31 May 2011
Maputo — Mozambican Prime Minister Aires Ali has asked Germany and German sports institutions to assist Mozambique in organising the 10th All-Africa Games, due to take place in Maputo in September.
Ali made this appeal on Tuesday in Munich at a reception offered by Rainer Koch, the Deputy President of the German Football Association, and President of the Bavarian Football Association, during his four day visit to the state of Bavaria.
“My visit takes place in a year that will certainly go down in the history of Mozambican sport, since the country will host the 10th All-Africa Games, sometimes known as the African Olympics”, said the Prime Minister.
Given the scale of the event, Mozambique faces enormous challenges in organising the games, he added, but the government is determined to transform them into a moment of fraternity and festivity.
“Apart from the sports aspect, hosting an event of this size will provide an unparalleled opportunity for the country to display itself to the world”, said Ali, “an opportunity to show our achievements in the socio-economic domains, and our potential, particularly in art, culture and tourism”.
He hoped that Mozambique could count on support from German sports bodies, both in organizing the games, and in helping train Mozambican athletes. This would be a continuation of current German assistance to Mozambican sport. Thus two German technical staff are working with the Mozambican Football Federation (FMF), and four Mozambicans are being trained in football management in Germany.
The All-Africa Games are expected to bring around 6,500 sportspeople and other delegates from all over the continent to Maputo. A race against the clock is under way to complete all athletes’ village and all the sports facilities before the games begin on 3 September. The organizing committee is confident that everything will indeed be ready on time.
AllAfrica – All the Time
Excerpt from:
Govt Seeks German Help for All-Africa Games