South Sudan

=== Games and sports ===
{{Main|Sport in South Sudan}}
[[File:Luol Deng Wizards.jpg|right|thumb|South Sudanese-born basketball player [[Luol Deng]]]]
Many traditional and modern games and sports are popular in South Sudan, particularly wrestling and mock battles. The traditional sports were mainly played after the harvest seasons to celebrate the harvests and finish the farming seasons. During the matches, they smeared themselves with [[ochre]]&nbsp;– perhaps to enhance the grip or heighten their perception. The matches attracted large numbers of spectators who sang, played drums and danced in support of their favourite wrestlers. Though these were perceived as competition, they were primarily for entertainment.<ref>{{cite book|title=Sudan in Pictures|last=DiPiazza|first=Francesca|year=2006|publisher=21st-century Books|isbn=978-0-8225-2678-0|page=54|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jaLr4YpUHGUC&pg=PA54|access-date=14 October 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160202093506/https://books.google.com/books?id=jaLr4YpUHGUC&pg=PA54|archive-date=2 February 2016|url-status=live}}</ref>

[[Association football]] is also becoming popular in South Sudan, and there are many initiatives by the Government of South Sudan and other partners to promote the sport and improve the level of play. One of these initiatives is South Sudan Youth Sports Association (SSYSA). SSYSA is already holding football clinics in Konyokonyo and Muniki areas of Juba in which young boys are coached. In recognition of these efforts with youth football, the country recently hosted the [[Council for East and Central Africa Football Associations|CECAFA]] youth football competitions. Barely a month earlier, it had also hosted the larger East African Schools Sports tournaments.{{Citation needed|date=May 2012}}

The [[South Sudan national football team|South Sudan national association football team]] joined the [[Confederation of African Football]] in February 2012 and became a full [[FIFA]] member in May 2012.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/18210048|title=South Sudan joins Fifa 10 months after independence|work=BBC News|date=25 May 2012|access-date=27 May 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120527120415/http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/18210048|archive-date=27 May 2012|url-status=live}}</ref> The team played its first match against [[Tusker FC]] of the [[Kenyan Premier League]] on 10 July 2011 in Juba as part of independence celebrations,<ref name="sports" /> scoring early but losing 1–3 to the more experienced team.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.sknvibes.com/news/newsdetails.cfm/33538|agency=SKNVibes|date=10 July 2011|access-date=10 July 2011|title=S. Sudan team kicks off to a good start, then collapses|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110927115839/http://www.sknvibes.com/news/newsdetails.cfm/33538|archive-date=27 September 2011|url-status=live}}</ref> Famous South Sudanese footballers are [[Machop Chol]], [[James Moga]], [[Richard Justin]], [[Athir Thomas]], [[Goma Genaro Awad]], [[Khamis Leyano]], [[Khamis Martin]], William Afani Clicks and [[Roy Gulwak]].

The South Sudanese can boast links to top basketball players. [[Luol Deng]] was a [[National Basketball Association]] star in the United States; at the international level, he represented [[Great Britain national basketball team|Great Britain]]. Other leading international basketball players from South Sudan include [[Manute Bol]], [[Kueth Duany]], [[Deng Gai]], [[Ater Majok]], [[Wenyen Gabriel]], and [[Thon Maker]]. The [[South Sudan national basketball team]] played its first match against the [[Uganda national basketball team]] on 10 July 2011 in Juba.<ref name="sports">{{cite news|url=http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/basketball/worlds-newest-nation-set-to-step-into-sporting-arena/451201|title=World's Newest Nation Set to Step into Sporting Arena|newspaper=The Jakarta Globe|date=6 July 2011|access-date=21 December 2013|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120927093457/http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/basketball/worlds-newest-nation-set-to-step-into-sporting-arena/451201|archive-date=27 September 2012}}</ref>

One athlete from South Sudan, [[Guor Marial]], competed in the [[2012 Summer Olympics]]. Due to South Sudan not as yet possessing an official Olympics organization, and Marial not yet possessing American citizenship, he, along with three athletes from the former [[Netherlands Antilles]], competed under the banner of [[Independent Olympic Athletes at the 2012 Summer Olympics|Independent Olympic Athletes]].

On 2 August at the 128th IOC Session, South Sudan was granted full recognition of its [[South Sudan National Olympic Committee|National Olympic Committee]]. [[South Sudan at the 2016 Summer Olympics|South Sudan competed at the 2016 Summer Olympics]] with three athletes in track and field. No medals were won during this Olympics.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.rio2016.com/en/south-sudan|title=South Sudan|website=Rio 2016|access-date=18 December 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161125235855/https://www.rio2016.com/en/south-sudan|archive-date=25 November 2016|url-status=live}}</ref>