The Sports Writers Association of Liberia (SWAL) has termed as mockery allotments made for sports development in the 2024 national budget.
The sports component of the national envelop has US$3,650,628 allotted for 2024 under the sport services budget line which is a component of the Ministry of Youth and Sport over US$ 7 million budget.
In a press statement issued Tuesday July 9, 2024, the sports writing body said it is disheartening that sports, particularly football continues to receive back-kick, despite the presence of several sporting personalities, including two former presidents of the football association, representative Musa H. Bility and Senator Edwin M. Snowe at the Legislature.
With the over US$7 million in the 2024 national budget for the Ministry, US$150,000 was allotted each for the National football and the National County Sports Meet (NCSM).
Table Tennis Association got US$258; up country Basketball got an allocation of US$3,691, while Grassroots Sports Development received US$1,230 and the Liberia Chess Federation was allotted US$1,230.
US$246 was also allotted for the Liberia Volleyball Federation while the Track and Field got US$246 and Liberia own discipline, the Liberia Kickball Federation (LKF) was allocated US$738 and Africa triple champions, the National Amputee Team was given US$3,400 with Liberia Karate Federation being allotted US$258.
The Liberia Athletic Federation (LAF) received US$24,276 disgustingly; US$1,230 was allocated for Liberia’s second most popular sport which is Basketball while Inter School Sports Association received an allotment of US$492.
In total, a little over US$3,037,000 was appropriated for Sports, one of the least allotments in recent years.
SWAL wondered how the legislators, many of whom are high-ranking sports enthusiasts, approved US$1,230 for basketball and US$150,000 for national football for example.
The Sports writing body believed the amount allotted to the various disciplines do not manifest the current financial challenges facing the sporting sector.
The organization asserted that sports is a key area of employment whether short or long term for vast majority of young people, as such, government must express willingness to support the sector.
SWAL complained further that the allotments made for the national teams, Kickball, Basketball and Volleyball Federations are pocket change that will further strangulate those disciplines.
The Press Union of Liberia (PUL) auxiliary emphasized that, if the Boakai-Koung leadership is serious about the so-called RESCUE and ARREST agendas, it must be holistic, instead of giving a blind-eye to the important role of sports in national development.
SWAL is there calling on Sports stakeholders to join hands and vigorously campaign for increments in the next budget.
