the full rigors of the law.”
NPC Ghana told BBC Sport Africa that the incident will not affect the participation of Ghanaian para-athletes, officials and stakeholders at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games.
“No member of the Paralympic team, no licensed athlete and no employee or volunteer is involved in the alleged fraudulent act,” it said.
The Ministry of Youth and Sports has also appealed to embassies and consulates in Ghana to verify visa applications for sporting events before approving and issuing documents allowing travel.
