August 08, (THEWILL) – South Sudan’s national basketball team, the Bright Stars, has received a hero’s welcome in Juba after their first-ever appearance at the Olympic Games in Paris. Thousands of people turned out to celebrate the team’s achievement, despite their failure to reach the quarter-finals.
The Bright Stars’ performance at the Olympics has been a source of joy for the world’s youngest nation. Team captain Kuany Kuany told jubilant fans at a stadium in Juba that the whole world now knows who South Sudan is, thanks to their basketball team.
The players were welcomed by fans and dignitaries at the airport before being taken on a procession to the stadium, where they were honoured with a ceremony featuring traditional dance and musical performances.
Kuany said their Olympic appearance was a “uniting factor” for the nation, which has been plagued by civil war, political and ethnic violence, poverty, and corruption since its independence in 2011.
The driving force behind the team, Luol Deng, a refugee-turned-NBA star, has transformed the Bright Stars into one of the best teams in Africa in just four years. Deng expressed hope that the team’s success would inspire the nation’s youth and change perceptions about South Sudan’s potential.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
