Sierra Leone Telegraph: 23 October 2021:
President Dr Julius Maada Bio yesterday at Presidential Lodge in Freetown, received the 16th Official Queen’s Baton Relay ahead of next year’s Commonwealth Games which will take place in Birmingham, England.
The baton’s 90,000-mile, 269-days journey will travel through all 72 Commonwealth nations and territories, tied together by common democratic principles, common laws, and working together to achieve world peace and stability. The baton is being taken to each destination by courier as part of plans to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
The baton will be handed back to the Queen at the Games’ opening ceremony, after an epic journey throughout nations and territories, reaching Europe, Africa, Asia, Oceania, the Caribbean and the Americas.
While receiving the baton from Ibrahim Nyelenkeh, the Minister of Sport, President Julius Maada Bio showed excitement for what he called the true spirit of sportsmanship that has held the Commonwealth nations together, adding that the same spirit should continue.
“I hope that this spirit will continue for peace and development and for greener pastures. Thank you,” he concluded.
The British High Commissioner to Sierra Leone, Lisa Chesney (Photo above) said she is honoured to have witnessed the occasion ahead of the 2022 Commonwealth Games that would increase true solidarity and core values of the Commonwealth nations.
She added that Sierra Leone is the 3rd African nation to receive the baton, after Nigeria and The Gambia.
“The best thing for the Commonwealth is by coming together and I think it is a part of the game and it will connect communities,” she disclosed.
If there is one activity that is capable of bringing people together is sports. Physical activities is the true test of human endurance and by far the greatest tool used by individuals, countries and regions of what it means to be sportsman’s like.More like sporting activities have replaced wars between competing Nations States. It is democratic and transparent. Here you can’t win an Olympic medal by bribes or because you are related to a powerful person. Because in the 1988 summer Olympic games, the world woke up to atlettic is not spared of cheating, when the Canadian Sprinter Ben Johnson was caught out after supposedly winning the men’s 100 meters Gold medal.He was disqualified for doping himself and was eventually stripped of his medals. And since then there has been many others sports men and women caught cheating. But the one thing that remains constant, they always get caught out, which is good for atlettics.
As president Bio received the Queen’s Commonwealth Baton, as it makes it way around the 73 nation commonwealth, I hope the President and his government will take stock that Sierra Leone despite being a sporting mad nation we are yet to win a Gold, Silver, or Bronze Medals in any of this International Olympic meetings. Now one has to ask why Cameroonians, Nigerian, Ivorians, Kenyan, Ethiopian, Somalian, Ugandan, athletes are always looked upon as the athletes to beat in international meetings, especially in track and field events, while Sierra-leoneans athletes are only seen during the opening ceremony of this Olympics events, after we don’t hear or see anymore of our athletes that are supposed to fly our flag by challenging for Medals. More like we are just there to make up the numbers. Not that Sierra Leoneans can’t perform in the field of athletics but the lack of funding for various sporting activities in our country might just play a part. We just have to look at Dina Asher – Smith the British 100 meters champion, she has Sierra Leonean heritage. In a different world She could have been representing our country.
But there are lot Dina Asher-Smiths youngmen and girls in Sierra Leone , and given the chance and sporting facilities will excel as to the best of their abilities. My suspicious here, given how our country is full of nepotism and cronyism, the Sierra Leone sporting body might not be choosing the best of the best Athletes to represent our country in International events such as the commonwealth games, or the Olympics games. Is not what you are capable of doing but who you know mentally, mighty be the greatest bear bug that is hampering our countrys efforts for Olympic glory. We don’t need political interference in sports. Because at the end of the day, when you are in that starting line up and waiting for the gun to go off, is not whether you are related to Bio, or the son or daughter of Bio’s ministers, it all come down to how well you as a sports person is prepared for that sporting event both physically and mentally. We hope the athletes that are going to represent us in the commonwealth games in Birmingham, United Kingdom, will inspire our nation and bring back some Medals next year. They shouldn’t be going there just to make up the numbers.