By Bockarie Allieu
September 08, 2020, (SALONE TIMES)
FREETOWN – The campaign teams of Martin Bangura who will be contesting for the post of presidency in the Sierra Leone Athletics Association (SLAA) in the upcoming congress on Wednesday donated food to athletics clubs and officials.
In his statement on behalf of the team, the national Assistant Secretary General Dr. Adikali Kaba Sesay said the donation is a way of helping the government to stop the spread of COVID19 Virus in the country.
In this, he said it is a way of helping the families of the athletes to cater food for the athletes. He urged all to go strictly by the procedures put in place by the Medical experts and the government on how to prevent this killer deceases in the world. He went on that their motive in Team Martin Bangura is to make the sport and not to destroy it. The leader of Team Martin Bangura who is presently the 1st Vice President of the Sierra Leone Athletics Association (SLAA) said they are aware of the hardship Coronavirus has brought not only to Sierra Leone but to the entire world.
He went on that as a team that cares for the welfare of the athletes, they have come on board to help them with some food items.
He claimed that several things are going on in athletics which he said is not good for development. In this case, he said the Martin Bangura Team has come on board to bring changes that will develop athletics in the country.
He called on all to let unity prevail in athletics so that sanity will prevail. The donation, he said was done in collaboration with veteran athletes in the diaspora.
In all, there were 100 25 kg bags of rice and 50 gallons of cooking oil. He said 65 bags and some gallons of oil were for the Western Area and the remaining for the provinces.
On the list to receive a bag of rice and a gallon of cooking oil were the names of the national executive members but the President, Secretary General and other few members were absent.
In response to their absence and the call for unity, the National Secretary General Baraka Sparky said they were not officially invited.
On the call for the unity, he said the ball is in the court of Team Bangura as it is the same Martin that took the association to court for no just course.
He went on that Martin is not the elected Vice President but because of peace and unity and when the Sports Ministry intervened into the matter, they decided to bring him on board as the 1st Vice President, noting that said Martin is still not satisfy with that.
Martin, he said lost the injunction matter in court against Athletes during the proposed NOC congress in Bo and was asked to pay the damages.
But Baraka said the Athletics president Abdul Karim Sesay who also serves as the Vice president has been pleading on his behalf not to pay the damages as they are all in the sports family.
With this, Baraka said the public should judge between the two parties who is bringing disunity into athletics.
