By Siebo D. Williams

      The second edition of the National University Games officially got underway on Saturday, February 8, 2003 with a parade and an elaborate indoor program.

       Six participating universities, namely the University of Liberia (UL), Cuttington University College (CUC), AME Zion University College (AMEZUC), AME University (AMEU), Don Bosco Polytechnic and United Methodist University (UMU) assembled at the Antoinette Tubman Stadium (ATS) on Saturday, February 8, 2003 and began a parade that proceeded through the principal streets of Monrovia and ending at the Sports Commission on Broad Street where an indoor program was held declaring the games officially opened.

      At the Sports Commission, Liberia National Olympic Committee (LNOC) Vice President for Technical Affairs and Chairman of the technical committee for the games, Philipbert Browne, welcomed the students and said it was hectic in bringing the universities together for the games. He then admonished them to participate in full and hope that their participation will be joyous. He then wished the best teams luck.

      As for LNOC President Clemenceau Urey, he stressed discipline among athletes who partook in the games. Firstly, he recalled how difficult it is in hosting the games, but said the LNOC is committed to doing that because it believes it is contributing to the development for the total being, body, mind and spirit at the university level.
 
     “Even though sports may be considered physical, it is nevertheless instructive. That is you learn things from playing sports that you can use through life. The rules and regulations must be obeyed and respected and fair play comes into play as well. There is the issue of punctuality and being graceful in defeat and victory,” Mr. Urey added.
     
      He said these values one way or the other come into play in ones life be it at work, school, at home and in the family or even at the national or political levels. Commenting on the behavior of the participating universities in last games, he said some administrators raised concerns about the behavior of their athletes prior to the commencement of the games. He said the LNOC shared these concerns and admonished the universities to exhibit sportsmanlike behavior during the games.

      He frowned on unsportsmanlike behavior during the games and urged the athletes and spectators to respect the rules.
To the Directors of Sports of the various universities, Mr. Urey cautioned them to cooperate in full for the next games. “The success of these games depends on the cooperation of the directors,” he added.

      He told the participating universities that the LNOC would like to continue holding the games, but the cost is heavy as they grow each year. “Unless we find a way to share the cost of hosting the games, I am afraid the future of the games will be bleak. Therefore, we need to strategize as to how we can find means to host the games in the future,” he stressed. Concluding, the LNOC President wished the universities success and admonished them to be graceful in victory or defeat.

      Making remarks on behalf of the participating universities, the Sports Director of Don Bosco Polytechnic. Mr. Saymujlah urged the athletes to bear in mind that they need to be cordial to one another as they play sports and interact during the games.
“Our interactions need to be characterized by love and unity so that at the end when you see your colleagues you will shake hands. So let us have that in mind. Discipline is the hallmark of the games. Let us do our best, show our talents so as to develop ourselves physically, psychological and morally,” he ended.

       Then came the presentation of the participating universities, which was done by LNOC Secretary General S. A. Morris Kainessie.

       The President of Liberia, Charles Taylor’s Message was read by LNOC Assistant Secretary General Joseph Willie.  In his message to the university athletes, President Taylor said continuity and commitment are the keys of success whether at the national level or on the field of athletic competition.

       He said he observed that the good number of the athletes who competed in the 2001 games, have completed their laudable march through the passage of academia. “They are now situated on higher plane, within the true settings of reality, that will make the difference for them in life: jobs that will sustain them and provide further opportunities towards a fulfilling future,” he noted.

      He stated that both competition and opportunities await them in these new places, but not entirely unfamiliar; for they have supped from the cup that healthy competition offers, from their time spent in academia, as well as on the field sports. The President then encouraged the university athletes to play their part with the same zeal during the games.

     He then congratulated the LNOC in its salient commitment to maintaining a atmosphere of spirited athletic competition at the highest level of the education ladder.

     LNOC Secretary General S. A. Morris Kainessie proxy for Youth and Sports Minister Max Dennis in declaring the games opened. Giving a brief statement, he said each year the games get bigger. He admonished the athletes to perform with sincerity and honesty. “We expect to see excellent performance through peace, harmony and love. Through sports we create good friends, situations where we find ourselves making others happy. So let us be happy with one another during the games.” Mr. Kainessie then declared the games officially opened on behalf of Minister Dennis.

      Giving the vote of thanks, Joseph Narmah of the LNOC thanked the universities for making available their students despite the thigh academic schedule. He thanked those students who participated in the opening program. He also urged the students to be very sensitive to sports as that will impact on their academic posture.

       The objectives of the National University Games are to revive the spirit of competition amongst the institutions of higher learning; to contribute to the cycle of developing the body, mind and spirit through sports and to identify athletes who will represent Liberia at international competitions.

       Meanwhile, the Athletic Events began on Monday, February 10, 2003 at the SKD Sports at 9:00 a.m. Cuttington University College (CUC), AME University and United Methodist University (UMU) were placed in Group 1,while the University of Liberia (UL), Don Bosco Polytechnic and AME Zion University College (AMEZUC) were in Group 2.

     The testing of athletes and registration commenced at 8:00 and ended at 9:00 a.m., while Javelin and Long Jump (both male and female) kicked off at 9:00 and ended at 9:40 a.m.

     There were other track events that included 100m, 200m, 400m, 800m, and 1500m, 4x100m relay while the field events included javelin, long jump and short putt.

    These events took place on heats level to determine who qualified for the quarter, semi and grand finals. The Athletic Events ended on the same day, February 10,2003.

The overall medal table was topped by the UL by winning a total of 14 medals, comprising 5 golds, 2 silvers and 7 bronze.

AMEZUC won a total of 13 medals, comprising 7 golds, 4 silvers and 3 bronze, while CUC won a total of 8 with 2 golds, 4 silvers and 2 bronze.

AMEU and Don Bosco tied at a total of 6 medals. The former won 3 golds and 3 silvers, while the latter won 1 gold, 2 silvers and 3 bronze.

The last on the table was UMU that won 4 medal in total, comprising 1 gold, 1 silvers and 2 bronze.

Below are the results:
Female Category
100m 200m
Britt Karblee –AMEU 12.12 sec   
Britt Karblee–AMEU 25.41sec
Gladys Tompson–ZUC 13.00
Gladys Thompson–ZUC 26.97sec
Ruth Caesar–CUC 13.08
Ruth Caesar–CUC 28.23sec
400m 800m
Gladys Thompson–AMEU 1.08
Venus Guarkolo–UMU 3.00
Tammy Davies–CUC 1.12 G.
 Sundayway Duwah–CUC 3.15
Venus Gwarkolo–UMU 1.17
Jamesetta Wulah–UL 3.28
1500m Short Putt
Feyisetan O. Olatungi–ZUC 7.27
Alicia Poutou–AMEU 7.1m
Miatta Urey–AMEU 7.28.19
Pearl E. Harmon–AMEU 6.17m
Jamesetta Wulah–UL 8.05
Jamesetta Wulah–UL 6.16m
Long Jump 4,100m Relay
Amy Johnson–UL 3.33m CUC 1.03
AMEZUC 1.07
UL 1.08
Male Category
100m 200m
Varney Saidu–ZUC 10.25sec.
Lewis Caesar–UL 10.66sec.
Siaka Massaquoi–CUC 23.28sec.
Sivili Varni-Don Bosco 11.19 sec.
 Sivili Varni–Don Bosco 24.01sec.
400m 800m
Festus Robinson–ZUC 53.30sec. Emphram Fayiah–UL 4.41:20
Lewis Caesar–UL 54.16sec. Henry Jackson– AMEU 4.50.00
Peter Kumeh–UMU 55.69sec Jerry Yekeh–UL 5.03:46
1500m Javelin
Emphram Fayiah–UL 4.41.20 Roland Obedekah–UL 40.14.4m
Khanley Sirleaf–UMU 4.50.00 Henry Jackson–AMEU 40.12.0m
Jerry Yekeh–UL 5.03.46 Gabriel Duncan–ZUC 39.00m
Short Putt Long Jump
Tobias E. Mombo–Don Bosco 12.0m Roland Obedekah–UL 5.77m
Samuel Dazzie–Don Bosco 10.40m Lewis Caesar–UL 5.73m
Joe Wilson–ZUC 10.10m Mark Sampson–ZUC 5.51
4x100m
AMEZUC 49.51
CUC 49.93
Don Bosco 50.98

   In the other disciplines, the universities of football, basketball and volleyball competed to the fullest. On Tuesday, February 11, 2003 in female volleyball, AMEZUC won two sets over Don Bosco 25/19, 25/14, while UMU forfeited to CUC, two sets to zero.

     In male category, AMEZUC won two sets to one set over Don Bosco, 26/24, 24/26 and 15/8. In the other match, CUC won two sets over UMU, 15/25, 12/25.

      In female basketball, UL went down to Don Bosco, 63-69 points with Amie Weah of Don Bosco hitting 37 points. In the second match, AMEU beat CUC 34-27 points.

       In male category, Don Bosco flogged UL, 78-72 points. Suah Williams, Rudolph Vinton, Barchue Toure, Yarkpazuo, Lowen Wolo of Don Bosco proved too strong for Numinee Walker, Papus Kennedy, Raphael Quaye, Matthew Gbarmore and others of the UL.

     In the last match, the defending champions AMEU walloped CUC 102-59 points. AMEU’s Mark Smith, Dasely Zulu, Alphonso K. Quiah, Richelieu Allison, Samuel Worto and others were too tough for CUC’s Chris Taylor and crew.

     In football, UL beat Don Bosco, 2-1 in the first game, while CUC lost to AMEU, 1-4 in the last game. The games continued on Wednesday, February 12, 2003 with CUC beating AMEU 25/3, 25/7, while UL went down to Don Bosco Polytechnic 2/25, 3/25 in female volleyball. In male volleyball, CUC also lost to AMEU 25/24, 25/22, while UL went down to Don Bosco 25/21, 25/22 in their best of three sets.

In female basketball, AMEZUC forfeited to Don Bosco, while UMU also forfeited to CUC. In the male category, AMEZUC lost to Don Bosco, 69-70 points, while UMU beat CUC, 81-75 points.

In football, AMEZUC fell to Don Bosco, 2-0, while UMU walloped CUC, 1-0 at the Antoinette Tubman Stadium (ATS).

On Thursday, February 13, 2003 the last round of matched in the preliminary rounds took place. UMU forfeited to AMEU, while UL won two sets over AMEZUC in female volleyball. For the male category, AMEU beat UMU two straight sets, while AMEZUC did likewise to UL.

There were no female basketball on this day because UMU and AMEZUC forfeited to AMEU and UL respectively.

As far as the male category was concerned, AMEU narrowly beat UMU 72-71 points, while AMEZUC lost to UL 55-85 points.

In football, AMEU disgraced UMU, 5-0 in the first game, while AMEZUC lost to UL, 2-3 in the last round of games in the preliminary rounds.

At the end of the preliminary rounds, CUC and AMEU qualified for semi finals in female volleyball, while AMEZUC and UL qualified in the male category. In male volleyball, AMEU and CUC qualified from Group 1, while ZUC and Don Bosco qualified from Group 2.

In female basketball, AMEU and CUC qualified from Group 1, while UL and Don Bosco qualified from Group 2. In the male category, AMEU and UMU qualified from Group 1, while UL and Don Bosco qualified from Group 2.

In football, AMEU and UMU qualified from Group 1, while Don Bosco and UL qualified from Group 2.

The semi finals stage of the game began on Friday, February 14, 2003 with CUC beating AMEZUC 25/9, 25/8 in the first game, while UL also beat AMEU 25/9, 25/18 in female volleyball. CUC and UL then qualified for the grand final. In male volleyball, AMEU went down to Don Bosco 11/25, 23/25 in the first game, while AMEZUC beat CUC 26/24, 25/20 in the second game. Both Don Bosco and AMEZUC then qualified for the grand final.


In female basketball, AMEU went down to UL, 33-50 points, while Don Bosco dragged CUC, 62-39 points. In the male basketball semi finals, UL beat AMEU 50-31 points, while Don Bosco outclassed UMU, 64-53 points. Both Don Bosco and UL then qualified for the grand final.

In football, AMEU and Don Bosco played to 1-1 draw, but AMEU went on to the final through penalty kicks after having won 4-3. The other match saw UL destroying UMU, 4-0 to secure a place in the final as well.

The grand final matches in volleyball, basketball and football took place on Saturday, February 15, 2003.
In the female volleyball final, CUC whipped UL two straight sets, while AMEZUC did similar thing to Don Bosco.

In female basketball, Don Bosco beat UL, while UL beat Don Bosco, 91-90 in the male basketball final.

In football, UL narrowly beat AMEU,1-0 to lift the trophy.

Below are the various champions and runners-ups:

Female Volleyball
 Don Bosco–Runners-Up
CUC–Champions

Male Volleyball
 ZUC Champions
UL–Runners-Up

Female Basketball
Don Bosco–Champions
UL–Runners-Up

Male Basketball
 UL–Champions
Don Bosco–Runners-Up

Football
UL–Champions
AMEU–Runners-Up

The official closing program took place on Sunday, February 16, 2003 at the main campus of the University of Liberia where medals and trophies were presented to athletes and the universities.
LNOC President Clemenceau Urey hailed the universities for participating and urged them to collaborate for the next games come 2004.