Forest Whittaker poses for photos with sports leaders and government officials in Juba Tuesday/Photo by Kafuki Jada

Popular actor and UN goodwill ambassador Forest Whittaker say he is impressed by the strength and power of South Sudan sports players and their way of life.

“I met a bunch of young athletes, basketball players and they are from South Sudan. I was really amazed by the strength and the power that they have, they made, he said at the official launch of the Juba Peace Tournament at the Buluk Play Ground Monday.

Besides he said “Am most impressed by their behavior, by the way they deal with life.”

The movie legend thinks “sports have been able to give them [South Sudanese youth] an opportunity to grow, to progress,  to dream about what’s possible for them.”

“It’s all about people feeling good about themselves and sports can do that for you, it can make you feel like you are part of a team,’ he added.

At the same event, the President of the South Sudan Football Association, Maduot Parek thanked Whittaker for collaborating with the national football governing body to promote peace through sports.

” At the South Sudan football association, we are thinking about using football as a solution to unite our people and to bring young people together in a positive manner and create love among them.”

“Therefore, when we share these commonalities and partnerships with Whitaker, the more we work together,  we can get strong and deliver results in an effective manner,”

For her part, Central Equatoria Deputy Governor Sarah Nene said her government donated one million South Sudanese pounds to the football association to show the support of the state government.

“Young people are the future leaders of South Sudan and the future leaders  who need to be handled well, and with football, we shall have a bright future in this country,”

‘My message today is to let peace prevail among us in our republic,” she concluded.