By Bockarie Kamara
The Sierra Leoneโs Sports Ambassador, Charlie Bio Jr., has outlined key achievements in the last three years and called on government to provide funding to sustain the office.
Speaking in an exclusive interview with this newspaper at his office on Friday, September 11, Bio Jr. said his mandate has focused on scouting and engaging diaspora and home-based athletes to represent Sierra Leone.
Bio Jr. said he was instrumental in bringing swimmer Halle Harris to the attention of the Sierra Leone Aquatics Association.
โI personally spoke to Halle Harris and her mother because I saw that she was a talented swimmer,โ he said. โI introduced her to the President of the Sierra Leone Aquatics Association, Mohamed Turay, and they agreed she should compete for Sierra Leone when she was 15.โ
He explained that while was eligible, she missed the previous Commonwealth Games because World Aquatics required athletes to stay in the Games Village and her mother was concerned about her age.
Ambassador Charlie Bio Jr. said that the only swimmer from Sierra Leone to reach a semi final at 2026 commonwealth Games is Halle Harris.
He said Halle Harris 19 years old and she participated in the women’s 50_meter backstroke.
He said she was able to finished fourth in her heat with a time of 29.07 seconds. He said that the athlete set a new national record for Sierra Leone. He continues that he was placed 12th overall to secure a spot in the top 16 semifinalists. She made a history as the first ever Sierra Leonean swimmer to qualify for Commonwealth.
โThis time, her mother agreed and Halle Harris competed. She put up a wonderful performance, flew the countryโs flag high and reached the semi-finals,โ Bio Jr. added. โI want the country to know I scouted her and that recognition should be given to the office of the Sports Ambassador.โ
The Ambassador said he has also scouted several footballers for the Leone Stars, including Kaki, Isa Kallon and former captain Steven Caulker. He noted that after initial contact, he handed them over to the Sierra Leone Football Association (SLFA) for further engagement.
โIโm the one who contacted them to represent the country,โ he said. โIsa Kallon won the penalty that qualified us for the Africa Cup of Nations, and he also won the penalty that Kai Kamara missed during the tournament.โ
Bio Jr. disclosed that he is also in contact with basketball players based in the United States who have expressed interest in playing for Sierra Leone. He said he plans to travel to Europe at the end of September 2026 to scout athletes across multiple disciplines.
Despite the work, Bio Jr. said the office has operated for the past three to four years without government funding.
โI am not getting any funding for this job. I do everything out of my own pocket,โ he said. โThe only support I want right now is funding. I am calling on the Ministry of Sports and the National Sports Authority to fulfill their promise and factor the Sports Ambassadorโs activities into their budget. It is their responsibility to give the office the necessary support.โ
He acknowledged the support of Christian Dauda, a former Leone Stars team manager based in England, who sometimes represents him in player engagements.
Bio Jr. urged all sporting disciplines to organize regular leagues, noting that footballโs return after a nine-year break produced current Leone Stars players such as Musa Tombo, Alusine โTwinโ, goalkeeper Mohamed Kamara, and Yami Donya.
โBefore, we used to take old players abroad who were not even playing club football. Now, if you are not playing for a club, you cannot play for Leone Stars. We are getting professionals from our leagues,โ he said.
He praised cricket and swimming for running active programs and advised parents to allow children to combine sports with education.
โSport will bring everybody together and even unite the whole country,โ he said. โAthletes should concentrate, because sport is a good thing.โ
On the future, Bio Jr. said Sierra Leone is making progress, pointing to medals won in other disciplines.
โWe are getting there. We are winning medals in disciplines where we had none before. I see Sierra Leone becoming one of Africaโs best in sport because we are putting things together and we will enjoy the facilities.โ
Charlie Bio Jr. said his relationship with the Ministry of Sports and NSA remains cordial, and that he has received several awards for his work, including recognition from Ghana and a certificate from the All African Games.
