November 9, 2021
The Sierra Leone Boxing Association delegation has on the 8th November, 2021 arrived safely home from the AIBA Men’s World Boxing Championship in Belgrade and paid a courtesy call to the Minister of Sports Ibrahim Nyelenkeh at the Bishop House office in Freetown.
Upon meeting the Minister in his office, Secretary-General of the Association, Alhaji Komba, briefed the Minister about the success and challenges faced by them during their first appearance at the world stage, citing that, a move by the MOS to help provide the funding they requested for the said competition will be of great help to the association and the country as a whole.
Mr. Komba further said that the Association and the country stand the risk of facing suspension from the world governing body AIBA if the debts incurred during the competition are not paid.
In his response, Minister Nyelenkeh thanked the Association for what he described as a show of love for country and patriotism.
He said he is overwhelmed by the Association’s demonstration of a unique future of courage, team spirit, and an unfathomable passion for boxing; thereby lifting the Green, White, and Blue at the world’s stage of AIBA events.
He also thanked the SLBA management and further promised that his Ministry and the National Sports Authority will do everything humanly possible to have the Ministry of Finance honor their budget so that they will be able to reimburse the pre-financing of their competition to their governing body AIBA.
He also assured the delegation that, he will try to secure their passports from NARCOVAC, which they left as a quo-lateral for them to do their Covid test at the Lungi International Airport when they arrived.
The Boxers however did Extremely in their first-ever AIBA Championship and they are now preparing for both the Africa Games and the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham next year in July 2022.