AfricaPress-Tanzania: THE Tanzania Professional Boxing Regulatory Commission (TPBRC) has submitted its strategic plans to the National Sports Council (NSC) on how safely to resume boxing activities.
TPBRC Secretary General, Yahya Poli told the ‘africa-press’ that they are waiting for the response from the NSC, for them to fully resume boxing activities in the country.
“Our objective is to ensure we provide all preventive measures to protect boxers and all other stakeholders from contracting Covid-19 as we enjoy the game of boxing,” Poli said.
“We have been in contact with the authorities including Ministry of Health, Community Development, Gender, Elderly and Children and Ministry of Information, Culture, Arts and Sports as well as the NSC, after which, we have submitted our strategic plans on how to implement health safety guideline protocols as provided by the government. “We’re still waiting for the official statement so that we fully resume professional boxing matches,” he said.
He has also expressed how happy he is for sports activities to resume in the country and thanked the government for the efforts to ensure Tanzanians are safe from the corona virus outbreak.
“The Commission is happy that the government has made tremendous efforts to ensure the spread of Covid-19 is slowed down, hence the decision to allow sports activities to continue,” he said.
Sports activities and events of huge public nature were suspended for about three months effective March 17th this year due to Covid-19 outbreak.
However, all indication showed that there was slowdown of the pandemic, the government lifted the suspension on June 1st this year but issued health safety guideline protocols to avoid further spread of the pandemic.
It stressed that all organisations, associations, individuals and venues which will not meet the set up guidelines to curb further spread of Covid-19 will be suspended from hosting matches.
Meanwhile, Poli shared the commission’s strategy to promote professional boxing activities in the country.
“One of our strategies is to provide an opportunity for boxing promoters in the regions to organise fights. We are also working hard to ensure boxing matches get sponsors, so the boxers can benefit from their hard work,” he said.
He said several regions have been aggressive in promoting the sport and have frequently staged professional boxing matches.
He mentioned the regions that have successfully made achievement include Mbeya, Arusha, Tanga and Morogoro; though he said they have recently witness a slowdown in activities in the mentioned regions.
He added that for now, they are focused on widening the scope of boxing in other regions such as Lindi, Mtwara, Ruvuma and Iringa.
