National, Central Equatoria governments renew pledge to build basketball arena
Authors: Wol Mapal | Diko D Andrew | Published: 2 hours ago
South Sudan Basketball fans at the Kigali Arena. | Photo: South Sudan Basketball
The national and Central Equatoria State governments have renewed their commitment to construct a national basketball arena in South Sudan following the Bright Stars’ unbeaten performance in Window Four of the FIBA Basketball World Cup qualifiers in Tunisia.
Speaking to the press after South Sudan’s hard-fought victory over hosts Tunisia, Central Equatoria State Minister of Youth, Culture and Sports, Bush Buse, said the state government would provide land for the proposed facility.
Buse said the state government would work with the national government, the South Sudan Basketball Federation, the South Sudan National Olympic Committee and other partners to mobilize resources for the construction of the arena.
He said the facility would be a fitting recognition of the Bright Stars, who have continued to raise the profile of South Sudanese basketball internationally.
“The only gift we can give to these basketballers who have put South Sudan on the map and made South Sudanese proud is to build a stadium,” Buse said.
He said Central Equatoria State would join forces with the national government and other stakeholders to avail land for the construction of the proposed national basketball stadium.
Deputy Minister of Finance and Planning Thok Turuk Thok, who travelled to Tunisia to support the team, also pledged his ministry’s support for the project.
Thok said the Ministry of Finance and Planning would work with the private sector and other partners to mobilize resources for the construction of the arena.
“With the challenges we have faced here in Tunisia, and during our participation in other countries, the question of when we are building our arena keeps rising,” Thok said.
He welcomed the commitment by Central Equatoria State to provide land, saying the Ministry of Finance would work to ensure resources are made available for the project.
Meanwhile, National Minister of Youth and Sports Atong Kuol Manyang said the construction of a basketball arena has become a major concern for South Sudan and the region.
She said it was painful to see the Bright Stars perform well internationally while lacking a suitable home facility for training and competitive matches.
Atong also decried what she described as embarrassing treatment of South Sudanese officials and players while using facilities in host countries.
“You know, the issue of stadiums is now becoming a thing everyone is talking about,” she said.
The minister said South Sudan needs its own basketball infrastructure to allow the national team to train and host international matches at home.
“If our team is playing like this, at least the best thing we can do for them is to build infrastructure for them to train, and even host countries when we have home games,” Atong said.
The latest commitment follows a pledge made by President Salva Kiir in September 2023 to construct an enclosed basketball arena in Juba as a gift to the Bright Stars.
The pledge was disclosed by General Kuol Manyang during a ceremony at Nimra Talata Basketball Court in Juba to welcome the national basketball team after its successful participation in the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup in Manila, Philippines.
The Bright Stars have since continued to make history on the international stage, strengthening calls for the construction of a dedicated national basketball facility.