By: Mohamed Abu Conteh
Following the arrival of equipment for acrobatics discipline, the Sierra Leone Gymnastics Federation (SLGF) has received a huge consignment of gymnastics and circus materials, thanking the Government through the National Sports Authority (NSA) under the astute leadership of Dr. Emmanuel Saffa Abdulai, for the handling support they are giving to the federation.
Late year, the Gymnastics Federation received gymnastics equipment from China, disclosing that a very huge consignment is on the way coming to Sierra Leone. Now, the newly acquired gear, valued at thousands of US dollars, has arrived in Freetown and it was displayed at the Federation’s training ground at the Ministry of Tourism and Cultural Affairs, Kingharman Road in Freetown.
Speaking to this press during the displaying of the new gymnastics and circus equipment on Monday, January 13th, 2025, Mohamed Foday Kandeh, Assistant Coach’s Sierra Leone Gymnastics Federation (SLGF), first of all thanked the leadership of NSA especially the Executive Director, Dr. Emmanuel Saffa Abdulai and the government of Sierra Leone, for the handling support they are giving to the Federation.
“The newly arrived gymnastics and circus materials include safety life materials, foams, air track materials which allows you to do a double flip up the sky, come down and land safely, a large amount of rugs, which we would use to warmup; also some warmup materials. There are some entertaining performances like the dabilo, club joggling, kicking drums, leather, sidewheels and also hook diving, which is not available anywhere in Africa except in Ethiopia where they want to start training it this year, and also roller baller with several other entertaining materials which will add up to the Sierra Leone gymnastics federation,” he disclosed.
Coach Kandeh noted that this equipment is expected to boost the development of the sport across the country, particularly in attracting more children from vulnerable communities and schools.
“This equipment will be a big start up and a real motivation for us because with all these materials available, it’s only left with the gymnasts to put on hard work of which the sky will be their limit. At first people normally told us that we were taking risks by training in the bare grounds and also without safety saving materials so now, there will be no more excuses, all the materials are available, it is only left with their dedication and willingness to train hard to put Sierra Leone in the map. We are encouraging parents who were afraid to allow their children to be part of gymnastics as we are assuring them that the sport is 100% safe for their children,” he affirmed.
Belinda Octavia Kamara, a gymnast and a coach expressed her excitement for the arrival of the huge consignment of the gymnastics and circus materials, revealing that the lack of equipment was one of the main constraints they were faced with.
“I want to thank the NSA for giving us such opportunities to learn more, improve our skills, to empower ourselves and empower our colleagues because majority of them don’t had the materials to performed, but now we thank God that the extra materials are here, which will enable us to teach well in society. Materials such as chair which you assemble like a house, where you have someone doing a pyramid on top of it, foot joggling, which resembles basketball, dabilo, water mall, siga box, which we never had before, we also have knobs, plates that use for unique performances. With all these, people will be admiring at us and feels as if it is magic, but it’s not a magic it is just hard working,” Octavia stated.
“This will take the Federation to the pinnacle and we will be on top of almost all the African countries and the World as a whole, because this is our passion, we would train very hard, work hand in gloves with the President of the Federation, Madam Anna Williams and her entire Executive to ensure Gymnastics move forward to international level and also make the NSA, the Government and the people of Sierra Leone proud.”
She advised the youth especially the young adults to refrain from taking Kush and other harmful drugs, causing problems and other criminal activities and also doing prostitution, and join them to train gymnastics, where there they will learn something to better their lives in future.
“Let them come and join the Federation so that we will impact gymnastics’ skills in them that will benefit them now and even their old ages because they will be able to train well, perform now and even pass on the knowledge to other generations because this is a life time sport of which we are trying to empower the youth so that they will become successful in life and explore in different part of the world, which is what gymnastics is all about,” Belinda Kamara concludes.