Monrovia — The President of the Liberia Athletics Federation (LAF), Mulbah Zaza, has strongly criticized reports that athletics will be excluded from the upcoming 2025/2026 National County Sports Meet, calling it a continued marginalization of the sport.
His comments follow growing criticism of the County Meet’s structure, which has reportedly sidelined athletics for the past four editions despite its international success for Liberia. “We say we want to provide short-term empowerment for young people and discover new talents during the County Meet,” Zaza noted, “but we only focus on kickball and football.”
Billed as Liberia’s largest annual sporting event, the National County Sports Meet is intended to showcase multi-sport competition and diverse youth talent from all 15 counties.
However, recent editions have focused primarily on football kickball and Basketball as the only other discipline.
Athletics, a sport that has produced Olympians, African medalists, and scholarship recipients, has reportedly been absent from the schedule.
With rumors swirling about another exclusion for the upcoming edition, Zaza expressed his frustration. “This would be the fifth straight County Meet without athletics,” he said. “It’s unacceptable. Athletics is not just a sport it’s a proven pathway to success for hundreds of young Liberians.”
Despite football receiving the majority of government attention and funding, athletics has consistently brought international recognition to Liberia through events like the Olympics, African Championships, and World Athletics championships.
Athletes such as Welington Zaza, Ebony Morrison, and Joseph Fahnbulleh have competed on global stages.
Meanwhile,numerous aspiring runners train daily across Liberia with limited resources and no national platform.
“Athletics has brought Liberia more international medals than any other sport,” Zaza highlighted. “Yet we get no lane at our biggest local event? How is that fair?”
Zaza is advocating for a points-based scoring system at the County Meet, similar to those used in regional and international multi-sport tournaments.
Under such a system, counties would compete in various sports, with overall performance determining the winner, rather than just the football final.
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“Let every sport count,” Zaza urged. “That way, the County Meet can truly reflect the spirit of inclusion and youth development that it claims to promote.”
As the Ministry of Youth and Sports plans the 2025/2026 edition, Zaza’s comments underscore a perceived disconnect between the country’s youth policy goals and their implementation.
“We’re not asking for millions or stadiums,” Zaza clarified. “We’re asking for a fair shot. Give athletics a lane, and watch what these young athletes can do.”
With increasing public interest and calls from the sporting community, justifying the continued exclusion of athletics from Liberia’s “National” County Meet may prove challenging. Zaza and others warn that without reforms, the County Meet will remain, in their view, a football tournament in disguise.
When contacted for response to the news of a planned exclusion of Athletics from the upcoming County Meet Deputy Minister of Sports G. Andy Quamie said a decision has be taken. “No decision has been made yet, it will depends on the availability of funds,” Andy Quamie said.
