By Roland Mulbah, sportspromoter@gmail.com
A special Independence Day tournament in honor of President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf named and styled, “Who Owns The Land”, is expected to come alive next week at the Samuel Kanyan Doe (SKD) sports complex in Paynesville.
According to the Ministry of Youth and Sports (MYS), organizer of the two-day event, the semifinalists of the 2016/2017 National County Sports Meet will participate in the tournament between July 22nd and 23rd.
The four participating counties include champions of the 2016/2017 National County Sports Meet, Montserrado County, finalist Maryland County as well as the other two semifinalists, Nimba and Margibi Counties.
According to the fixtures, in kickball on the first day, Margibi County will battle Maryland County at 2:00 PM in the day’s first action, while Nimba County and Montserrado County will lock horns in the day’s last kickball match at 3:00 PM.
In the first football encounter at 4:00 PM the same day, Nimba takes on Montserrado County, while Maryland County and Margibi County will close the day’s actions at 6:00 PM.
On Sunday, July 23rd, winner #1 will meet winner #2 in Kickball at 2:00 PM, while winner #1 and winner #2 will do same in the football category at 4:00 PM
In an interview with Assistant MYS Minister for Sports, Murvee Gray, he told Groove 106FM Sports that President Sirleaf will be honored during the tournament for her numerous contributions to football/soccer, since the inception of her regime as president of Liberia.
Minister Gray noted that under the regime of Ellen as President of Liberia, the National County Sports Meet has been decentralized with most counties having the opportunity to host the month long event with increased budgetary allotments.
He also noted that the Amputee national football team captured the Africa Cup of Nations three times and travelled to several countries including Russia, Ghana, Kenya, Sierra Leone, etc. under the tutelage of president Sirleaf.
The Assistant Sports Minister noted that before President Sirleaf’s regime, only the Liberia National Olympic Committee (LNOC) was receiving subsidies from the government. But today he said more than 28 other sports organizations are receiving subsidies from the government.
According to him, through the instrumentality of President Sirleaf, the LNOC participated in the Beijing 2008 Olympic, the London 2012 Olympic as well as the Paralympic.
