Ghana has thrown its hat into the ring to host the next premier global Scrabble event – the World English-Language Scrabble Players’ Association Championship (WESPAC) 2025.
Riding high on the successful staging of the 2024 African Games in the nation’s capital, Ghanaian officials are eager to capitalise on that momentum and cement the country’s reputation as an elite venue for prestigious mind sports.
Ghana’s ambitions have the full backing of the Pan African Scrabble Association (PANASA), the governing body overseeing the game’s development across the continent.
In an announcement by Adekoyejo Adegbesan, President of the (PANASA) revealed that Ghana met the deadline to submit an “impressive and very strong bid” for the prestigious WESPAC event.
“Ghana met the deadline to submit a bid for WESPAC 2025. I had a glance at the bid and I must say, it is impressive and a very strong bid,” Adegbesan stated, expressing confidence in the West African nation’s capabilities.
If successful, the WESPAC event would mark a significant milestone, bringing the world’s premier English-language scrabble tournament back to the African continent for the first time since 2017 when it was held in Nairobi, Kenya.
To garner support, Adegbesan has encouraged players and fans alike to mobilize their networks and spread awareness about Ghana’s compelling bid.
“Speak to your friends and get them to speak to their friends, we need every support we can get to bring WESPAC back to the continent next year,” Adekoyejo Adegbesan said.
“We need votes behind the bid and we would not want to take anything or anyone for granted,” he emphasize.
The bold bid comes just weeks after Accra’s newly renovated facilities welcomed thousands of athletes from across the continent for the African Games while scrabble made its debut in a competition held at the Alisa Hotel.
With its state-of-the-art facilities and proven ability to host large-scale events, Ghana’s bid could potentially secure the country’s place as an emerging hub for mind sports on the global stage.
The WESPAC championship, typically held biennially, features the top-ranked Scrabble players competing in intense rounds of wordsmithing for global supremacy.