Freetown — Sierra Leone's deputy Director of Sports Alphan Koker has Saturday 4th August registered 16 Sierra Leonean youth below the age of 23 at the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Games Committee in the Federal capital of Abuja, Nigeria to compete in wrestling, volleyball, and sprinting with other Under-23 youth from the other 11 ECOWAS member states in a 14-day regional tournament scheduled to run from 3-12 September 2010.

According to Secretary General of the organizing committee Bamiduro Olumide, "12 out of the 15 member states of ECOWAS have actually indicated their willingness to participate in the maiden edition of the ECOWAS Under 23 Games: they include Benin, Burkina Faso, Cote d'Ivoire, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone and Togo.

"They will compete for honours in four events including athletics, handball, volleyball and traditional wrestling. 11 of the countries would be participating in athletics, eight in handball, and nine in volleyball, nine in traditional wrestling in two categories of male and female.

"The competition is one of the activities organized by the ECOWAS Commission and hosted by the Nigerian government in a bid to use the medium of sports to create greater understanding among the youth of the region and enable member states to develop the sport talents of the youth.

"It would also provide an opportunity to infuse the real meaning of the ECOWAS 2020 of a citizen-centred community on the participants and prepare them for the next edition of the African Games," said Olumide.

Leader of Sierra Leone's delegation, deputy Director of Sports Alphan Koker, described the regional competition as "high profiled and very important to Sierra Leone, because we are here to participate and create an impact that will serve as leverage to lift up the game in the 149 chiefdoms in different parts of Sierra Leone".

"In addition, this competition will revive the spirit of the volleyball players and bring back the country to the international arena, because we have not played an international competition in volleyball since 1977." Alphan Koker said the volleyball team was carefully selected from a local regional competition involving the four regions of the country, which lasted for two weeks.

He said members of his team are in a very high spirit, which has been further strengthened by the warm reception on arrival in Lagos and Abuja respectively, where the entire diplomatic staff, including His Excellency the High Commissioner, were at the airport to receive them. Medical officer in charge of the team, John Ansumana described his men as physically fit because he conducted general medical examination on all of them.

Technical head of the Sierra Leone Volleyball Association, Mohamed Vangahun said his team was well prepared for the volleyball, traditional wrestling and athletics competitions. Coach of the Sierra Leonean Wrestlers, Abubakarr Kamara said they are in Nigeria to make a try and "by the grace of God we will do our best".

Henry Macauley Jnr., the only Sierra Leonean athlete who joined the team in Nigeria, said he is ready for the competition. Sierra Leone High Commission to the Federal Republic of Nigeria H.E. Henry O. Macauley said he is very delighted to receive the team because sports is prioritized by the President Ernest Bai Koroma's government.

"It is my wish that we take all the gold medals home," he concluded.