Thousands of fans and several dignitaries gathered on Thursday to welcome South Sudan’s basketball team after their Olympic debut at the Paris Games.
The Bright Stars’ showing in Paris brought immense excitement to the world’s newest country, despite their disappointment of not reaching the quarterfinals after losses to the United States and Serbia in the group stage.
“The whole world now knows who South Sudan is, through basketball,” team captain Kuany Kuany told jubilant fans at a stadium in Juba.
The players were met at the airport before proceeding to the stadium, where a ceremony honoured them with traditional dance and musical performances.
In just four years, Luol Deng, the president of the South Sudan Basketball Federation (SSBF), a former refugee who became an NBA star, has transformed the Bright Stars into one of the top teams in Africa.
Deng expressed his wish that the Bright Stars’ participation in the Olympics and the Basketball World Cup in August of last year would serve as an inspiration to the young people of the nation.
“A lot of people don’t give us chances, a lot of people don’t believe in us, but because of what we are doing, people have started seeing potential, and we’re on our way.”
South Sudan made their Olympic debut with a victory against Puerto Rico and caused concern for the US during a warm-up game in London on July 20.
Despite their strong start, there was no real chance of an upset when they faced each other in Lille, France, and the US emerged victorious with a score of 103-86.