The Gambia Secondary School Sports Association (GSSSA), under the leadership of Ismaila Ceesay has banned about nine schools from competing in this year’s National Athletics Championship fondly called Inter-Schools after using unqualified athletes during the just concluded heats.
The schools that are confirmed to have filed an ineligible athletes and are ban by the association from competing in upcoming championship are: Mingdaw Senir Secondary School, Bottrop Senior Secondary School, Mahaad Senior Secondary School, New covenant Upper Basic School, Kafuta Upper and Senior Secondary School, St. Peters Senior Secondary School, Jamisa Upper and Senior Secondary School, Jambur Basic Cycle School, Jambanjelly Upper Basic School respectively.
According to the president Ceesay, they also have about eight other schools that are currently under investigation, noting that if they confirm them to have cheated, they are equally going to be banned as well.
The schools that are currently under investigation are: Nusrat Senior Secondary School, Scan Aid Senior Secondary School, Bakoteh Upper and Senior Secondary School, Nemasu Senior Secondary School, Kotu Senior Secondary School, Bansang Senior Secondary School, St. Michael Upper and Senior Secondary School and Farafenni Senior Secondary School respectively.
“This year we came up with a very strong stance against any forms of cheating,” said Ismaila Ceesay, president of Gambia Secondary School Sports Association (GSSSA).
He added that they are not favouring any school or looking into the eyes of anyone, noting that whether it’s his school that is concerned or not, they will all be penalized, saying “we mean business”.
“Our rules stated very clearly that if an athlete is in one school starting from Grade 7 to 12, is only allowed to participate for 7 years. This means the athlete from Grade 7 to 12 will compete for 6 years and the other one year is for that athlete’s possibility of repeating which may be the case.”
For his part, Lamin A. Jammeh, Secretary General of the Association stated that this year’s heats started in Basse as always before later dividing the whole country into four zones or regions.
“We have URR and CRR combined together, Basse zone, Farafenni zone which also combined NBR and LRR together, Brikama zone which combined all the schools around that end and Kanifing Municipality (KM) which also combined schools within that and Banjul,” he said.
According to him, the heats were very competitive, adding that there were surprises coming from the new school especially around the KM and Farafenni zones.
“We are expecting over 100 schools in total in both Upper Basic and Senior Secondary Schools. Although 135 schools competed countrywide, we are expecting at least 102 or more for the championship because others couldn’t make even a single qualifier.”
