Luanda - The Minister of Youth and Sports, Palmira Barbosa recognized the commitment and work of the Angolan Tennis Federation (FAT) and coaching staff for the development of the sport in the country.
Speaking this Monday, in Luanda, at the opening of the African Under-14 Circuit of the International (ITF) and continental (CAT) Federation, for both genders, the minister said that the actions of the above mentioned national teams ensure a bright sport future for Angola.
“We are very pleased with the commitment and dedication of FAT and other partners, such as Kikuxi Villas Club Tennis Academy, who carry out worthy work towards the development of the sport. Our recognition also goes to the officials, coaches, practitioners and other people involved in the cause of tennis and hundreds of children”, she said.
In her speech, the holder of the minister highlighted the need for 'little' players to cultivate the spirit of “fair play”, both on and off the pitch. Also, the best use of the excellent infrastructures of Kikuxi made available to tennis players.
She added that sports activity, starting at an early age, allows for a harmonious growth of the practitioner, which should be encouraged by parents, guardians and teachers. She also announced the upcoming realization of the Under-18 Circuit in Angola .
In turn, the president of FAT, Platini Mendes, reiterated the institution's engagement in promoting and expanding the specialty in all provinces, organizing and participating in international competitions.
“One of the goals of the FAT is to bring the ITF and CAT tournaments. This is the starting point and from now on we plan to host one event per year. Our next candidacy will be for the Under-18 tournament, but for that, we need to demonstrate our organizational capacity”, he stressed.
The former tennis player from Botswana, Tapiwa Massung, representative of Zone V of the ITF/CAT and the international judge, the Mozambican Stélio Carlos, also praised the infrastructure of the Kikuxi Villas Club Academy, which has favourable conditions for international events.
As for competition, there are fifty tennis players, representing eight countries, to be disputed from the 24th to the 30th of this month, in male and female from Angola, Botswana, Mozambique, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Madagascar, Nigeria and Egypt.
The holding of the unprecedented event marks the beginning of Angola in organizing international competitions on the ITF and CAT calendar, contributing to the sporting prestige of the country.
In the past decade, Angola has already hosted some international tournaments, such as the flag carrier (TAAG), the latter being more recent, as part of the Portuguese Speaking Countries Games (CPLP), on the fields of the Luanda Tennis Club in 2014.
