By Allieu Bockarie
232news
The Sierra Leone Judo Association in collaboration with the National Olympic Committee of Sierra Leone (NOCSLE), on Saturday December 17, 2022 ended a week long Olympic Solidarity Judo Technical training. The training which was held at the OlympAfrica Centre, Goderich in Freetown started on 11th December 2022 and ended on the 17th December 2022.
The President of the Sierra Leone Judo Association Idrissa Massaqoui explained that they were on the final day of the one week training course for the level 1 Olympic Solidarity Technical Judo course and went on that he was pleased with the training that the expert gave to the participants.
In all 20 people participated in the training successfully and they had few injuries. This year he said they decided to take a different turns in the Olympic Solidarity course by combining both the coaches and some of their future athletes. He assured all that the participants were very happy, as they received all the necessary logistics that was provided for them adding that he was sure that some of the participants from the provinces will go home with smiling faces.
The Association went on to honour the expert, Hassene Ikhlef with a six (6) Dan Black belt in Judo.
Hassene Ikhlef, the course expert who came from France expressed that he was very happy to be in Sierra Leone because now he has new functions in the country, underscoring that it’s not his first time to be Sierra Leone. “I am the sports adviser in the Kingdom of Bahrain so I thank the Kingdom of Bahrain for allowing me to come here. He thanked NOCSLE for making request to the international Federation for him to be here. This is my fourth time and my first time was in 2011 so I believe I am at home, and I hope this will not be the last time the expert said.
The newly appointed Chief Executive Officer at the NOC-SLE, Joseph Nyande thanked the expert for training the coaches so that they would be able to take care of the athletes all over the country. “We are very impressed by your performances and what you’ve done here today. I want to thank the participants for going through the technical course. He call on all presidents of associations to come to the NOC and apply for courses and they will be able to go through little bit so that they all can develop. We are here for the athletes, without the athletes we should not have been here.”
The CEO further thanked the expert and congratulates him for earning a six Dan belt in Judo. He also expressed their gratitude to the Director of Sports, Haroun Korjie for always being there to support the NOC in all their activities.
The newly elected NOC-SLE’s President Prince Vandy Sualley noted that the essence of the Olympic Solidarity courses is to enhance the national associations to develop.
He demanded the Judo Association to incorporate more women in the course and say that they too will be co-opting women into the NOC executive. “Having your president as the vice President of the NOC gives you a lot of advantage and also it put you in the limelight, and say they have to be very mindful which means they have to up their game a little bit. Prince went on that it’s an exponential business wherein the expert come and train our coaches and our coaches go and train our athletes.
On his part, Haroun Korjie, the Director of Sports from the Ministry of Sports thanked the expert for conducting the course, revealing that when the expert arrived, his office was at his first called. “Honestly speaking, when I am invited to such programmes that proves to me that everything is not just cantered on football alone. He went on I think I must have been here for the past five weeks I must have witness different sports, that show sports are progressing and they are not only progressing but they are also developing,” he said.
He added: “I am not going to make a policy statement but I going to reassure Judo that the Ministry of Sports will always support you because we can see that you are progressing. You have the ability to develop and that’s what we want to see, we want to see different sports developing,” Director Korjie affirm.
