When the national men’s basketball team travels to Asia for the August 2023 FIBA World Cup campaign, President Salva Kiir has offered to go along.
Kiir stated this at a meeting with the squad at his office on Saturday to express his
congratulations on their FIBA World Cup qualification.
On February 24, South Sudan qualified for the World Cup after winning all three of their games in Egypt’s last round of African qualifying.
They defeated several of the top basketball squads in Africa, including Senegal and the host
nation Egypt.
When the national men’s basketball team travels to Asia for the August 2023 FIBA World Cup campaign, President Salva Kiir has offered to go along. Co-hosting the FIBA World Cup this year are the Philippines, Japan, and Indonesia. The competition, which features 32 teams from around the globe, will crown a winner on September 10, 2023.
President Kiir addressed the team and invited South Sudanese athletes living abroad to join the team and defend their country.
“Nobody believes that South Sudan would one day be an independent State, but here is the
flag, this is your banner that you are fighting for,” Kiir observed. He continued, “You carried out the duties incumbent upon the people of the nation.” He continues, “I will also be with you in August, and I will lead you to the World Cup.
Kiir also praised the national basketball regulating body for its contribution to the campaign’s successful World Cup qualification. The qualifying of the national team for the World Cup, which began three years ago in Kenya, has demonstrated to the outside world that the country has the potential to perform miracles if it is united, according to South Sudan Basketball Federation President Luol Deng.
He claims that the team has succeeded in altering the world’s perception of South Sudan, which has historically been associated with war and suffering. The appeal of this, according to him, is that we may alter public perceptions about South Sudan.
“In the next three years, we will demonstrate to the world how much we are willing to help one another when we come together and work as a team.”