Somalia-Sports-Construction

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ing during a joint press conference while visiting the construction site on Friday morning, Mohamed Abdo Hajji and Duran Ahmed Farah the construction is part of OlympAfrica program which is intended to help African countries develop sporting facilities.

Somalia is one of the last countries in Africa to join the program.

The centre which is the first of its kind ever built in Somalia is being constructed in Garowe where the Somali regional soccer tournament is currently also taking place.

This centre consists includes football facility, multi-purpose field, boarding and education centre where orphans and those from poorer families will study,” Duran Farah said.

“...the first phase of the construction has now successfully ended and the second phase is expected to commence next week," he said.

‘We are very proud of what we are doing here, because it is the first time in history that Somali NOC implements such centre in the country with the assistance from Olympic solidarity, ANOCA, IAAF and Daimler," Duran told journalists.

He also praised the semi-autonomous state of Puntland for contributing a large land to construct the centre.

“Large number of youths whose parents cannot afford to pay for their education fee will also take advantage from this opportunity” the Somali NOC vice president added.

The implementation of this centre is reported to be part of consecutive steps that Somali NOC takes to spread sporting activities in all Somali regions.

“We are calling on international community specially those interested in sport to help Somali NOC achieve its ambition which is to revive the country’s sporting ability which has died down during two decades of civil strife and lack of stability.

We are working in a country where even life is impossible let alone sport” Farah emphasized.

Somali Olympic committee executive office manager Mohamed Abdo Hajji, who accompanied the vice president, for his part told reporters that NOC is drawing a new initiative which is aimed at developing sport in all Somali regions.

“The construction of this Olymp Africa centre in Somalia is one of the biggest achievements of Somali NOC and we are very grateful to all those who helped us accomplish this major job” the NOC executive office manager said.

Somalia fell into anarchy in January 1991 and since then the Somali Olympic committee and its sporting federations succeeded to raise the Somali flag in international sporting competitions.

Thousands of recruited children were also disarmed under different Sports for Peace programs implemented in the war-devastated capital Mogadishu and surrounding regions where wars have engulfed the lives of more than half a million people mainly civilians since then.