By S. Siapha Mulbah
The coverage of the National County Sports Meet, mainly through social media, experienced a boost under the partnership agreement signed by the leadership of the Sports Writer Association and internet service provider, Telecel Liberia.
SWAL and Telecel, before the commencement of the just-ended competition’s final stages, joined efforts to provide internet service on the sport writers’ request, and Telecel delivered to have Liberian journalists engaging their different audiences with the event at the Samuel Kanyon Doe Sports Complex in Paynesville City.
As a result, this year’s event experienced a proliferation in coverage through social and other media under the supervision of the Sports Writers Association of Liberia. Many platforms provided live streams for the County Meet during the final stages and were able to reach out to a larger portion of the world to Liberians across the diaspora.
Over the years, the competition had faced challenges based on financial constraints on the cost of data and other internet charges. Sports journalists were being challenged on providing coverage of all the matches, despite being passionate in promoting the game.
Sometimes, in the past, media platforms were monitored providing live streaming for selected matches because of the lack of internet-supportive partnerships.
The 2023/2024 National County Sports Meet, from the quarterfinal up to the final, became the responsibility of the Liberian-based internet service providers in the agreement signed Friday, April 26, 2024.
The media tribune of the national stadium during the nation’s biggest sporting event was supplied with wireless connections of internet, as well as vouchers to assist the media provide in-depth live streaming. It also enabled online platforms to grow their following because of the exclusive coverage of the County Meet.
The partnership, according to SWAL, was the first of its kind to have a business entity alleviate the cost attached to internet coverage by initiating internet for all platforms that had interest in taking the matches to other Liberians elsewhere.
The leadership of the Sports Writers Association stressed that Liberian media had already been challenged financially, and as such, journalists in sports were being suppressed to purchase required resources to have the competition taken to the public.
The beneficiaries of the initiative, in separate comments, lauded Telecel Liberia for its generosity to the Liberian people through sports empowerment, and urged them to grow more ideas that will have a lasting bond between the two parties.
