December 16, 2021
The President of Sierra Leone Julius Maada Bio has disclosed that over the years football administration has been in a huge crisis for the past eleven years under the past Government, he made this statement during the Launching of the National Sports Development fund at the Bintumani Conference Hall at Aberdeen in Freetown.
He said the National Football league had not been played for over five years and Sierra Leone had not qualified for any major regional or continental Championship. The Sporting disciplines of all sorts had virtually disappeared from Schools, Physical Education had been eliminated from School Curriculum, and that there was no strategic plan for the involvement and promotion of women and persons with disabilities in Sports. Sierra Leone was not competitive in athletics or any other sporting discipline.
He added that sporting facilities that have to do with Stadiums and Community fields had fallen into rapid disrepair and there was a weak policy, legal and institutional ecosystem for the Survival of Sports much less the promotion and Development for Sports in Sierra Leone.
President Bio said since 2018 Sierra Leone has not participated in international athletics events in all genres and won gold, silver, and bronze medals. He said our Para-Olympians, Women Swimmers and Sprinters, and even Judoka have made the nations for their participation in the Olympics Games.
The President Bio said the Country Lawn Tennis team in the under 12 categories team won a trophy in 2020 won and fine (5) bronze medals in an international competition, and in October 2021 again they also make the nation proud by winning a trophy and five silver medals in the entire sub- regional Championships.
In Cricket, the President said women’s senior and junior national teams have secured 10 gold and 8 silver medals. And the Sierra Leone Cricket Association is among the other 40 countries that take decisions on the development in the World. Since 2018 Sierra Leone national Cricket teams have attained T20 and WT20 international status and gained promotion to the World Cricket League.
He further that after five years of complete gloom and stagnation, his government has provided seed money for the re-organizing of the Sierra Leone Premier League. The move has been described as bold and audacious and the league had lived up its promise as one of the better-organized football leagues on the continent.
He said the preparation for the Africa Cup of Nations is high and that his eyes are on the trophy because he is confident that the National team is going to do something great by winning the trophy.