JUBA, FEBRUARY 27, 2023 (SUDANS POST) – South Sudan’s civil society watchdog, the Community Empowerment for Progress Organization (CEPO), has appealed to the presidency to declare a national reception for the country’s basketball team.
This is after the team qualified for the 2023 FIBA World Cup after defeating Senegal and Egypt during separate matches in the Egyptian coastal city of Alexandria.
“CEPO strongly congratulates our national basketball team for the wonderful and prefect performance for gaining seat in the basketball World Cup by defeating Senegal and Egypt,” the civil society watchdog said in a statement extended to Sudans Post this afternoon.
Edmund Yakani, the Executive Director of CEPO, hailed the South Sudan basketball team for “writing a greater history” for South Sudan and described the win by the South Sudanese team as a demonstration of the country’s positive energy.
“Our basketball team have written greater history for South Sudan in basketball performance. This is great demonstration of our positive energy as South Sudanese to the world. Our brothers raised our flag higher and higher in the face of strong African national team foe basketball. We are confident that the basketball World Cup is on it way to juba wherever it is in the world,” he said.
“With honor and respect CEPO is urging president to declare national reception for our national basketball team upon their return to South Sudan from these last qualifications and after successful securing seat in the basketball World Cup by defeating Senegal and Egypt. Demonstrating national reception for our national Basketball team will be a great national gesture for them,” Yakani stressed.
The CEPO statement further urged “the national basketball team to stand firm and bring the World Cup home as a miracle to the nation and the world.”