Sport in Sierra Leone

Sports are an important part of Sierra Leonean society and Football is the most played sport in the country. Athletics, basketball, boxing and cricket are also common sports in the country.

Football in Sierra Leone

main|Football in Sierra Leone
Football is by far the most popular sport in Sierra Leone. The Sierra Leone national football team, governed by the Sierra Leone Football Association, is popularly known as the Leone Stars and represents the country in international football competitions. Though the team has never qualified for the FIFA World Cup, they did participate in the 1994 and 1996 African Cup of Nations.

Basketball in Sierra Leone

main|Sierra Leone national basketball teamThe Sierra Leone national basketball team represents Sierra Leone in international men's basketball competitions and is controlled by the Sierra Leone Basketball Federation. The squad is mostly home-based, with few foreign-based players.

Cricket in Sierra Leone

main|Sierra Leone national cricket teamThe Sierra Leone cricket team is the team that represents the country of Sierra Leone in international cricket matches. They became an affiliate member of the International Cricket Council in 2002. [http://www.cricketarchive.co.uk/Archive/Countries/94.html] They made their international debut at the 2004 African Affiliates Championship, where they finished last out of the eight teams. They returned at the equivalent tournament in 2006, Division Three of the African region of the World Cricket League, where they had a major improvement, this time finishing as runners-up to Mozambique, and only just missing out on promotion to Division Two.

ierra Leoneans abroad

Many Sierra Leonean diaspora are involved in professional sports. One prominent sportsperson is Madieu Williams. Williams, who was born in Sierra Leone in 1981, is an American football starting safety with the Cincinnati Bengals in the United States.

ee also

* Sierra Leone at the Olympics