Skip to Content Facebook Feature Image

South Sudan's Olympic basketball team receives heroes' welcome at home

China

Video Player is loading.
Current Time 0:00
Duration -:-
Loaded: 0%
Stream Type LIVE
Remaining Time 0:00
Â
1x
    • Chapters
    • descriptions off, selected
    • captions off, selected
      China

      China

      South Sudan's Olympic basketball team receives heroes' welcome at home

      2024-08-10 10:45 Last Updated At:11:07

      South Sudan's men's basketball team have received a heroes' welcome in the country's capital Juba after returning from France.

      The team made history by beating Puerto Rico 90 points to 79 in their first-ever Olympics, and put up a spirited performance against the tournament favorites, the United States.

      With the defeat to the U.S. and Serbia, they ultimately bowed out in the group stage. But that didn't stop the Bright Stars becoming a source of joy for the world's youngest nation.

      Many residents in Juba have decided to be off from work, and have come in large numbers to welcome the team that has returned from the Paris Olympics.

      As players get out of the plane in Juba, thousands of supporters are awaiting their Olympic basketball stars.

      "I came at six o'clock in the morning. I am very happy, I have been waiting, and now the team has arrived. I want them to stay for a week or two with us before they return to their respective clubs," said James Magok, a resident.

      "The basketballers are back in town and we are so proud of them. Though they did not make it to the last stage, we are so grateful that they managed to represent us at the global stage and put our name on the map," said Arek Abraham, South Sudan's candidate for the 71st Miss World beauty pageant.

      From Juba Airport, the team drove across the city then headed to the basketball stadium.

      South Sudan's government says the impact of the basketball team goes beyond sport.

      "Let me tell you this, you have turned the trend of what is happening in our country, now the young people, the youth that I am responsible for, you have changed them and you have united them," said Rebecca Nyandeng, Vice President of South Sudan.

      South Sudan basketball players say what keeps them going is the unwavering support they get from fans at home.

      The next competition for the Bright Stars is Afro Basketball in November where the team will meet Mozambique, Mali and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

      South Sudan's Olympic basketball team receives heroes' welcome at home

      South Sudan's Olympic basketball team receives heroes' welcome at home

      Next Article

      China's consumer market gains momentum in Q1

      2025-04-06 11:50 Last Updated At:12:07

      China's consumer market showed signs of robust recovery in the first quarter of 2025, driven by pro-consumption policies and heightened spending during the Chinese New Year holidays, according to the latest high-frequency data from the State Information Center (SIC).

      The SIC's offline consumption index, a key gauge of brick-and-mortar retail activity, surged by 14.2 percent year on year in Q1, against the 9.1 percent rise in the previous quarter.

      Momentum strengthened further in March, with growth of the index hitting 20 percent -- up 4.7 percentage points from the January-February period.

      The offline consumption index for China's first-tier cities, second-tier cities, third-tier cities and below saw year-on-year growth of 19.6 percent, 11.4 percent and 20.2 percent, respectively.

      The small commodity market heat index, tracking sales of household goods and daily essentials, jumped 16.3 percent in Q1, with March alone seeing a 21.6 percent spike.

      The figures underscore resilient demand for affordable, high-frequency consumer items, signaling a broader recovery in grassroots economic activity.

      The country's service sector saw a notable expansion as well, with the life services consumption heat index climbing 18.3 percent in the first quarter - 7.4 percentage points higher from the last quarter of 2024.

      Among them, the leisure and dining sectors saw growth of 67.6 percent and 14.5 percent respectively.

      Online searches for the Qingming Festival travel and spring outing destinations -- including keywords like "cherry blossom spots" and "hiking trails" -- skyrocketed over 400 percent in March, the SIC's internet monitoring data revealed.

      China's consumer market gains momentum in Q1

      China's consumer market gains momentum in Q1

      Recommended Articles
      Hot · Posts