10/09/2025
*Breaking Barriers Through Football: A Historic Match Between the Military and Special Olympics Athletes*
On Saturday, 27th September 2025, history will be made at the Armed Forces Training Centre in Benguema, as the Republic of Sierra Leone Armed Forces (RSLAF) and Special Olympics Sierra Leone (SOSL) unite for an extraordinary football match. This landmark event brings together members of the armed forces and athletes with intellectual disabilities in a show of unity, inclusion, and mutual respect the first of its kind in Sierra Leone.
The match is part of Special Olympics Sierra Leone’s mission to use sports as a tool to empower persons with intellectual disabilities and change societal perceptions around disability. It also marks a significant step in the military’s evolving role as not just a defender of the nation, but a champion of human rights, diversity, and social integration.
Speaking to Lieutenant Morie Koroma, Chief Instructor of the Republic of Sierra Leone Armed Forces, emphasized the importance of this event. “As a national armed force, we don’t only protect lives, property, and the territories of Sierra Leone,” he stated. “We also have a responsibility to promote diversity and inclusion in society.”
Although RSLAF has maintained a specialized sports unit for many years, this event represents a new chapter. “This is the first time we are engaging with persons with disabilities, particularly athletes with intellectual disabilities, through the Special Olympics Sierra Leone program, Lieutenant Koroma added. “And we are ready to embrace this opportunity fully introduced to us by SOSL”
The head coach of the SOSL also mentioned that the upcoming match is not just about competition it is about breaking stereotypes, building bridges, and creating an environment where inclusion is the norm, not the exception” He added that through sports, individuals from two seemingly different worlds the military and persons with intellectual disabilities will come together as equals on the field.
In his statement Mr Patrick Massaquoi, Deputy National Executive Director mentioned that the match also aims to inspire other sectors in Sierra Leone.
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