The city of Yamoussoukro hosted the 2022 Interleague Finals on July 23 and 24. For two days, the 8 basketball leagues of Côte d’Ivoire met on the sports facilities of the National Polytechnic Institute Houphouët-Boigny ( INPHB), under the control of the Aries League and under the aegis of the Ivorian Basketball Federation (FIBB) for the inter-regional finals. And in this game, the Leagues of Daloa and Man took the lion’s share.
Following the intra-leagues organized by all the branches of the FIBB inside, it is at the foot of the Basilica of Our Lady of Peace that all the teams qualified in the categories minimal, cadet, and junior faced each other. And the final phases smiled on the Leagues of Daloa and Man, big winners of the competitions.
the results
Absent from the decisive tables of the 2021 edition of the Interleague Finals organized in Gagnoa, the Daloa League achieved a faultless performance among the cadets, both girls and boys. The young Antelopes beat the representatives of the Bouaké League for girls (20-11), before doing it again for boys against that of Man (23-16). The icing on the cake was the Special Prize of the President of the FIBB for the Best Trainer of the Interleague Finals awarded to coach Gilbert Yao.
Like Daloa, the League of Man has had four podiums. Although not all had the same flavor. Unhappy finalist in the minims and the cadets by the fault of Yamoussoukro and Daloa, the League of the city of the mountains surveyed the highest step of the ladder among the juniors. The valiant Manx formation dislodged that of the Gagnoa League from its seat as reigning champion in the category thanks to its 24-18 victory. The quality of the show of all his teams allowed Man to leave with the Special Prize of the President of the FIBB for the Best League of the competition. The innovation of Interleague Finals.
Alongside Daloa and Man, Yamoussoukro also showed up. The host League of the Inter-Regional Basketball Finals distinguished itself in the junior boys (16-17) with its victory over Man, and in the junior girls with a clearer success against Abengourou (10-02).
the rewards
The award ceremony was the place for the President of the FIBB to make a donation to the Regional Director of Sports of the District of Yamoussoukro, Mr. Kader Coulibaly. For Mahama Coulibaly, “ this donation of equipment made up of balls and nets is the contribution of the FIBB to help multiply youth competitions and to place basketball at the heart of the actions of the Regional Directorate. Because, only competitions with adequate equipment will make it possible to train new champions inside the country which is a part of the federal vision which wishes that in some time, the interior of the country can present at least 5 clubs to participate in the national championships ».
A donation received with joy by Mr. Kader Coulibaly who congratulated Mrs. Naman Bamba, President of the Ligue du Bélier, for the quality of the organization, and wished to thank President Mahama Coulibaly for the efforts to develop basketball in inside the country. “We feel basketball revived inside the country thanks to the dynamism of President Mahama (Coulibaly) and his team. After these finals, and given the quality of the show, we hope to host these competitions next year,” said the representative of the Ministry of Sports in the region.
It should be noted that the Yamoussoukro 2022 Interleague Finals recorded the presence of Mr. Ahui Naylor, MP for Yamoussoukro and representative of Mr. Souleymane Diarrassouba, Minister of Trade and Industry, sponsor of the event, who opened the festivities in the morning of Saturday July 23. Also present were the First Vice-President of the FIBB, Mr. Fétigué Ouattara, Mr. Pépin Yapi, sports performance analyst coach, Blaise Amalabian, former Ivorian international and executive at the National Institute of Youth and Sports (INJS ).
As a reminder, took part in the competitions, the Leagues of Abengourou, Bouaké, Daloa, Gagnoa, Korhogo, Man, San Pedro and Yamoussoukro. The Bondoukou League was present as an observer with the ambition of presenting teams from the next edition of the Interleague Finals, the host city of which will be known in the coming months.
