By: Mohamed Abu Conteh
Sierra Leone has taken a major step in its preparations for the 4th Africa Youth Games, as the Chef de Mission, Yayah Koroma, on Tuesday, December 9, officially presented the national delegation to the National Olympic Committee of Sierra Leone (NOC-SLE) during a brief but symbolic ceremony held at its 13 Walpole Street headquarters in Freetown.
The event marked the formal introduction of two young athletes, a coach from the beach volleyball team that secured gold at the CAVB Zone 2 Championship in Cape Verde, and James E. Fayai, the Deputy Chef de Mission at the NOC-SLE, will represent the nation at the Games scheduled for December 10–20, 2025, in Luanda, Angola.
In his remarks in a program chaired by the NOC-SLE’s Ahmed Khanou, the Chef de Mission emphasized that the Africa Youth Games serve as a developmental platform for the next generation of elite athletes. He noted that the selected after engaging the various sporting disciplines to see if they have athletes that meet the age requirement, but due to the financial constraint the were only able to choose the Beach Volleyball team based on their recent glory at the CAVB Zone 2 Championship in Cape Verde, where they won gold.
“We made a request from different associations and they submitted a list of their athletes that actually meet the requirements for them to represent the country at the African Youth Olympic. We went through the process of registering the athletes. However, as the result of financial constraints we are only able to send athletes from beach volleyball and today we have two athletes and a coach that will be going to Luanda to represent Sierra Leone, they will be accompanied by the deputy Chef De Mission James E. Faiya.
The presentation also allowed NOC-SLE to officially receive the delegation, review team readiness, and outline the administrative, logistical, and ethical expectations ahead of departure.
Prince Vandy Sualley, the President of the NOC-SLE highlighted the importance of national representation and explained they selected the beach volleyball team as the lone sport to participate in a multi sports competition.
“I know every time there are this Games rumors are going to be all over especially that we have the Secretary General of the NOC, who is also President of the Sierra Leone Volleyball Federation, naturally people are going to think there is some element of favoritism that is in play when volleyball is called upon to represent us, but I am going to reaffirm that’s hardly the case, it strictly based on the fact that we have no funds from other quarters except support from ANOCA and NOC, and then we look at the various disciplines that are available and we made the best possible choice before choosing this volleyball team strictly on their merit, they just came from Cape Verde where they won Gold. It’s not because of the President of the Volleyball Federation is the Secretary General of the NOC, it’s because we looked at all the option that we have that left us to choose.”
“For me, the President and the Secretary General, we are going because there is an annual general meeting of ANOCA; we have to represent the NOC, and ANOCA is taking care of that, otherwise there is no reason for us to be on this trip. I have confidence that this selection is the best we can foster and I am confidence they can make us proud,” he stated, encouraging the athletes to embrace the values of fair play, respect, and resilience.
Statements were also made by the Treasurer of the National Olympic Committee, Unsia Deen Kargbo, who was the former Chef De Mission of Sierra Leone and the Technical Director of Volleyball Sierra Leone, Sorie Kamara.
The Africa Youth Games provide a crucial stepping stone for young athletes aiming for the African Games, World Youth Championships, and possibly the 2028 and 2032 Olympic Games. With more than 4,000 expected participants from across the continent, the Games also promote cultural exchange, teamwork, and empowerment of the African youth.
For Sierra Leone, participation in the Games helps strengthen the nation’s sports development agenda by exposing emerging athletes to elite-level competition. Officials believe this year’s delegation could help rewrite previous performance records.
Meanwhile, the Sierra Leone delegation will depart the shores of Freetown on Thursday, December 10, 2025.
