Sport, South Sudan’s Untapped Sector: The Hoping Pillar of South Sudanese Unity
Daniel Athior'o Atem Manyuon
By Daniel Athior’o Atem, Juba, South Sudan
Thursday, March 23, 2023 (PW) — South Sudan’s men’s basketball team gave a stellar performance beating Senegal 83-75 in the just concluded Basketball World Cup qualifier in Egypt, to guarantee a place at the tournament co-hosted by Indonesia, Japan and the Philippines from 25 August to 10 September. The victory is historical since South Sudan is the first African nation to qualify at their first attempt.
South Sudan’s success is a phenomenon for a country that is always in the news for the wrong reasons (for example, armed conflict, tribal clashes, corruption, poverty, illiteracy…etc.). This historical performance is also a strong signal to politicians that despite their ‘I don’t care’ attitude towards sectors that matter most to young people and the blood-cemented nation, they somehow work hard against all odds to excel in their respective sports disciplines.
The legendary NBA star Luol Deng and Captain Kuany Kuany have exhibited a spirit of patriotism that many South Sudanese in the diaspora need to emulate. Mr. Kuany-Kuany took on the mantle not only to coach the Bright Stars but also to install the lost hope of unity, joy and prosperity with Luol financing the team/sport out-of-pocket and his foundation, the Luol Foundation.
What Deng, Kuany and the entire team have exhibited is a spirit of ‘Yes We Can’’-as borrowed from President Obama’; however, such a spirit may only be sustainable if the government takes the lead in developing the sports sector more and for better by building and providing sport types of equipment. Sport can potentially absorb thousands of South Sudanese who would otherwise be unemployed into productive activity.
Basketball aside, other sports disciplines, including athletics and football, are also on the right path. On April 4, 2021, South Sudanese athlete Guem Abraham set a new personal best at the “Tokyo Athletics Association Middle Distance Challenge” held at Komazawa Olympic Park Athletic Field in Tokyo. He was unfortunately overtaken on the back straight and finished second, but he still set the best official record in Japan. In 2012, Guor Marial competed in the men’s marathon at the 2012 Summer Olympics.
Similar stunning performances have been displayed in football. South Sudan U20 just qualified for the quarterfinals in Egypt. In the same vein, several South Sudanese football players are raising the country’s flag high in top-notch leagues around the globe, including Australia, Korea Republic, the USA, Switzerland, Norway, Latvia, and Saudi Arabia.
Thus, the government must prioritize developing the sports sector in South Sudan. Sport is a powerful unifying force that has the potential to bring people of divergent political views together from all corners of the country, whether they are athletes competing at the peak of their physical prowess or spectators cheering on their country’s sporting heroes.
The sport’s popularity and its power to unite people make it a powerful voice to communicate the message of peace at global and local levels. The sport’s role in reducing conflict can be traced to what basketball has done to our people; all supported the team in the spirit of nationalism, with some fans crying with joy, jumping up and down in the name of South Sudan and its flag. All were in the name of SOUTH SUDAN OYEE.
For decades, the Sport has brought together people from all over the world, regardless of age, gender or ethnicity, to inspire and unite everyone. Nelson Mandela once said: “Sport has the power to change the world. It has the power to inspire and unite people in a way that little else does. It speaks to youth in a language they understand. Sport can create hope where there was once only despair.”
Today, as South Sudan is forging a path towards sustainable peace and development, the role of sport is even more critical to create hope. The current budget allocation (0.43%) of government spending must be more feasible to elevate sports in South Sudan.
The government of South Sudan needs to increase funding to the sector while at the same time attracting more investors to the sector. It is equally essential to building sound structures in terms of governance, legal frameworks and physical infrastructure if the sport is to thrive.
Unlike an investment in other sectors such as oil and gas which may only be visible to locals at home, when they excel beyond borders, sportsmen and women act as ambassadors and promoters of South Sudan, attracting more people to visit and even invest in the country.
No money can remunerate the marketing that sports people do for their respective countries. Hence, the government of South Sudan should not wait for tomorrow; the time is now to develop the sports sector.
Yet, they hope. They Can hope. #Hope
The author, Daniel Athior’o Atem, is a member of the Youth Transforming Africa (YTA) and can be reached via his email: DANIEL ATHIOR atemathior@gmail.com
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