Maria G. Fofanah and Binta Bah, Sierra Leone female volleyball representatives has on yesterday, Sunday 4th September 2022 bagged the West AFrica 2022 Zonal Beach Volleyball Championship. 

The West AFrica 2022 Zonal Beach Volleyball Championship is a Sub-regional Beach Volleyball Championship started in Banjul with five nations competing for gold, silver, and bronze. The competing nations include the host the Gambia, Senegal, Guinea Bissau, Guinea Conakry, and Sierra Leone.

The five nations were divided into two groups of three for both males and females. Host nation the Gambia produced two male and female teams. Male Group A consists of Gambia, Sierra Leone, and Guinea Conakry. Male Group B includes Gambia, Guinea Bissau, and Senegal.

Female Group A includes Sierra Leone, Gambia, and Guinea Conakry. Female Group B consists of Gambia, Guinea Bissau, and Senegal.

The female duo of Maria G. Fofanah and Binta Bah showcased a stellar performance to win the West Africa 2022 Zonal Beach Volleyball championship hosted in Banjul, The Gambia.

The pair was classified as the best female team in the competition after winning all their 4 matches prior to the grand final which was played at the Palma Rima Beach on Sunday 4, September 2022, and the male team won the bronze medal in the men’s category.

Despite all the performance done and the team flying the country’s flag higher in a foreign country, the team faced travelling challenge on their return to Sierra Leone. After the competition, the players will be travelling by road to Sierra leone. This was centered to the reason that, they were not sponsored for the tournament by the Ministry of Sport and the National Sports Authority (NSA) Sierra Leone.

“Our volleyball teams has done us proud. They came to The Gambia and display quality. They played good volleyball and both the male and female team were exceptional in the competition”.

“It is sad to know that they will be returning by road to Sierra Leone. It is not good for them. These are players who have represented our country well, they deserved to be treated like ambassadors”, Sierra Leoneans with dismay over hearing the news of team return home by road after their outstanding performance in the competition.