Congo Town — The Liberia Tennis Federation (LTF) has sworn into office its newly elected officials to steer the affairs of the institution for the next two years, following a decade of being torn apart due to internal wrangling.
By Jaheim T. Tumu
The LTF, founded in the mid-1970s, is the umbrella federation that supervises Lawn Tennis activities in the country.
The new leadership, comprised of President Paul Jamaal King, Vice President Charles Lawrence, and Secretary-General Daniel Dean, have a pivotal role in uniting the federation following unprecedented years of power struggles, lack of accountability, and a dearth of competitive leagues.
In his inaugural address, newly elected President King stated that his leadership had taken a solemn oath to serve in their capacity and to lead the federation into a new era.
King emphasized the importance of collective work among stakeholders and members to ensure success. He acknowledged the significance of working with the chairman and members of the board to lead the agenda for young people to play tennis.
“I would like to assure all of you that the difficult years are behind us. Our priority is to unite everyone, including our players, coaches, and administrators,” said King.
“We are pleased to usher in a new era for Tennis in Liberia. Together, we will use tennis to support youth development, offering new opportunities for young people to compete and develop,” he added.
King outlined his administration’s quest to transform the federation based on three pillars: improving institutional management for Tennis, implementing annual Tennis programs and competitions, and mobilizing resources to achieve priorities.
Emphasizing the first pillar, King stated their goal to transform the LTF into a transparent, inclusive, and trusted federation that fulfills its mandate and is accountable to constituents. He promised to ensure effective communication strategies using multiple channels, including an institutional website and various social media platforms, to market the institution.
Regarding the strategy for implementing annual Tennis programs and competitions, King pledged to upgrade all existing office facilities and improve public courts across the country. He also stressed the development of LTF competitions guidelines to attract private sector sponsorship.
On the third pillar of the leadership agenda, King assured members of transparent actions to raise funds for the realization of the federation’s goals. He pledged to foster partnerships with both government and private sector actors aligned with the goals of Tennis and youth development in Liberia.
Assistant Minister for Sports, Murvee Gray, also addressed the occasion, describing the inauguration of new officials as a new day for the federation. Minister Gray emphasized the powerful potential of sports in fostering peace and unity among people and urged the new leadership to foster togetherness and peace amongst its members to avoid the repetition of past conflicts.