Liberians are gathering again today to support their favorite counties as the 2016-17 National County Sports Meet is set to kick off in Grand Cape Mount.
According to Deputy Sports Minister Henry B. Yonton, the opening ceremony will be held in Robertsport, which is expected to be graced by President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Vice President Joseph Nyumah Boakai, and other senior government officials.
As the renovation of the Samuel Kanyon Doe Sports Complex is still not completed, the event will be without track and field for the second year in a row. The sporting disciplines expected to be displayed are football, kickball, basketball, and volleyball.
The 15 counties are paired in three groups with four counties and a group with three. The preliminary rounds of the games will be played across four venues.
In Group One, defending champions Grand Bassa is paired with group host, Grand Cape Mount, along Gbarpolu and 2009 football champions Bomi. With Cape Mount and Bomi missing out of the quarterfinals last year, Bassa will have the advantage. Again, Gbarpolu has been referred to as the underdogs of the group despite reaching the quarterfinals of the 2015-16 competition.
Margibi and Bong might easily walk out of a Group Two that consists of three teams. With group host Lofa being one of the competition’s weaker sides in the previous year, Bong and Margibi are considered the group favorites.
Nimba will serve as host of a Group Three that consists of last year’s runner-up Monsterrado, along with River Cess and Sinoe. Four-time football champions Nimba has been considered as the group favorite due to their dominance in previous competitions. They controversially missed out on the final of the last competition after a two-day semifinal in which they lost on penalties and had their protest against Bassa dismissed after they accused Bassa of using four ineligible players.
Meanwhile in Group Four, it will be an all-southeastern region affair as Maryland, Grand Gedeh, River Gee, and Grand Kru were all paired together. Maryland will serve as the group host.
Unlike the past where quarterfinal teams played a single match to get a semifinal spot, teams will now be placed into two groups. In addition to the group stage, there will also be a round robin, and the top two teams from each group will go into the semifinals. Monrovia and Gbarnga or Buchanan has been named as tentative host for the quarterfinals.
Featured photo by T. Kla Wesley Jr.
