"We Can Do Better," Disabled Athlete Rallies Government Support to the National Basketball Squad

Paynesville, Liberia: 25-year-old Abraham Bawoh, a disabled player of the Lone Star Basketball team, has stressed the urgent need for the central government to direct substantive budgetary support to wheelchair basketball for the betterment of the sport.

Bawoh, who is a first team player on the Liberia Wheelchair Basketball Men's National Team, asserted that the team is capable of winning international silverware if the needed support is given by the Liberian government.

Highlighting the Challenges Disabled Face in the Sport

The Liberia National Wheelchair Basketball Federation is said to be partially supported by the government and receives financial support only for preparation for major tournaments.

According to Bawoh, the trickle-down effect of insufficient support to the Federation leaves players to receive financial benefits only doing national team duties, a scenario that applies to national team players in Liberia, but the regular pattern, he believes, should not be applied to the disabled in the sport.

The young athlete noted that most disabled people playing basketball depend on the sport as their only source of income, pointing out that due to the constraints they face fetching for themselves, some players rarely attend training sessions due to lack of transportation fares to training grounds.

"As disabled persons playing for the national team, we should be given extra consideration to be on salary. Players only receive money when there is time for a game, and most of us are not doing anything else to earn money, apart from what we depend on to get from our country through the national team," he stated.

Calls Substantive Financial Support

In an exclusive interview with K-News Sports Desk, the 25-year-old disabled basketball player emphasized the dire need for Liberia to adequately invest in the sport and get on the path with other nations to set a salary structure for the wheelchair basketball players.

He craved much support from the government for basketball that will motivate the national team players in their sacrifices and also help cater to their needs beyond the court, besides what is earned as appearance fees and bonuses doing national team duties.

The young lad, sharing his experience with the national team's recent travel to South Africa for the International Wheelchair Basketball Federation (IWBF) men's African championship, figured out that other federations are shouldering responsibilities of their players off the court, including rental bills and schooling, to ensure that they give ample time to focusing on the game.

Abraham Bawoh, who sought for the same to be applied in Liberia, said empowering disabled people in the sport will attract thousands of others who are talented in diverse sports and reduce the number of disabled people who are in a begging state.

He stressed, "We want to sacrifice everything for the game." If the Liberian government can put us on salary, we will be highly motivated, and we are capable of winning trophies and bringing pride to the country. Let them believe in us; we can do better for the country."

Expressing Hope for Success

The youngster noted that Liberia has raw talents who are competent to win international trophies and bring pride to Liberia. 

Abraham Bawoh recounted that the recent poor performance of the national team in the International Wheelchair Basketball Federation African championship was not due to the incompetence of players but rather poor preparation and financial difficulties.

Sporting federations in Liberia remain under-supported by the national government, with the most followed sport, football, receiving a little over US$50,000 as an annual national budget in the 2025 fiscal year, accounting for the highest among all federations.