Mr Sheriff Gomez, secretary of state for Youth and Sport has expressed his department’s dissatisfaction over the  mere participation of Gambian sports men and women in an international competitions, calling on them to start competing for medals.

SoS Gomez revealed that his department wants to achieve excellent results in sports, and as such, he wants to see Gambian teams excel in international competitions rather than serving as mere participants.

The Youth and Sports supremo made these comments at the NYSS headquarters on Wednesday, during a day tour of institutions under his purview, and the remarks came barely a month when The Gambian athletics team returned empty-handed from another Olympic Games held in Beijing, China.  

He said Gambia winning medals at international arena may take longer in the books, but was quick to add that his department wants to ensure that it happens in a shortest possible time, where commitment and dedication would be the key factors.

“We must provide strategic ideas geared towards achieving excellent in sports,’ said Gomez who however, expressed his delight at the trend of development registered in Gambian football so far. “Gambian footballers have started playing in major European leagues, notably the Premiership and we must nurture this trend. Other sporting disciplines must also ensure that they compete and win medals in international competitions,” he stressed.