Monrovia — Ahead of the upcoming National County Sports Meet, port operator APM Terminals Liberia has once again renewed its support for the biggest sporting festival in Liberia with the presentation of jerseys to the Ministry of Youth & Sports.
The items donated consist of branded jerseys for all the teams participating in the most prestigious sporting event. The company's total investment in Liberia's biggest sports festival is over $100,000 in the last five years.
Presenting the kits to the Ministry of Youth & Sports, the Chief Financial Officer for APM Terminals Liberia, Mr. Emeka Ogbaje, reiterated the company's commitment to supporting the tournament as part of its effort to invest in initiatives that bring out the talents of Liberian youths and help foster national cohesion and development.
He emphasized that APM Terminals Liberia has been supporting the National County Meet for the past 5 years and sees it as a strategic investment in the promotion of sports and talent discovery from all parts of the country.
"It's our honor as APM Terminals to present the official National County Sports Meet kits, and we are proud to be identified with these huge uniting activities in the country," he stressed.
He highlighted the importance of sports, particularly football, because it speaks one language and brings people together despite political affiliations.
"We know everything that has happened in this country during the elections, and this is an opportunity for us as a country to all come together and unite and speak one voice and language in achieving one goal, and we are excited," Mr. Ogbaje added.
"In our excitement, we are extending the level of sponsorship. Before now, we had always sponsored Kickball and Football, but I am very happy to announce to you that we are extending this to basketball. We understand the impact it is beginning to have in this country; basketball is becoming really popular, and a lot of talents have been developed around basketball. So, we are happy to fly the jersey for basketball this year," he said.
APM Terminals is hopeful that the jerseys will be used to unite Liberians. Mr. Ogbaje said APM Terminals is committed to investing in the development of sports, as shown by their support for the Liberia Marathon and the YMCA.
"On behalf of APM Terminals, we are super proud to be associated with what the Ministry of Youth and Sports is doing, and what the country is doing. The achievements we have seen, the goals, and objectives of the County Meet, so we will continue to participate in sponsoring it," Emeka Ogbaje told the gathering.
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Receiving the jerseys, Youth and Sports Minister D. Zeogar appreciated APM Terminals Liberia for their continuous support to the National County Meet, adding that such support has helped the counties.
Minister Wilson described the six years partnership with APM Terminals as a true partnership. He said this year's County meet is special because of the just-ended elections that divided Liberians, but the County meet will be used to unite them.
"After the tense election, our President conceded defeat and he wants to hold the peace of this country. The County meet is a tool to unite our people. The theme for this County meet was put together by the chief patron of sports, George Weah, 'Liberia a Country United Under One Purpose.' That is great for all of us," he added.
"This year's County meet will end on January 14, eight days before the official transition turning over ceremony. This is our last County Meet. Thank you, APM Terminals," Minister Wilson said.
The customized jerseys will be distributed among the counties just before the kickoff to 2022, with each county receiving two sets of jerseys for football, kickball, and basketball.
This year's National County Meet tournament will kick off on December 16, 2023, with River Gee County as the host and will feature teams from all 15 counties.
Last year, Nimba County won the Football championship. The tournament, inaugurated in 1956, is one of the most heavily anticipated sports events in Liberia, with its final matches drawing thousands of fans from across the country.
