A PHYSICALLY challenged student from Arusha has jetted off to Rabat, Morocco to participate in the African Taekwondo and Para-Taekwondo Olympic qualification tournament for Tokyo 2020 Japan, taking place in Morocco.
Teenager, Samwel Kivuyo a Form Four student at Edmund Rice Secondary School here was presented with the national flag as he departed from Kilimanjaro International Airport on Friday afternoon accompanied by his trainer, Master Richard Kitolo, who is also the Technical Director of the Tanzania Taekwondo Federation.
Taking place in Rabat, Morocco, the African Taekwondo and Para-Taekwondo Olympic qualification tournament for Tokyo 2020 Japan, runs between tomorrow and Monday and is a threshold event towards the forthcoming Tokyo Olympics 2020 to be held in Japan later this year.
Organised by the African Taekwondo Union, the Morocco qualifier event, has attracted almost all countries from around the continent. The Arusha envoy is the only entry from Tanzania.
The City Sports Officer, Benson Maneno who presented the national flag to the ‘one-man-team’ told the student that, he was shouldering the entire country as sports envoy to Rabat.
“We are hoping that you will make it for Tokyo Olympics,” he said.
On his part Kivuyo said there are still stumbling blocks and bureaucracy when it comes to securing travel documents like passports.
“It is a long process and in the past, I failed to attend many international events because the immigration did not issue the passport in time,” he said.
The Edmund Rice School Headmaster Simon Kaswahili said Kivuyo, despite being physically challenged has played in various other countries including Kenya and Rwanda, performing extremely well in the martial arts.
“At Edmund Rice School in Sinoni, we take seriously extra-curriculum activities especially sports and are at forefront in soccer, netball, athletes and martial arts,” said the Headmaster, adding that, Taekwondo helps to cultivate discipline and fast thinking among students.
The Technical Director for Taekwondo Federation of Tanzania, Richard Kitolo explained that the student was assisted by World Taekwondo Federation on that he is physically challenged; “Tanzania failed to send other players due to lack of funding,” he added.
