GSY Opening Ceremony - Minister of Sport Opens Youth Camp

November 26, 2010

Today, the Minister of Sport, Youth and Child Development, Mr. Kenneth Chipungu, MP, officially opened the GSY International Youth Camp at the Olympic Youth Development Centre in Lusaka, Zambia.  In his address, he extended welcome to the youth and coach delegates from Botswana, Malawi, Mozambique, South Africa, Zimbabwe and the host country Zambia.  High Commissioners, the President of the NOC of Zambia and officials were among the guests that included members of the public.

The Minister expressed his appreciation to UNODC and the IOC for organizing the camp in the Southern African region, with Zambia as the host country.  He told the youth to make use of the opportunity to learn and share their own experiences with other delegates so that they can learn from each other.  He expressed confidence that through this sport programme that teaches fair play, playing by the rules, and how to avoid using drugs, coaches and youth delegates will build on their skills and develop lasting relationships that they will share with their peers when they returned to their communities.

On the subject of doping, the Minister reminded the youngsters that they should not become involved in doping and that the problem is not confined to certain types of coaches, or at a certain level of sport.

"We cannot allow sport, which stems from integrity and honest pursuit to be infiltrated and taken over by those who see sporting competition in terms of the contest between those who manufacture performance anhancing drugs and those who test for them," the Minister warned.

Besides encouraging the participating Youth Delegates to take the competition and lectures seriously, he asked everyone to work together to ensure that the young athletes are encouraged to take part in sport and are given the best possible guidance on how to play and train for their sport. Honesty, truthfulness, and being sincere are goals of the Global Sport for Youth programme and the value of Olympism.

Finally, he said that sport was a major contributor to most economies around the world, providing employment opportunities for young people; sport also promotes regional cooperation and identity.  He wished them well and to have lots of fun!