Twenty Five members Gambia Sports Journalists Association on Friday 13, and Saturday 14 April, 2007 underwent a two days intensive refresher course on Volleyball and Handball at the Friendship Hotel in Bakau.

The refresher course, which was organized by the Gambia Sports Journalists Association and funded by the Gambia National Olympic Committee, aimed at equipping Sports Journalists with the latest techniques of the games.

Speaking at the official opening ceremony the President of the Gambia Sports Journalists Association Namory Trawally said Gambian Sports Journalists have been accused of being Football bias in their way of reporting.

He added that to go away from that motion, the Association initiated for the training and the Gambia National Olympic Committee gave it a helping hand by providing the funds.

He added that the ultimate aim of the Association is to give equal opportunity to all sporting Association in the country but they can not achieve their aim without the support of sporting Association themselves.

Mr. Trawally lauded the Gambia National Olympic Committee for providing the funds for this important and timely course.

The Editor/ Director of the Point Newspaper and Honorary life President of the Gambia Sports Journalists Association, Pap Saine considered the training as forward-looking because whenever sports is mentioned in the Gambia, our minds instantly go to Football.

He added that football has so taken over the popular psyche that every other sport at least in the Gambia tends to be overlooked.

“If you go through the sport pages of our local Newspapers, you hardly find any mention of sports such as Volleyball Handball Basketball or Tennis. Perhaps our Sports writers are pandering to the desire of their readers who are Football mad” he pointed out.

Mr. Saine stressed that it is a fact that if Sports Journalists themselves are unfamiliar with the principles and practices of the sports in question, then they will not be able to promote them effectively.

George Gomez, the Executive Director of the Gambia National Olympic Committee, said that they were very pleased to be associated with this ground breaking move in the interest of Sports development.

Mr. Gomez pointed out that in life if you want to succeed in any thing you should accept to learn and the expectations would be very high on the Gambia Sports Journalists Association after this course for the promotion of the game of Volleyball and Handball in the Gambia and beyond.

He hinted that the healthy and outstanding ties developed over the years between the Gambia National Olympic Committee and Gambia Sports Journalists Association will be maintained.

Declaring the course officially opened on behalf of Alhagie Abou Dandeh Njie, president Gambia National Olympic Committee, Beatrice Allen, vice President of The Gambia National Olympic Committee and International Olympic committee member, informed participants that expectations are high in the sense that Sports Journalists would be expected to effect a change in the way and manner they report these disciplines which they would be tutored during the course of their training.

She further noted that the relationship between the body of Sports writers and the National Olympic would not be a short lived one, but rather hope beams on the partnership between both bodies, in pursuit of projecting sports to a high height in the country.

After the official opening ceremony Musa Caasa Taal, President and Technical Director of Gambia Volleyball Association dilated on the rules and regulations of the game of Volleyball and the official signs of the referees during games.

The same scenario happened in the second day with Kebba Ceesay, National Handball team coach and Mr. Cham, Handball lecturer and teacher at the Marina International School, updated Journalists with the latest on Handball.

The training course would continue on Friday 20th and Saturday 21st April, 2007 with Basketball and Tennis.