July 29, 2016 By Sahr Morris Jr.
“Sport has become a world language, a common denominator that breaks down all the walls, all the barriers. It is a worldwide industry whose practices can have widespread impact. Most of all it is a powerful tool for progress and for development.” These were the exact words of the United Nations Secretary General, Ban Ki-Moon, on 6 April, 2016 when he declared International Day of Sports Development and Peace.
According to Special Adviser to the UN Secretary-General, Wilfred Lemke, “Sports has the capacity to empower individuals and bring one’s moral values to the forefront. It can play a strategic role in transferring like skills and communicating useful, encouraging messages on important issues, thus driving social change.”
The power of sports has several tentacles and impact in the world, that is why politicians, while executing their day-to-day administration, which also relates to sports, also employ ‘Sports Diplomacy’ which implies the use of sports as a source to influence diplomatic, social and political relationship, transcending cultural differences and bringing people together.
Like any other developing country which looks forward to developed nations for support, the tiny West African nation of Sierra Leone is not an exception, and it is through this ‘Sports Diplomacy’ Sierra Leone and Sierra Leoneans have tied a strong bond with the People’s Republic of China and the Chinese.
Since 29 July, 1971, when the then President Siaka Stevens signed diplomatic ties with the Red Dragon Republic of China (PRC), a lot has happen and continue to happen.
China continues to expand its friendship with Sierra Leone, including through sports. This sports friendship has yielded many benefits; Sierra Leone’s first friendly sports project from China was what is now the country’s only standard and biggest stadium, which was built nine years after both country tied the diplomatic knot.
In 1980, the construction of the country’s first National Stadium, which was later named the Siaka Stevens Stadium before the official opening in 1980, brought smiles and happiness on the face of Sierra Leoneans who previously used a venue called Reckrie. The said Reckrie ground was completely demolished in the late 70s, as the Chinese won the contract to construct the new National Stadium.
Local football folklore has it that the Chinese constructed the National Stadium after Sierra Leone’s national team, Leone Stars, played their first international match outside Africa, and interestingly the said match was also their first against an Asian nation, against China. Leone Stars lost 4–1 in China on April 5 1974.
Another school of thought has it that it was the diplomatic tie between Sierra Leone and China that led to the construction of the stadium. Whatever the case maybe, such development from the Sierra Leone-China friendship can only be measured in gold, vis-à-vis the impact and importance of the stadium to Sierra Leoneans.
At the moment, the arena is used mostly for local and international football matches as well as athletics facilities. The Chinese built stadium is the largest stadium in the country, with approximately 45,000 capacity. It is also the home venue of not only Leone Stars and the other youth national teams, but also 10 out of the 14 Premier League clubs in the country. Furthermore, the stadium is also occasionally being used as a venue for social, cultural, political, and religious events.
With the massive improvement on road network in the country, backed-up with other developmental strides by respective Sierra Leonean governments, the wait for another stadium lasted for over four decades; then came the friends from Asia again.
Unlike the first stadium, agreement for the construction of a 4,000 capacity stadium in Bo, Southern Sierra Leone, was signed by the late President Ahmad Tejan Kabbah of the Sierra Leone Peoples Party. The stadium was constructed by a Chinese construction and engineering company – Xinjiang Beixin – and it took the company about five years (2008-2013) to complete work. The following year, what is now Sierra Leone’s second stadium was officially opened by President Ernest Bai Koroma, who is believed to have opened negotiations with the Chinese government to increase the capacity to 16,000 seats.
Christian monk and theologian, John Cassian, said: “The bond between friends cannot be broken by chance; no interval of time or space can destroy it. Not even death itself can part true friends.”
Indeed bond between friends cannot be broken by space or time, echoing the words of the Chinese Ambassador Zhao Yanbo, during the handing over ceremony of the stadium, indicates the knot is far from being untied.
“China and Sierra Leone enjoy a deep-rooted friendship, we are far away from each other from geographical position, but we are so close to each other’s hearts. As a developing country, China cares not only about its own social and economic development, but also the aspirations of Sierra Leone enshrined in the Agenda for Change and Agenda for Prosperity,” Ambassador Zhao said, adding that China attaches importance to the friendly relations with Sierra Leone and the national development of the country.
The sporting relationship between China and Sierra Leone is not only limited to the construction of stadiums, but also opportunities for Sierra Leonean footballers to ply their trade in China, who in turn help raise the standard of the Chinese football league.
Mahmadu Alphajor Bah is one of the prominent Sierra Leonean players to have played in the Chinese league. The retired Leone Stars attacking midfielder spent over three seasons in China and played for both Xiamen Lanshi and Zhejiang Lücheng clubs before moving to Al-Qadisiya in Saudi Arabia, and Perlis FA in Malaysia.
Few year’s later, the Chinese Super League welcomed Sierra Leone’s greatest player and legend, Mohamed Kallon, who signed a one-year contract with Shaanxi Chanba FC.
Kallon’s move during the 2010/11 league season was the highest profile foreign signing for a top-flight Chinese club that season and the deal was said to be over US$1 million.
The former Inter Milan, Monaco and AEK Athens player became the second Sierra Leonean, after Bah, to have played in China, and he said the move was the best for him as he was planning for life after football.
“I was engaged in doing business and preparing for life after football and China was developing every day with a lot of business opportunities, and for me to play there at that time, I think it helped me improve my business a lot,” Kallon, who is now a coach in the United States of America, said.
The pathway to Chinese league soon opened for more Sierra Leonean footballers, and four years after Kallon left, another big Sierra Leonean defender, who also holds Dutch citizenship, Gibril ‘Barrel’ Sankoh, signed for Henan Jianye FC, but the second year of his contracted was terminated by mutual consent
A year later, the 33-yeal-old decided to drop the captain’s hand ban for Netherlands based club Roda JC for what was described as a bumper offer by the Chinese club Meizhou Hakka FC, where he signed a two-year contract.
Then came another star’s move to China; former Celtic and AIK forward Mohamed ‘Poborsky’ Bangura, signed for a second tier league club Dalian Yifang from Sweden on a three-year contract.
It is understood that the transfer fee was around US$1.1 million, which saw him become the highest paid Sierra Leonean player abroad. Bangura himself was happy for the move despite the financial benefit, he admitted that he wants to help Dalian win titles and also be part of the football revolution in China.
Beyond the football pitch, Sierra Leonean athletes have also enjoyed the spirit and taste of what China can offer; during the Beijing 2008 Summer Olympic Games, Sierra Leonean duo Solomon Bockarie, who now runs for the Netherlands, and Michael Kargbo ,were amongst the over 900 athletes who competed in the games.
China was again at the host during the 2015 IAAF World Athletics Championships, as Sierra Leonean America based sprinter Hafsatu Kamara, who is a student at Northridge University in California, competed at the Championships in Beijing, China.
However, the 2014 year was a sour moment for the Sierra Leone-China sports friendship as the
National Olympic Committee of Sierra Leone confirmed that China instructed Sierra Leone’s delegation for the Youth Olympics in Nanjing not to travel to China because of the Ebola outbreak.
“The Chinese Embassy in Sierra Leone said the delegation might find itself in a troubled and awkward situation once they get to China’s port of entry,” the NOC-SL president said.
It would have been Sierra Leone’s first ever attendance in the Youth Olympics of recent time, but the decision did not only affect the athletes and officials but also three sports journalists who were accredited to cover the games.
Few months after the disappointment, the athletes were all smiling after they and their federation were said to have received compensation from the Chinese Embassy.
The Sierra Leone-China friendship has shown sports as another key tool towards development and cultural exchange.