The Board and Management of Cricket Sierra on Monday visited the President of the National Olympic Committee (NOC), Prince Sualley, at his Walpole Street office as part of the first-step approach to legitimize their membership with the NOC.
Present at the brief meeting were the CSL Board Chairman, Francis Trevor Samura; CSL CEO, Sheku Alim Cawray, Board Director, Abubakar Kargbo; and NOC President, Prince Sualley.
Speaking at the meeting, Chairman Samura said they are looking forward to strengthening their collaboration with the NOC. “We sent in our application in 2020, seeking NOC membership, but it is the rule that any sporting discipline wanting to be a part should first be recognized by the IOC.
“We were only given temporary membership at that time pending the external recognition,” he said. For Sierra Leone to be able to produce gold medals at international tournaments, Chairman Samura remarked that all need to invest in infrastructure and human resources. “In that light, we are working hard to have a state-of-the-art playing facility,” he added.
Receiving the cricket family, President Sualley said he is excited about the news that sporting discipline like cricket is now part of the Olympic family. “If there are any opportunities available for cricket within the International Olympic Committee and the Olympic Solidarity, I will surely include the National Cricket Federation. Taking part in any Olympic competition means qualification. If you cannot qualify, your membership means almost nothing. We all should bear that in mind,” he surmised. Cricket is joining baseball/softball, flagball, lacrosse (sixes), and squash ahead of the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games. The proposal for co-option was reviewed and voted on by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) at the 141st IOC session on October 16.
