March 24, 2017 By Sahr Morris
Karate fighters after their last success in Mali
President of Sierra Leone Karate Federation, Victor E Amara, is eyeing gold medals in this year’s Zone II Championship in Conakry, Guinea.
Sierra Leone fighters will battle against opponent from Mali, Senegal, Guinea Bissau, Cape Verde, Mauritian, Gambia and the host nation Guinea for gold, silver and bronze medals, as the competition would get underway on Saturday, March 25.
According to a Sierra Leonean journalist, Festu J Lahai, who traveled with the team, the Karate Federation president has challenged his fighters to go out for the gold and silver medals this year.
During the 2016 tournament in Mali, the country won a-silver and five bronze medals, plus a golden trophy as the best behaved country. Such success was the country’s first in five years and now Amara wants his fighters to improve and achieve more success in Guinea.
“Our dream in this year Championship is to win gold medals for the people of Sierra Leone,” he said, adding that the championship is very important for his athletes and officials.
The Karate president however, expressed his disappointment for not receiving any financial support from the Sports Ministry/Sports Council, despite getting assurance from the Director of Sports, Ibrahim Bangura, before their departure.
He said: “I had to loan money from my friends of which I promised to refund as soon as I receive the money from the ministry/sports council.”