Published: October 26, 2026
MONROVIA — Liberia risks missing two major international wheelchair basketball events in Egypt and Thailand next month unless President Joseph Nyuma Boakai Sr. intervenes with urgent financial support, the Liberia National Wheelchair Basketball Federation has warned.
The federation has appealed directly to President Boakai to approve funding for the national men’s and women’s 3×3 wheelchair basketball teams to compete in the 2026 World Cup in Cairo, Egypt, and for Liberian representatives to attend an international high-performance and capacity-building camp in Thailand.
In a press statement read by Board Chair Florence Mamusu Thornes, the federation said it had submitted a budget to the president’s office but faced significant financial and logistical challenges that could derail the country’s participation in both events.
The World Cup is scheduled for Nov. 23-29 in Cairo, while the training camp will run from Nov. 8-21 in Suphanburi, Thailand.
The federation said the funding request covers international transportation, accommodation, meals and daily subsistence, registration fees, sports equipment and other essential expenses.
Without timely assistance, Liberia could lose opportunities to compete internationally and strengthen its wheelchair basketball program after months of preparation, the federation said. It also raised concerns about possible financial penalties or suspension if nonparticipation breaches obligations to international governing bodies.
“We respectfully ask for your continued intervention so that these new opportunities will not be lost because of financial constraints,” the federation said in its appeal to the president.
The funding appeal comes as the federation credits Boakai with helping restore Liberia’s international wheelchair basketball participation and supporting national teams in previous competitions.
According to the federation, presidential assistance helped settle fines associated with Liberia’s absence from international tournaments in 2022 and 2023, leading to the lifting of the country’s suspension from international wheelchair basketball activities.
The federation also said Boakai provided financial support for Liberia’s under-23 men’s team to participate in a qualifying tournament in Johannesburg, South Africa, in February 2025. Further support reportedly enabled Liberian teams to participate in competitions in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Luanda, Angola, from March 17 to April 2, 2026.
The federation said those interventions gave athletes valuable international experience and helped sustain the country’s presence in the sport.
Beyond the immediate funding crisis, the federation announced that Boakai is expected to donate 24 new sports wheelchairs on Oct. 29 at the Samuel Kanyon Doe Sports Complex. The chairs are part of a total of 36 being acquired for the federation.
The expected donation could help address shortages of specialized equipment needed to improve athletes’ mobility, safety and competitive performance.
The Wheel Chair basketball federation is also preparing to present Boakai with a proposal for a Liberia National Disability Sports Village on a proposed 500-acre site. The planned facility would support specialized sports training, athlete development, coaching and capacity-building, subject to feasibility studies, land arrangements, funding and government approval.
Established on July 18, 2019, by Ambassador S. Lionel E. Johnson, the federation says its work extends beyond competition to promoting inclusion, confidence, independence and economic empowerment for Liberians with physical disabilities.
It called on the government, the Ministry of Youth and Sports, development partners, private businesses and civil society organizations to support disability sports and ensure financial hardship does not prevent qualified athletes from representing Liberia internationally.
The federation said timely funding for the November engagements would help protect the progress made in wheelchair basketball and give Liberian athletes opportunities to compete, develop their skills and represent their country on the international stage.
Discussion about this post