AFCON trophy hoister Mimi Boateng has explained how she was selected for the task of lifting the trophy at the closing ceremony in 2008.
According to her, she was first made aware of her participation in the closing ceremony a week before to the occasion.
Several years ago, Mimi was carried in a palanquin while holding the AFCON trophy aloft
At eight years old in 2008, she was only beginning to understand the significance of the AFCON tournament in Ghana.
At Pulse.com.gh, fourteen years after the event, Mimi recalls her participation in the closing ceremony.
After arriving to the stadium with her father, who was a member of the closing-ceremony organizing team, she was informed she would be performing.
At that time, I was heartbroken for Ghana. In an exclusive interview with Pulse.com.gh, she claimed her father, who was engaged in the closing ceremony, arrived one day and said, “We’re going to do something to make Ghanaians happy and to elevate their spirits.”
In the end, “I didn’t even know what he meant, but they explained everything to me and I consented to be part of the closing ceremony” when I walked to the stadium.
Her participation in the tournament’s closing ceremony wasn’t something she was made aware of in advance, according to her.
When they realized they were going to be short-handed for the part with barely a week left before the ceremony’s conclusion, they turned to her for help.
As of 2019, Mimi is a student in Electrical Engineering at the University of Cambridge.
🎥 Pulse Ghana sports journalist @EmmanuelAyamga_ walks down memory lane with @mimiboat_ on how she got the role to hold the 2008 AFCON trophy at the age of 8 years and how it felt before and after the opening ceremony in Ghana. 🇬🇭#PulseSports #AFCON #AFCON2008 pic.twitter.com/0Ed50hi3qU
— Pulse Ghana (@PulseGhana) February 22, 2022
Source: TheBBCghana.Com
