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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
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.
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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.
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.
