The moving ceremony took place at the resort under the chairmanship of another former great football official Alhaji MC Cham and attended by some of The Gambia’s notable sports personalities.
In his tribute to Alhaji Omar Sey, the former Banjul mayor and long term protégée of Mr Sey, James Gomez described Mr Sey as a catalyst in the success of many sports in The Gambia not just football. He said both Mr Sey and MC Cham along with the GFF life honorary president OB Conateh had a great influence in him on sports and life outside football. “I feel therefore it is fitting to honour Mr Sey in his life time rather than after he has gone,” Gomez said.
Lawyer Omar Njie, a nephew of Omar Sey who gave a family testimonial of Mr Sey’s life said the former Gambian director of youth and sports has been a caring figure and an inspiration to his family. “I, alongside many others are what we are today because of the wise and generous support of Omar Sey,” Njie noted.
Another speaker Abdoulie ‘Baks’ Touray, a development economist and head of SaHel Investment, said the initiative to name the fitness centre after Omar Sey is borne out of our their desire to celebrate people who have contributed to the development of sports in The Gambia. He revealed that there are many other similar functions planned by the resort to honour distinguished Gambian sports personalities.
Alhaji Omar Sey himself thanked Relax management for the honour which he said surprised him. “I am not sure if I deserved this but in any case everything I deserved today in sports administration particularly stemmed from the influence and encouragement of Alhaji MC Cham who both as minister and president of the GFA had done a lot for the development of sports in this country.”
Speaker after speaker paid tribute to the early educationist who has helped shape sportsmen and administrators in The Gambia among them Teacher Mike and in later life Alpha Kahn and others.
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