A peace and reconciliation inter-college football tournament in Upper Nile University’s Juba Campus has concluded.
The event that ended on Tuesday was organized by the institution to promote peace among students and local communities.
During the final football tournament, the College of Public Health beat their colleagues from the College of Agriculture 4 – 2 on penalty shootouts.
Addressing students and spectators at the close of the tournament on Tuesday, Prof. Mahmoud Chuol Turuk, the university’s Vice-Chancellor, warned against tribalism, urging South Sudanese to embrace sports to promote peaceful coexistence.
“We organized this tournament in the loving memory of our late fallen (former) Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Marial Awou. Through sports, we will promote peace and reconciliation,” Prof. Chuol said.
Adding, “Today is a very important day because this tournament has concluded as peacefully as it started. Sports promote peace, and we hope the organizing committee would include other forms of sports for female students, like volleyball and basketball, as part of activities to be organized every academic year.”
On her part, Rebecca Hawath, the Representative of the Faculties’ Deans, said sports means peace and urged South Sudanese youth to be peace ambassadors.
“Let me congratulate the two winning teams for making it to this end, especially the College of Public Health, for emerging the champions. Sports are not just for physical fitness, but they also boost critical thinking, planning, and problem-solving skills,” she stated.
“As you know, South Sudan is one of the largest countries, with 64 ethnic groups. If we embrace sports, we will promote teamwork, and teamwork will promote peace among ourselves.”
Dubbed “The inter-faculties football tournament” for honouring and in memory of the late Prof Dr Marial Awou Yol, the former Vice Chancellor of Upper Nile University, the event was organized by the University’s Deanship of Students’ Affairs, under the theme “Together for Peace, reconciliation, and unity through sports”.
Upper Nile University is one of the five public universities in the country. The other higher education institutions include Juba University, Bahr el Ghazal University, Dr. John Garang Memorial University of Science and Technology, and Rumbek University.