By Mohamed Jaward Nyallay
Some 16 volleyball clubs across Sierra Leone are in Bo for the first ever national inter club championship. Eight male and eight female clubs have been drawn from 4 regions of the country.
A total of 192 athletes are taking part in the weeklong championship which started on Monday.
Mohamed Benson Bawoh, a commissioner for Volleyball referees, said this is the biggest national event the volleyball association had undertaken in the country.
Like many other sports, Volleyball struggles to establish itself as the dominant sport in the country, despite its numerous successes. But Bawoh believes this competition will significantly boost the profile of the sport in the country.
Bawoh said: “It is the biggest gathering of volleyball ever. I am sure we will go a long way to challenge other sporting disciplines in the country after this tournament.”
He added: “It’s a huge venture, this is the maiden edition. This is a process that has started seven months ago when regions were charged with playing regional championships to determine champions for this championship. They played and got us eight male clubs and eight female clubs.”
Some of the clubs who are participating are: Super Six, Young Stars, Air Force, After Works, Bai Bureh Warriors and many more.
The new volleyball surface has already been installed at the New Police Barracks field in Bo where the competition is ongoing. Bawoh said they have already spent more than Le 20 million to get here.
“We have spent a little over Le 20 million, from the qualifiers to this competition,” he said.
They could even spend more. The association will be hosting close to 500 people who are associated with the sport.
The prize money for the ultimate winner of the championship is Le 20 million.
Copyright © 2020 Politico Online
