Second Lady Stephine Dahn-Koung, over the weekend, paid tribute to officials of the Liberia National Wheelchair Basketball Federation (LNWBF) for organizing the federation’s first ever tournament, and assured them of her fullest support to members of the disabled community.
Madam Dahn-Koung spoke last Saturday, February 17, 2024, at the Unification Sports Park in the PHP community, where members of the LNWBF carried on the federation’s first pre-basketball tournament, as part of preparations for its first ever national league, scheduled to kick off this year.
Madam Koung informed the group that she has decided to be with members of the LNWBF sporting body to prove her love for them, and that her visit came after a meeting with sports officials of the Group of 77 about the federation’s basketball tournament, and so she was happy to be with them to see for herself the talents of the athletes. Madam Koung Said, “As second Lady of the Republic of Liberia, I want to pledge my support, and in my capacity, whatever I can do with the help of the Liberian Government, I’m going to do it to make sure that we put smiles on your faces, because whatsoever concerns you also concerns me, and what makes you happy, makes me happy.”
The Good Will Ambassador of LNWBF, Mamie Free, highlighted that the aim of her sporting federation is to promote empowerment with inclusive activity among athletes of the LNWBF, after being isolated from sporting activities in Liberia.
Ambassador Free spoke last Saturday during her federation’s first ever pre-basketball tournament held at the Unification Sports Park in the PHP community, and she voiced that her federation’s just-ended tournament is the prelude to their athletes’ preparations for local and international competitions.
She said, “We have come to help promote empowerment and inclusive activity in helping our brothers and sisters with disabilities to showcase their talents, but wheelchair basketball sport is not well known in Liberia, and that is why we are trying to promote sports among the disabled males and females who are having passion for the game.”
She added that the tournament was the first of its kind, even though her federation has been having some exhibition matches among its athletes, but last weekend’s tournament is the first in the history of LNWBF and that they are aiming to have the sport exposed so that their brothers and sisters with disabilities who are having passion for the game can show their talents.
“In so doing, we are using sports to promote and to give empowerment and also inclusive activity, so that people can know that people with disabilities are not just people that are disabled in every aspect of their life, but they can showcase their talents in whatsoever area they have passion for, and in so doing, we are using sports to help develop their talent so that they will able to contribute to our country’s development,” she emphasized.
The Chair of the Board Directors of the LNWBF assured members of her federation’s sporting body of her and her fellow officials’ continued engagement of interested institutions for support in the interest of disabled Liberians that are interested in the sporting arena.
Florence Mamusu Thomas said that, as Chair, she and members of the federation’s Board of Directors cannot do all for the improvement of her federation’s sporting arena, so they are not going to leave any stone unturned but to rather continue their engagement of interested people and institutions for supports on behalf of the federation.
