AfricaPress-Tanzania: ZANZIBAR Urban Football Association (ZFA) has announced an indefinite postponement of this year’ Easter Sports Festival earlier planned to start in the Isles on April 10th, this year.
The festival’s coordinator, Ali Abdallah Hassan confirmed on Friday in his the press conference at Amaan stadium here, naming the threat of coronavirus outbreak as the major cause of the reschedule.
He said the rotational annual festival that most often involves sportsmen and women and cultural clubs, was to be hosted by Dar es Salaam and other cities of Tanzania Mainland, hence under the coronavirus quarantine; It is difficult for the sports personalities to travel outside Zanzibar.
He said following the COVID-19 outbreak, the sports festival has to wait until next year. “It is impossible to celebrate now, therefore will travel to Dar es Salaam next year if God Wishes,” he said.
He said before deciding to postpone the historic festival, the organisers met with officials from all clubs participating in the festival and informed them about the postponement of the festival for a year.
“We met with the clubs’ representatives and discussed on the COVID- 19 outbreak and its threat to the sportsmen and women before deciding to postpone it,” he stressed.
Easter Sports festival which is more than 80 years old, has been an important land mark in bringing together the people from the Mainland and the Isles in the spirit of sportsmanship.
Some people and their families have a special relationship with this sports festival.
The visits have also opened the way for many people to know the other part of the United Republic.
In the early days of its existence, this festival used to involve sports clubs, dance and Taarab groups from Zanzibar, Dar es Salaam, Tanga and Mombasa.
Later sports clubs, social groups, public and private institutions from Pemba, Morogoro, Arusha and from other parts of the Mainland joined the band wagon.
