Two South Sudanese football players are expected to return home today after six months of professional training in Japan, according to the Japanese Embassy in Juba.
Mr. Nyang Christopher and Mr. Oryue Marko were both playing for their states as a goalkeeper and a striker respectively during National Unity Day Sixth Sports competition in 2022, which has been supported by JICA since 2016. They both got selected to attend a professional training in Maebashi city, Japan in March.
In a statement extended to Radio Tamazuj, the Japanese Embassy in Juba said the two South Sudanese players attended professional training in Japan with U-18 team of Thespakusatsu Gunma (Professional football club in Japan).
“The training was part of an ongoing partnership between Maebashi city in Japan, which hosted South Sudan National Athletes Team at Tokyo Olympic game 2020, and the Ministry of Youth and Sports in South Sudan, to promote peace and social cohesion through sports in South Sudan,” the statement read in part.
It added,” The two players also had the opportunity to learn Japanese culture. During the six months of training, they stayed at Fuji Language School and took Japanese lesson every day. They also took classes together with the local Japanese school students, exchanging culture between South Sudan and Japan.
It is expected that the two players who are both members of sports academies in Juba will continue to work with the Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and Ministry of Youth and Sports to share their experiences with the rest of the players in the various academies to improve the skills of football players in South Sudan.
The Embassy further said the opportunity offered to the two players is a symbol of “the strong friendship and collaboration” between South Sudan and Japan.