The Basketball stars competition in Somalia kicked off at the country’s police academy in Mogadishu Monday with the president of Somali Olympic committee urging Somali fans to give more attention to local leagues.
The president of Somali basketball federation Ibrahim Hussein Ali Roombo who delivered a short speech at the opening ceremony of the competition said that despite difficulties in Mogadishu his federation made more efforts to try to achieve the implementation of the match.
"Theses stars were selected from the 25th Somali basketball championship and the main point of this competition is to get a qualified national basketball team from it" the Somali basketball federation President stated.
He urged players to show fair play and respect one another during the competition which is being held at the Somali police academy which is now serving as Mogadishu`s sports city, as the country’s international style stadiums are un able to host competitions because of wars in the city.
For his part the president of Somali National Olympic committee, the country`s highest sports governing body Aden Hajji Yabarow who addressed at the opening ceremony called on Somali fans to turn their attention from world cup and instead watch the local leagues.
The Somali Olympic committee president said that it was time to turn people’s eyes on the local sporting matches.
"One day I was listening to a radio talk show, a man on the telephone line was asked to tell the full name of a Somali goal keeper, he was unable to tell, but unfortunately he recited the full name of England`s captain, that is a very big misfortune" he added during his Monday`s address at the opening ceremony of Somali basketball stars competition.
Colonel Garad Nur Abdulle, the commander of Somali police academy told the ceremony that more police forces have been stationed outside the academy and near by villages to ensure the security of players and fans who are coming from different areas in the city`s government-controlled side.
In the opening game, the Somali Diaspora culture team funded by Somalis abroad defeated its rivals of the Village restaurant by 79-68.
Basketball is the second major sport in Somalia after football which is the world`s largest sport, but the country`s international style basketball play ground, the 1st July stadium which is located in the war-devastated east of Mogadishu is now closed.
By. Shafi`i Mohyaddin Abokar
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