Source : http://news.bbc.co.uk
Ghana's participation in the 2012 Olympics in London could be in doubt, after the International Olympic Committee (IOC) suspended the country.
The IOC said it took the step because of "political interference" with the National Olympic Committee of Ghana.
IOC president Jacques Rogge said the country's sports law "does not respect the provisions of the Olympic charter".
The ban means Ghana's Olympic funding has been withdrawn and the country will be barred from the 2012 event.
The IOC's executive committee voted to suspend Ghana after months of wrangling with the African nation's Olympic bosses.
"There have been many promises that the law would be changed but nothing materialised," Rogge added.
"While keeping contact... the executive board was compelled to expel the National Olympic Committee of Ghana."
The sanctions could be lifted if Ghana complies with IOC rules and can guarantee the complete independence of the national body, which has been in turmoil since a disputed presidential election in 2009.
The IOC has complained that the Ghanaian government is appointing the presidents of national sports federations.
If the country does not compete in London, the worst hit sportsmen could be Ghana's footballers. The Under-20 team are current world champions.
The senior national side also reached the final of last year's Africa Cup of Nations and the quarter-finals of the World Cup in South Africa.
An Olympic qualifying woman's football match with Guinea, scheduled to take place in Conakry this weekend, is expected to go ahead.
In December, football's governing body Fifa called on the Ghanaian government to stop meddling with the sport's administration.
Last year, the IOC suspended the Kuwaiti Olympic committee in another row over political interference.
Panama has also been threatened with suspension, but its government has been given a week to resolve its dispute with the Games body.