Africa-Press – Angola. The Minister of Youth and Sports, Palmira Barbosa, recognized Monday, in Luanda, the commitment and work of the Angolan Tennis Federation (FAT) and agents in training levels, for the development of the sport in the country.
Speaking at the opening of the African Under-14 Circuit of the International (ITF) and continental (CAT) Federation, for both genders, in Kikuxi, in Viana, the minister said that the actions of the respective national entities allow for a promising future in Angola.
“We are very pleased with the commitment and dedication of FAT and other partners, such as Academia de Ténis Kikuxi Villas Club, who carry out worthy work towards the development of the sport. Our recognition also goes to the officials, coaches, practitioners and other people involved in the cause of tennis and hundreds of children”, he said.
In her speech, the holder of the post also highlighted the need for “small” players to cultivate the spirit of “fair play”, both on and off the pitch. Also, the best use of the excellent infrastructures of Kikuxi made available to tennis players.
He added that sports activity, starting at an early age, allows a harmonious growth of the practitioner, which should be encouraged by parents, guardians and teachers. He also announced the upcoming realization of the Under-18 Circuit in the country.
In turn, the president of FAT, Platini Mendes, reiterated the institution’s engagement in promoting and expanding the specialty in all provinces, organizing and participating in international competitions.
The realization of these purposes, according to the federative leader, should have the support of members, agents, sponsors and the governing body of the sector.
“One of the goals of the FAT is to bring the ITF and CAT tournaments. This is the starting point and from now on we plan to host one event per year. Our next candidacy will be for the Under-18 tournament, but for that, we need to prove our organizational capacity”, he stressed.
The same position was expressed by the former tennis player from Botswana, Tapiwa Massung, representative of Zone V of the ITF/CAT, accompanied by the international judge, the Mozambican Stélio Carlos, who are unanimous in praising the infrastructures of the Kikuxi Villas Club Academy, which has favorable conditions for international events.
As for the competition, there are fifty tennis players representing eight countries, disputed from the 24th to the 30th of this month, in male and female.
These are the host country (Angola), Botswana, Mozambique, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Madagascar, Nigeria and Egypt, who will compete in singles and doubles.
On the first day, the Angolan women’s team was not very lucky, with Ana João and Danara Roque, unable to reach the semi-finals, against Chelene Chipeka (Zimbabwe) and Cirene Esteves (Mozambique). In men’s, the national champion of the category, Jolino Simão qualified for another stage, where he faces, on Tuesday, the Mozambican Rosa Imo.
The holding of the unprecedented event marks the beginning of Angola in the organization of international competitions on the ITF and CAT calendar, contributing to the sporting prestige of the country.
In the past decade, Angola has already hosted some international tournaments, such as the flag carrier (TAAG), the latter being more recent, as part of the Portuguese Speaking Countries Games (CPLP), on the fields of the Clube de Ténis de Luanda ( CTL), in Coqueiros, in 2014.
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