By: Hannah Roselyn Farma
President of the Sports Writers Association of Sierra Leone (SWASAL), Sahr Morris Jr has revealed that the Association is in talks with the Sierra Leone Canoe Federation to launch the country’s first specialized training program for sports journalists to improve coverage and visibility.
With the Sierra Leone’s nascent canoeing sector moving to formalize its growth strategy, with stakeholders highlighting media engagement as critical to scaling the sport and building a national talent pipeline, the partnership and engagement with the sports journalist body is consider as a step in right direction.
Sahr Morris Jr praised the Sierra Leone Canoe Federation (SLCF) for integrating media into its development agenda ahead of the April 27 national championship. “Sierra Leone is among the 171 nations affiliated with the International Canoe Federation. As journalists, it is important that we understand the sport we report on,” he said.
Meanwhile, ahead of the SLCF innugural National Championship, the Association Secretary Daniel Kalokkoh said the championship will serve as a talent identification platform to build a competitive national team. “We want to identify athletes from various coastal communities who will form a strong national team capable of representing Sierra Leone in international competitions,” he said.
With initial focus on Sprint and Dragon canoe disciplines, the federation is prioritizing scalable formats as it seeks to convert grassroots participation into international competitiveness.