The Basketball Africa League (BAL), in partnership with its collaborators, has inaugurated a renovated basketball court at Gaston Berger University (UGB) in Saint-Louis, Senegal. The project is part of a programme designed to rehabilitate community sports facilities and improve playing conditions for young people.
BAL president Amadou Gallo Fall attended the ceremony and said Saint-Louis was chosen for its historical importance and its role in Senegal's economic and energy transitions. "It is only natural that this inauguration begins here, in Saint-Louis, a historic city, a world heritage site, but also a city situated at the heart of the country's energy challenges," Fall said.
Fall stressed that the initiative goes beyond rebuilding a sports venue, arguing that the country's natural resources should also create opportunities for young people. "The resources we have in our subsoil must not only be measured in cubic metres or barrels. They must also allow us to create opportunities, particularly for this youth, by giving them access to safe play areas," he said.
Now in its sixth year of running a professional basketball championship in Africa, the BAL plans to extend similar partnerships to other countries in the sub-region. Fall praised UGB's leadership for working with limited resources and predicted future champions would emerge from the university.
