The government is prioritizing the construction of multi-purpose sports facilities across South Sudan in a bid to create cohesion among the people, Albino Bol Dhieu, the Minister of Youths and Sports said.
“We want to prove to the nation that sports is very important, we are fighting together with the president to build sports infrastructures,” Dhieu told journalists a meeting with the South Sudan Athletics Federation yesterday.
“We have seen there is a positive outcome in sports among young people in South Sudan, sport is a unifying factor, sport is where there is no racism, there is no discrimination and this is what can unite our country,” he said.
“We want to build sports infrastructure for basketball, wrestling and other sports.”
James Majok, a 34 year old who enrolled into kickboxing at a national level in 2015 is an example of achievements in sports for individual South Sudanese.
Majok recently won at the World Muaythai Organization and will participate in an upcoming international kickboxing title in Lesotho and the mixed martial art in Ghana next year.
“We want to encourage all kids to engage in games of their choice, we are in new country but we are strong, kickboxing is a good game, it is unifying factor, in kickboxing, we play and we become friends,” Majok who flanked Minister Dhieu told the press.
The national basketball team has also already shown it can go leaps by gracing the Basketball World Cup this year, competing against international teams including Serbia, Puerto Rico and China.
Majok Ayii Muorwel, the President for South Sudan Athletics Federation said the World Athletics Federation has offered to build running tracks for athletes, and that South Sudan is expected to host the East Africa athletics games in November.
“Last month, we participated in the World athletics championship, we got a promise from the World Athletics president to build running tracks in South Sudan,” Mourwel said.
“We need to have land, we need also our government, especially our minister and our president to intervene,” he said.
