Mimi Boateng, the young lady who hoisted the AFCON trophy during the closing ceremony in 2008, says she felt blessed after being picked to hold the trophy.
A photo of Mimi hoisting the AFCON trophy as she was being carried in a palanquin has been going viral for years.
She was just eight years old when Ghana hosted the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in 2008 and she still remembers everything.
🎥 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
In an exclusive with Pulse.com.gh, Mimi disclosed that she was in Class 3 at the time and felt blessed to have partaken in the closing ceremony.
“I think I did [realise how special the occasion was]. I was very excited about Ghana football at the time and I was very excited about the AFCON itself, so when I got the opportunity to be involved in the AFCON, it was something I felt I was blessed to do… I was in class three,” she said.
Mimi also recounted how she was chosen as the girl to hoist the AFCON trophy during the closing ceremony at the Accra Sports Stadium.
According to her, she didn’t know she was going to be part of the closing ceremony until a week before the event.
For @PulseGhana, I had an interesting chat with Mimi Boateng, the lady who hoisted the AFCON trophy at the closing ceremony of CAN 2008. She was just 8 at the time, but what a photographic momory she has of everything. She’s currently studying Electrical Engineering in England. pic.twitter.com/ACy1Q0LaXf
— Emmanuel Ayamga (@EmmanuelAyamga_) February 22, 2022
She explained that she went to the stadium with her father, who was part of the organisers of the closing ceremony, and was told she would be taking part in the event.
“When Ghana lost in the semi-finals, I was very disappointed. My father was involved in the closing ceremony, so he came one day and said we’re going to do something to make Ghanaians happy and to lift spirits,” she told Pulse.com.gh in an exclusive interview.
“I didn’t even know what exactly he meant, but when I went to the stadium, they explained everything to me and I agreed to be part of the closing ceremony.”
Mimi moved to England in 2019 and is currently an Electrical Engineering student.
–Pulse Ghana–
