Gambia Sports Information

Gambia Sports Information & Activities

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Basketball:
Pick-up games are common in the areas behind the handball courts, though female players are rather rare. A national teams exists, but isn’t too big (or talented internationally).

Bicycling

Crazy Eight (Card game)

Cricket:
Inter-club cricket is played in league matches organised by the Gambia Cricket Association, which also organises international matches. Cricket matches can be watched in the capital's McCarthy Square, Banjul.

Exercise Machines & Weight Lifting:
Many of the big hotel accommodations have fitness gyms within their grounds as well as several in the Fajara Club.
Weight lifting and exercise machines: There are a variety of weightlifting devices as well as several exercise bikes available for use at the gym inside Independence Stadium. The cost for a membership is about $3.60 per month. To get to this room, enter the stadium through the front doors (the side facing away from the hotel). Leave the lobby through the door on your right; journey down the long hallway to find the weight room on the end. Hours are usually between 3:00 pm and 7:00 pm, Monday through Friday.

Football

Golf:
The Fajara Golf Club has an 18-hole golf course at Fajara near the Atlantic coast. International meetings are organised every year. The club also has a swimming pool and squash court.

Gyms

Handball:

Handball is sometimes likened to a combination of football and basketball. It is played in a 40 by 20 meter (131.2 by 65.6 feet) court, with two netted goals at either end. The sides of six players and one goalie each attempt to score goals by dribbling and passing the ball down the court and into the net. The winning team is the one that scores the most points during the sixty-minute match. If you want to see handball in action, look for games in the fenced in, paved handball court located next to the tennis courts in the Friendship Hotel/Independence Stadium complex.

Rugby:
Rugby is probably as familiar to Gambians as American football—not very much at all. However, a variety of toubabs (mainly scientists from the MRC and volunteers from Peace Corps and VSO) meet twice a week at Leybato Beach for an informal game of touch. At the time of writing, these games occur Tuesdays at 6:00 pm and Sunday at 5:00 pm. All ages and abilities welcome.

Swimming:

The estuary of the River Gambia on the Atlantic coast provides miles of magnificent beaches with warm seas throughout the year. Caution is necessary, owing to strong currents.

Table Tennis:
You can play table tennis (ping-pong) inside the Independence Stadium—enter the main doors (the side not facing the hotel) and exit the lobby through the door on the left. The table tennis room is at the end of the hallway, and is generally open Monday to Saturday, 4:00 pm to 9:00 pm. Apply within for a membership; bring about $8.90 and two passport size photos for an I.D. card.

Tennis:

There are tennis courts in the Independence Stadium complex, so bring a racket and a few balls if you are an enthusiast (they are rather expensive here for their not-as-good quality). Tournaments are occasionally held on these courts, as well as tennis lessons.

Watersports:
Atlantic resorts cater for windsurfing, jet-skis and surfing. Sailing is possible at The Gambia Sailing Club at Banjul, which welcomes visitors. A notable event is the race to Dog Island. Additional regattas are organised on special occasions. Both sea and river fishing is good all year, particularly line-fishing from the beaches. Several sport-fishing boats are available for sea-angling trips.

Wrestling:
Wrestling is the traditional national sport; contests can be watched in most towns and villages. Bouts can be seen on most weekends in Banjul and its suburbs, Serekunda and Bakau.