Youth And Sports Ministry to Send Associations to ‘All Africa Games’

The Daily Observer (Banjul)

Babucarr Camara

24 June 2011

The Gambian ministry of youth and sports has invited 11 sporting associations to take part in the 2011 ‘All Africa Games’ in Maputo, Mozambique but only those who meet the criteria will be taken to the games by the ministry.

These was revealed by the Executive Secretary of the National Sports Council Mamudu Max Jallow who was speaking to the invited NSC registered sporting associations in a meeting held at his office at the Independence Stadium in Bakau on Thursday. According to Max Jallow, due to breakdown in communication, they only got confirmation of the Gambia’s participation in the games on Friday but said unlike previous championship where the country was represented by a handful of associations this year they have decided to pick 11 out of 31 associations registered associations with his council.

Max Jallow added that the All Africa Games will act as a qualification process for the 2012 London Olympic games and has urged the associations concerned to get to work immediately in order to identify the athletes that will represent them in the event.

Also speaking at the meeting, the Executive Director of the Gambia National Olympic Committee Laurence Bruce challenged the associations to be honest to tell the National Sports Council if they don’t have the right athletes to participate in the games and start working on the next game from now. According to Bruce, every country has a prequalifying game for the games and they (GNOC) have sent to all the sporting association unless they have not been reading it. He said each country has its own prequalifying zone and that is where they should test their athletes first.

The vice chairman of the National Sports Council Sheikh Tijan Faye said he concurred with the Executive Secretary of the GNOC that if the athletes are not qualified to participate, let them sit home rather than to make an embarrassing performance in the games. Sheikh Tijan Faye suggested “that if the associations are not qualified to take part in the games, if possible, the executives can go to the games to use it as a learning course for future participation.”

The director of youth and sports Malang Jassey said he couldn’t agree more and has also joined the call for the Gambia to use the 2011 games as a learning course “if necessary” provided the athletes are not qualified for the event.

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