Association des Comits Nationaux Olympiques dAfrique

Association of National Olympic Committees of Africa

ACnOA

AnOCA

Press reLeAse
IOC PresIdent tOurs AfrICA

he African Olympic Movement recently witnessed real eventful moments following IOC President, Dr Jacques Rogges tour to Burundi, Rwan da and Mozambique from 01 to 03 September 2011. The IOC President toured several sports facilities and held talks with both sports and government officials in these States. Dr Rogges first port of call was Rwanda on 01 September 2011. He visited the Gisozi Memorial in Kigali, constructed in memory of genocide victims, before attending a seminar on sport and peace. Taking the floor on this occasion, President Rogge reminded participants of the power sport wields as a tool for dialogue, the promotion of fair play and respect. He further poin-

ted out that the IOC has backed several social reintegration programmes in cooperation with NOC Rwanda and UNICEF. Jacques Rogge was in company with ANOCA President, Intendant General Lassana Palenfo, Rwandas Minister of Sport, Protais Mitali, the NOC President Charles Rudakubana and the Executive Secretary of the Council of East and Central Africa Football Associations (CECAFA), Nicholas Musonye. Dr jacques Rogge also availed himself of the opportunity of the tour to decorate President Paul Kagame for his numerous undertakings in the promotion of sport and Olympism. From Rwanda, the IOC President headed to Burundi on 02 September

2011. He was received in audience by the Head of State, Pierre Nkurunziza, in his native province of Ngozi, in North Burundi. Dr Rogge thereafter visited the Kanyosha Urban Council, where he saw for himself progress at the construction site of the Olympafrica Centre, a sports complex located south of Bujumbura. The IOC president later went by helicopter to Gatumba Council, a province of Bujumbura at the border with Congo, to inaugurate a regional sports centre for youths jointly built by the IOC, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the government of Burundi.

The last lap of this African tour took the IOC President to Mozambique, where he graced the opening ceremony of the 10th All Africa Games on 03 September 2011 and deliberations of the 14th session of the ANOCA General Assembly. Dr Jacques Rogge equally held fruitful discussions with African NOC officials, and these dwelled mainly on the management of the African Olympic Movement as a whole, the financial situation of the IOC and the institutions major challenges at the dawn of the 21st century. Another major highlight of the Mozambique lap of the IOC Presidents tour was the visit to the Boanne Olympafrica Centre. In this vein, he visited a health centre and a primary school that had four months earlier received desks from ANOCA. He was also received in audience by the Mozambican Head of State and laid the foundation stone of the countrys future NOC headquarters. Suffice it to note that the IOC President was accompanied on every lap of his tour by a high level delegation comprising Intendant General Lassana Palenfo, President of ANOCA, Mr Thomas Sithol, IOC Director of Cooperation and Mr Pere Miro, Olympique Solidarity Director.

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