By Barrie Alpha

Sierra Leone’s Chef De Mission, Yayah Koroma has outlined upcoming Games that the Sierra Leone will be participating, highlighting the National Olympic Committee/Commonwealth Games Association of Sierra Leone (NOC/CGA)’s strategy to compete well and bring laurels home.

As a way of making sure Sierra Leone prepares well and not only participates, but also compete and brings laurels home, the NOC/CGA-SLE’s will be implementing a system wherein they will monitor, evaluate and track the readiness of participating federations.

Koroma, during his presentation at the past NOC/CGA-SLE’s AGM emphasized their long-term preparation to make sure the country is adequately represented by athletes that will compete and brings laurels home.

According to the Chef De Mission, they are preparing ahead of several Games ranging from 2025 to 2028 wherein athletes will be well selected through competitions, prepare them well and that they will be monitored and evaluated before representing Sierra Leone.

He outlined the scheduled for upcoming Games including the maiden African School Games, the 2025 Islamic Solidarity Games, the Fourth African Youth Games, the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games and the 2026 Summer Youth Olympic Games as follows.

The maiden African School Games will be held in Algeria from July 5 to 13, 2025. This continental multi-sport event is collaboration between the Association of National Olympic Committees of Africa (ANOCA) and the International School Sports Federation (ISF). The games will feature various sporting disciplines and aim to promote youth development, identify talent, and uphold Olympic values.

The 2025 Islamic Solidarity Games, the sixth edition of the event, will be held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, from November 7 to 21. This multi-sport event, organized by the Islamic Solidarity Sports Federation (ISSF), will bring together athletes from member countries of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC). It will be the second time that Saudi Arabia has hosted the Games, with the first edition held in 2005.

The Fourth African Youth Games, which will include athletes aged 15-18, are scheduled to take place in Angola in December 2025. These games are officially recognized as the Junior Olympics for the African continent and are a qualifying event for the Youth Olympic Games, set to be held in Dakar in 2026. The games are organized by the Association of National Olympic Committees of Africa (ANOCA).

The Glasgow Commonwealth Games  from 23 July to 2 August 2026will feature 10 sports including Athletics and Para Athletics (Track & Field), Swimming and Para Swimming, Artistic Gymnastics, Track Cycling and Para Track Cycling, Netball, Weightlifting and Para Powerlifting, Boxing, Judo, Bowls and Para Bowls, and 3×3 Basketball and 3×3 Wheelchair Basketball. These sports were selected to create a streamlined and focused event and Sierra Leone will participate in 6 sports which are Boxing, Athletics, Judo, Gymnastics, Swimming, 3×3 Basketball and weightlifting. Among them Athletics, Boxing Swimming, Judo, Cycling, and Gymnastic will get open allocation while 3×3 Basketball, Weightlifting and the Para Sports will fight for qualification.

Sierra Leone have 18 open allocation which include Athletics will have 6, Boxing 4, Swimming 2, Judo 2, Cycling 2 and Gymnastic 2. The number of athletes will increase if Basketball Weightlifting and the Para sports get qualification or if they get wildcards.

In 2026, the 2026 Summer Youth Olympic Games will be held in Dakar, Senegal, marking the first time an Olympic event will be hosted on the African continent. The games are scheduled from October 31 to November 13 and will be spread across three host cities: Dakar, Diamniadio, and Saly. This event is intended to be a catalyst for transformation in Senegal through sport and to serve as a blueprint for future Youth Olympic Games.

And finally the 2028 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXXIV Olympiad, will be held in Los Angeles, California, USA, from July 14 to 30. This will be the third time Los Angeles hosts the Summer Olympics, following 1932 and 1984. The games will feature 36 sports and welcome approximately 10,500 Olympians.

Looking towardS the upcoming Games, Koroma affirmed that consistent monitoring and evaluation will track the readiness of participating federations and the progress of the athletes.

“Our long-term vision is about sustainability and legacy. We want to develop a system that nurtures young talent, builds strong governance in sport, and ensures athletes are prepared through structured development and competition,” he concluded.