The National Sports Council (NSC) of The Gambia rolled out the red carpet Saturday night for its annual awards banquet, a celebratory event dubbed “BANQUET,” held at a local hotel in Kololi on Saturday 17th May, 2025. The gala gathered a multitude of institutions and key stakeholders from across the country to acknowledge and commend participants of the recent May Day Sports, culminating in the presentation of well-deserved accolades to the winners.
The banquet served as the culmination of the Workers’ Day commemorations on May 1st, which saw Gambians join the global observance at Machatty Square in Banjul. This year’s activities featured a vibrant march pass, insightful speeches by dignitaries, and a variety of sports competitions, all aimed at fostering stronger relationships among Gambian institutions. The NSC orchestrated this formal gathering to officially recognize and present awards to the triumphant teams and individuals from the sporting events.
The tradition of celebrating Workers’ Day through sports has deep roots, tracing back to February 1991, an initiative pioneered by the late George Gomez, then Executive Secretary of the Gambia National Olympic and Sports Committee. The core objectives of the day remain consistent: to encourage the working population to embrace sports and physical exercise for maintaining fitness, to cultivate friendly ties among workers from diverse economic sectors, and to ensure a harmonious and enjoyable environment for sports competitions, thereby forging stronger bonds among participants.
A poignant moment of the evening saw the audience observe a minute of silence in heartfelt tribute to George Gomez, acknowledging his immense contributions to Gambian sports. In his opening remarks, Mahmud Lamin Jawla, the Acting Executive Director of the National Sports Council, lauded this year’s May Day celebrations as an undeniable success, emphasizing that it was precisely this triumph that spurred the decision to host this official banquet.
Acting Director General Jawla delivered a special tribute to the visionary leader who initiated May Day Sports in The Gambia, the late Judge Frumus Gomez. Jawla
Ebriam Gabba Cham, the Secretary General of the Gambia National Trade Union, expressed optimism that the resolutions passed during the May Day celebrations would receive due consideration from stakeholders. He reaffirmed the unwavering commitment of Gambian workers to remain productive contributors to the nation’s development.
Faba Jammeh, the Director of Employment, took the opportunity to elaborate on the mandate of his ministry, offering encouragement to workers to either pursue entrepreneurial ventures or seek gainful employment.
The Honorable Bakary Y. Badjie
The zenith of the evening was the eagerly anticipated awards ceremony, where accolades were presented to the deserving winners across various categories:
- The volleyball awards, both male and female, were secured by the Gambia Police Force Department.
- In the newly introduced basketball event, the award went to the Gambia Maritime Administration.
- The Tug of War award was decisively claimed by the Gambia Armed Forces, who dominated both the male and female categories.
- Yonna Financial Services was honorably
recognized with the Best Dressed award. - The Office of the Vice President received the prestigious Most Disciplined award.
- The coveted title of Overall Winner of May Day Sports in The Gambia 2025 was proudly claimed by the Gambia Police Force, who amassed an impressive total of 132 points across all events in which they participated.