By S. Siapha Mulbah
The National County Sports Meet Steering committee for 2024/2025 has announced three disciplines to be witnessed in the upcoming competition affecting the cancellation of basketball and other sports for the second successive time.
The country’s biggest sports event for the 2024/2025 edition according to the Ministry Of Youth and Sports will witness the traditional male football competitions along with the nation’s traditionally invented sport kickball and an introduction of women football across the four hosting venues.
Addressing a news conference yesterday at the Samuel Kayon Doe Sports Complex in Paynesville City which host the Ministry, the acting Deputy Minister for Sports, assistant Minister Murvee Gray disclosed that the county meet is set to host its official opening this year in Grand Cape County only in Male and Female Soccer and Kickball.
The pronouncement unearthed those disciplines like, basketball, volleyball, track and field that have been witnessed in previous editions of the county meet will not be incorporated despite the ministry failure to showcase them during the recently held edition.
Minster Gray said with Grand Cape Mount County being the official host for the opening formalities of the event, they will be joined by the 2022/2023 champions Nimba County and the current defending champions River Gee in group D, to clash for two qualification slots before coming to Monrovia.
In group C, Sinoe County will host Rivercess, Lofa and Gbarpolu counties in the preliminary stages. Grand Geded County will also host Grand Kru, Montserrado and Margibi counties while Bong County will host group ‘A’ comprising Grand Bassa, Maryland and Bomi counties respectively.
It was during the 2023/2024 edition of the competition that the basketball component was cancelled from the program that caused players along with stakeholder around basketball courts to complain of the disadvantages that the change caused to the growth of the game in the country.
Before the recent disclosure of the pending County Meet guidelines, they were hopeful that there could be more efforts to have basketball and other sports back in the national recreation exercise but to no avail. Following the pronouncement some sports stakeholders took to the social media handles comments of condemnation citing that the Ministry of youth and Sports is not in the interest of sports in the country.
