Africa-Press – Angola. Renowned Angolan athletes with disabilities were, in Luanda, advised to serve as positive examples in encouraging children and young people to practice sport, with greater facilities, countering prejudice and social stigmatization.
At the end of his visit to the country, the executive director of the Olympafrica International Foundation, Alassane Thierno Diack, stated that the behavior and image of great figures in any sport must have a strong influence on younger people
For the leader of the sports institution, in Africa it is common for many families who have children, adolescents and young people, with some mental and physical disabilities, to hide their loved ones, so that they cannot be seen and coexist in society.
He explained that the aforementioned negative and embarrassing situation should be a reason for much reflection on the part of society as a whole, so that parents, guardians and other sectors carry out integration actions, which can be through sport, in incentives given by great adapted athletes.
In the specific case of Angola, according to Alassane Thieno Diack, the examples of the former Paralympic and world record holder, José Sayovo Armando, as well as the National Football Team players with crutches, must permanently capitalize on the mobilization of new practitioners and in the education system, avoiding stigmatization.
“What has happened is quite worrying for our children with disabilities. Therefore, I advise renowned athletes and others to exercise their influence and example to encourage children in the same condition, who could be future sports practitioners and champions,” she said.
Regarding the visit, which took place from the 27th to the 31st of October, the Senegalese considered it to have been quite fruitful, as he analyzed, with the country’s sports institutions and authorities, important cooperation and development actions, with emphasis on the completion of the Olympafrica Center, in the Municipality of Viana, in Luanda.
Of the support, the Olympafrica International Foundation promised that the infrastructure of Viana do Sul will be capable of training sporting talents and social integration of Angolan children in the community.
He added that the main objective of his foundation is to combine the binomial education and sport for the development of families and countries, as well as working on aspects of environmental preservation, agricultural promotion and other activities to empower the inhabitants.
He cited some African countries as an example, where the centers constitute important factors of sporting and social progress, influencing hundreds of practitioners who have already achieved success in international competitions, to the benefit and prestige of the continent.
The Olympafrica International Foundation, based in Dakar (Senegal), is an organization whose purpose is to disseminate Olympic values on the continent.
It has done in-depth work in several African countries, using sport as a factor for social development, by creating inclusion sports centers in rural areas.
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