The IMEL sports courts were rehabilitated by the BAI Foundation, and it is estimated that this rehabilitation will benefit approximately 5200 IMEL students and young people from the local community.
According to a statement sent to VerAngola, "the rehabilitation works on the IMEL courts are integrated into the project 'Rehabilitation of Spaces for Sports Practices', by the BAI Foundation, which aims to provide young people with a suitable environment for practicing sports and development of leadership skills, team spirit and resilience".
As part of this project, in the aforementioned sports complex, an "extensive rehabilitation of the sports courts" was carried out, as well as "fully equipped changing rooms were built, responding directly to the needs of the students and athletes who frequent the space, offering a quality infrastructure for sports, leisure and strengthening community ties".
Speaking during the inauguration ceremony, the head of the Youth and Sports portfolio said that the Government "continues to count on the BAI Foundation so that, as quickly as possible, we can offer our young people better conditions for practicing sports".
"We are looking forward to seeing more and more champions from our region. We want to put Angola on the podium of the best African countries. If partners like the BAI Foundation continue to believe that it is possible, we will all win. Not only young people win, but fundamentally our country", said the minister.
Praising the foundation's initiative, the Secretary of State for Secondary Education, Soraya Teresa de Jesus Mateus Kalongela, argued that it is a "very significant gesture for the students" and called on young people "to use the equipment responsibly".
Tchissola Mosquito, delegated administrator of the BAI Foundation, considered that Wednesday was marked by a "new phase in the development of community and educational sport".
"Today we celebrate a new phase in the development of community and educational sport. More than the rehabilitation of a physical space, we are investing in creating an environment where every young person, every student, has the opportunity to discover and explore their sporting and human potential", said Tchissola Mosquito, highlighting that the foundation "believes that the requalification of sports spaces only makes sense when accompanied by the training of specialized technicians, physical education teachers and monitors, who will bring these places to life".
The administrator, quoted in the statement, said that, along with the requalification of equipment, the foundation also guarantees the training of sports coaches, with the aim of "contributing to the safe and healthy growth of Angolan athletes and citizens".
The director of IMEL, Clemente António Fernandes, also intervened. On the occasion, he took the opportunity to thank the "BAI Foundation for the rehabilitation of the Sports Complex", which makes it possible to "give back to the academic community the opportunity to continue promoting sports, responding to one of the components of education: the comprehensive training of citizens".
"We are committed to promoting sporting activity. Therefore, the rehabilitation of this infrastructure and its return to the academic community represents education's commitment to embracing sport as its extension", said Clemente Antonio Fernandes.
Also "as part of the BAI Foundation's 'Rehabilitation of Spaces for Sports' project, the rehabilitation of the swimming pool at the Casa da Juventude de Viana is also being promoted", the statement also says.
