By Allieu Bockarie
SALONE TIMES PRESS
Athletes in Sierra Leone converged in Freetown last Thursday 26th January 2023 to chart the way forward of the Throwball Game in the country.
Throwball, a non-contact ball sport played across a net between two teams of nine players on a rectangular court is popular in Asia, especially India but now wants to make headway in Freetown.
The Sierra Leone Throwball Association (SLTA) Executive met with institutions such as the Military, Police, Correctional Services and Fire Force alongside secondary schools: Methodist Girls High School, Services Secondary School, Government Model Secondary School, Prince of Wales, YWCA among others to get first-hand information and knowledge about Throwball.
The Technical Director, Major Kanu, educated participants on how important Throwball is and how it came about, adding that it is a game similar to that of volleyball but in volleyball, it’s a nobody contact and more than three seconds is blown against you. He emphasized that it benefits are enormous only if one endures.
The Deputy Secretary General, SLTA, Patrick Massaquoi advised all interested members to officially register to be member of the Throwball Association.
He expressed thanks and appreciation to all the institutions and schools that participated in the meeting, explaining the beauty of Throwball as one of the youngest sporting disciplines in the country.
He reiterated that the sport helps hugely in human and mental health development. He recalled that Throwball was launched on the 1st December 2022, and therefore called on schools to get first-hand information about the game.
The Vice President of SLTA, disclosed that soon they will start visiting schools to distribute balls and nets to them and hope they will utilize them wisely.
SLTA National Coach, Javex said he is satisfied with the four weeks of training he and his team are able to reach this stage and even if they are asked tomorrow for any competitions, they are ready not only to go and participate but to compete and bring laurels for the country as losing is not part of his vision.
Coach Javex thanked SLTA Executives for their relentless support and for making them feel comfortable.
One of the players, Ramatu Conteh expressed joy and happiness as her dream has come true. She said for far too long she has been yearning to fit into one of the sporting disciplines in the country but Throwball has made her dream come to pass.
THROWBALL a cost-effective, health development and peace-promoting sporting discipline called “Throwball ” was successfully launched on the 10 December 2022, at the Joint Communications Unit, Wilberforce Barracks, Freetown.
According to the Throwball Federation of India (TFT), Throwball is thought to derive from a recreational sport popular among women in England and Australia during the 1930s. In 1940, an alumnus of the Young Men Christian Association. Mr. Jagat Singh Chauhan founded Throwball in Chemai, India, where it was initially played as a women’s sport.
The sports officers and Physical Education teachers were encouraged to put the game into practice.
