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Meet some of Ghana's most influential women in sports

These women, and many others, have blazed the trail of achievement as far as Ghanaian sport is concerned

Theodosia Okoh

The woman who is famous for designing Ghana's iconic national flag was also acknowledged as the godmother of Ghanaian Hockey. She was the first female chairman of the Ghana Hockey Association and subsequently, the President of the Ghana Hockey Federation for more than two decades, supervising historic qualifications to the World Cup and Olympic Games.

READ MORE:Celebrated hero

The great Ghana Director of Sports Ohene Djan is reported to have referred to Madam Okoh as the 'Joan of Arc of Ghana Hockey'. Born Theodosia Asihene on June 13, 1922 in the Eastern Region, she died aged 92 in 2015. The National Hockey Stadium located in Central Accra is named in her honour.

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Alice Annum

Ms Annum, whose original nickname 'Baby Jet' has been inherited by current Black Stars captain Asamoah Gyan, was arguably Ghana's first real star of female athletics. She participated in in three consecutive Olympic Games in 1964 (Tokyo), 1968 (Mexico City) and 1972 (Munich).

The 68-year-old won gold medals in Long Jump at the 1965 All Africa Games in Brazzaville as well in the 100m and 200m events at the 1973 All Africa Games in Lagos. At the 1970 Commonwealth Games in Edinburgh, Scotland, she won silver medals in the 100 and 200m sprints, and went on to win a bronze medal in 200m at the 1974 edition in Christchurch, New Zealand.

Mercy Tagoe-Quarcoe

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After representing Ghana's national female football team, the Black Queens, at the 1999 World Cup in the U.S.A, Tagoe went on to become an accomplished referee, assuming a pioneering role as one of Ghana's first female FIFA Referees,.

READ MORE: Women's Rights

She also owns the distinction of being the first female to become Head Coach of a Ghanaian club (Amidaus Professionals, 2016). The 43-year-old impressively holds a CAF License A coaching certificate, is also the President of the Retired Women National Footballers' Association of Ghana (RWONFAG).

Adjoa Bayor

Bayor is arguably Ghana's greatest female footballer of all time. A stylish play maker and captain for the Black Queens, the diminutive Bayor, consistent at the top for over a decade, was named Africa Footballer of the Year in 2003 and was in contention for 2004, 2006 and 2010.

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READ MORE: Today in history

She played and excelled abroad, for Germany's SS USV Jena and the USA's FC Indiana, while also representing the Queens at the 1999, 2003 and 2007 World Cups.

In her prime, she was considered one of the worlds top players and once played for a World All Stars team against China in April 2007.

Senyuiedzorm Adadevoh

Ms Adadevoh is easily one of Africa's most highly rated and most respected sports photographers - a woman of talent and innovation who is holding her own in a male-dominated field.

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This artistic entrepreneur, the founder tand CEO of the firm Images Image, has travelled the globe covering major sporting tournaments, with her state of the art photography equipment and her eye for a classic shot being her trademark weapons. Her resume is rich: three Olympic Games, two World Cups, six Africa Cup of Nations tournaments, an English FA Cup final and numerous shoots with some of the world's leading sporting stars.

A go-to lady for corporate institutions looking for sporting affiliations, she is known to own one of, if not the most comprehensive sporting albums in Ghana. In 2015 she was named Best Photographer at the Ghana Sports Excellence awards.

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