Reports indicate that the French government has announced that it will contribute Sh1.6 billion to Tanzania’s sports development.
The initiative is considered as an expansion of France’s fields of collaboration with Tanzania by including sports through a two-year program dubbed as “Twende Olympic 2024”.
The project is intended to address the pervasive issue of training and administration in sports, according to Nabil Hajlaoui, the French ambassador to Tanzania, who spoke at the project’s inauguration event on Wednesday evening.
According to Hajlaoui, the project would be utilised to strengthen Olympic values for the sporting community, particularly at the grassroots level.
“Sports promotion is a priority for France at the international level. In fact, this two-year project also reflects France’s feminist diplomacy,” he underscored.
The Olympic and Paralympic Games in Paris in 2024, which begin on July 26 of that year, should be used as an opportunity to promote sports as a social and health instrument, he continued.
Pindi Chana, minister of culture, arts, and sports, stated a desire to collaborate with the French government on sports-related projects.
“We have economic diplomacy, and now we are talking about sports diplomacy, this is commendable indeed,” said Dr Chana, adding; “We have very talented youth. What they need is just leadership.”
President of the Tanzania Olympic Committee Gulam Rashid stated that coaches, athletes, youth, and women will be trained as part of the project’s implementation, beginning with the areas of Mbeya, Singida, Coast, and Zanzibar.
He said that based on an assessment of the execution and the results of the earlier initiatives, they would be able to expand to Ruvuma, Lindi, and Pemba in 2024.
Mr. Rashid said that organised national competitions, particularly for young people and sports for health programs, would also be carried out.
“The sponsorship is a great milestone in the history of the Tanzania Olympic Committee. It has come at a very opportune moment as the Tanzania Olympic Committee seeks to reach out to the public,” he said.
This year’s Olympic Day theme, “Let’s Move,” is specifically chosen to encourage people everywhere to do physical exercises for at least 30 minutes a day for their health.
“It is our goal to see to it that this project inspires the public to make physical exercise part of their everyday lives,” said Mr Rashid.
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