Anita Martin, representative of German Ambassador at the opening ceremony of the fourth training programme for Physical Education teachers, athletics and handball coaches said she was extremely delighted to be associated with the course.
A good number of PE teachers, athletics and handball coaches drawn from all corners of the country are currently taking part in what promises to produce an intensive 10 days of training under the instruction of Walter Abmayr from Germany.
The programme, jointly organised by the Ministry of Youth and Sports, the German Olympic Committee and the Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education, has since got off to a convincing start at the Independence Stadium’s Friendship Hostel in Bakau under the watchful eyes of this reporter who took the time to speak with Anita Martin of the German Embassy, who represented the ambassador at the occasion.
“I would like to say that I am delighted to be here this morning for the opening ceremony of this fourth Physical Education Teachers Training Programme,” she said.
“It’s a great pleasure and honour for me to represent the German ambassador to The Gambia, His Excellency Mr Clages, who asked me to pass on his greetings to you. On his behalf I also want to thank all parties involved, for their contribution to the preparation of the programme.
“I feel much honoured to deliver a few remarks on behalf of the German Embassy in
“As you are aware, the Ministry Youth and sports as well as the Ministry of Education are co-hosting this event. Indeed this is a tangible and public sign of their cooperation. I know the two Ministries regularly meet to discuss the areas of common interests and enjoy a good cooperative working relationship.
“The development of close working relationships can only be of benefit to sport in every part of The Gambia. We all have come together for this project and together we will focus on seeking to put more sport and more success in all our lives.
“There is no doubt that The Gambian Government is committed to promoting sport for children in schools and supporting them to discover and maximize their talents.
“The challenge is huge and the success depends on the collective efforts of all the sporting family of organizations and beyond.
“Local authorities and National delivery agents are vital and so are the community sports associations, teachers and parents up and down the country, from the grassroots level right up to the elite end.
I know that there is a huge amount of excellent work underway and we have made a good start, but there is still a long way to go, if we want to achieve getting this and future generations of young to see sport as a valued part of their lives, increasing the number of participants in sport across the population, and achieving and maintaining success at international level.
Schools are a unique gateway for kids wanting to get involved in a sport team or club. Schools are the beginning of everything, allowing sport to for form generations of sportsmen and women, and helping to create a society whose originality encompasses the values of sport.”
She also said: “Sports underpins educational foundations of high a level, promotes lofty ethical values, and supports possibilities for understanding and peace on an n international basis.
Throughout history, people have created sport as a consequence of the level of progress to which they aspired.
Sport is part of humanity’s culture, but it is also a lever for progress and development in a given society.
Sport is not just good in itself; it helps make people healthier, improves performance at school, and strengthens local communities.”
Anita also used the platform to wish the participants all the best and every success for the programme.
“I believe every child should participate in as much activity as possible in order to help their physical development and their general health and well-being,” she added.
Anita used the opportunity to thank her colleagues from the German Olympic Committee and The Gambia’s Minister of Youth and Sports, Sheriff Gomez, together with other responsible authorities of The Gambia for what she called their confidence towards the realization of the project. “Without this confidence the project couldn’t have been realized,” she noted.
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