Luanda - The President of the Republic João Lourenço on Saturday encouraged the practice of school sports on a regular and massive basis, for the development of healthier communities and lifestyles.
The Head of State was speaking during the Sports Marathon – Children and School Sports, held in the sports court of the Presidential Palace, in Luanda, as part of the Wheel of Love, a project embraced by the First Lady of the Republic, Ana Dias Lourenço.
The Head of the Executive Power said that the objective is to encourage school sports, because federated sports depend a lot on school sports. 'If school sport does not develop, federated sport has nowhere to go to get great talents'.
He said that the Ministry of Education and sports associations, in general, have the responsibility to execute and increase school sports.
'We will not allow new schools to be built without having at least one sports court. The sports court at school is as important as the classroom that has a desk', he pointed out.
According to the Head of State, sport forges people's personalities because there are aspects that are important for the rest of people's lives and, for this reason, it is necessary to combine normal education with the practice of sport, 'to contribute to the training of young people that we want, that is, young people with a personality forged from an early age
He explained that the School Sports Marathon aims to draw society's attention to the need and importance of sport, in general, in particular the sport that is done in schools.
He encouraged the practice of sport in the communities, in the neighborhood, in the villages and professional sports, stressing that these stages, which he considers extremely important, cannot be skipped.
'In life we cannot expect only easy things, if we want to succeed in adult life, it is in this period that we have to learn to work and sweat to achieve the goals we want,' said the statesman.
Sports Marathon
The Sports Marathon involved seven schools in Luanda in the modalities of futsal, basketball and chess, in both sexes, the latter capitalized on the attention of those present with the participation of the Head of State, who faced the teenager Daniela da Cruz. The match ended in a draw.
Speaking to the press, Daniela da Cruz, 13 years old and a chess player for seven years, revealed that it is the second time she faces the Head of State.
'The first time I met the President, it was even easier, but now the President of the Republic has shown more strength, chess is a thoughtful thing and I had to ask for a draw,' he explained.
Chess is a complex and powerful brain exercise and its practice develops mathematical reasoning and critical thinking, as well as improving imagination, creativity and communication.
At the end of the event, attended by the ministers of Education, Youth and Sports and Culture, respectively Luísa Grilo, Rui Falcão and Filipe Zau, among other personalities, the children were awarded participation medals.
The Sports Marathon – Children and School Sports is an initiative of the President of the Republic, embraced by the First Lady of the Republic, Ana Dias Lourenço, through the Wheel of Love project.
The project aims to encourage the practice of sports in schools, contributing not only to the health and well-being of children and adolescents, but also to the promotion of values such as solidarity, compassion, trust, unity, non-violence, patience and companionship.
The First Lady of the Republic, Ana Dias Lourenço, encouraged the Ministries of Education and Youth and Sports to put the possibility of doing sports in all schools in the country and, at the same time, appealed to parents to let their children, as long as they do not have any medical restrictions, practice sports./DC/DOJ
