Manufahi, 11 august 2021 (TATOLI) – Timor-Leste’s National Sports Federation (CDTL) of Manufahi municipality, has notified the Secretary of State for Youth and Sport (SEJD), about the challenge of sports facilities to SEJD in Manufahi.
The State Secretary for Youth and Sport, Abrão Saldanha said that the meeting aimed to hear the condition, challenges, and difficulties facing the CDTL-Manufahi.
“Normally, we get the information about the CDTL from its municipal spokesperson in Dili, but today we are here to talk directly with the CDTL-Manufahi and the president from different sports associations,” Saldanha told reporters after the meeting at the office of Manufahi Municipal Authority, today.
He said one of the biggest difficulties raised by the CDTL-Manufahi was the lack of sports facilities, which is making it difficult to realize sports activities in Manufahi: “They can organize sports activities but they don’t have enough sports facilities.”
“Apart from sports activities, they also share with us about the lack of human resources, particularly in organizing sports activities. They told me that they don’t have enough trainers and referees for different types of sports, such as football, volleyball, basketball, athleticism, and so on,” said Saldanha.
“This information will help us to plan and find the solution for these issues. There will be capacity building and training for the referees and trainers of the volleyball and athletics. Regarding other difficulties, I think they need to cooperate with the top authority of the CDTL in Dili on how to solve these difficulties,” he said.
At the same place, the spokesperson of the CDTL-Manufahi, Francisco da Costa Alarico said capacity building and training were important to strengthen the various sports associations in Manufahi.
“This year, we have referee training for 21 young people from Manufahi, which was supported by Timor-Leste’s Football Federation. We need the same training for Volleyball, Basketball, and athletics, and so on,” said Alarico.
Alarico said 62 clubs will be participating in the competition of the Manufahi Football Association (AFM), on August 30: “We don’t a have a good football field to facilitate this competition. Thus, we need a football camp here in Manufahi, which will facilitate CDTL-Manufahi to organize football competition in the future.”
In addition, the president of the Maufahi Basketball Association, Xisto Pinheiro informed that there are 16 basketball clubs: “So far, we use the basketball camp of the parish of the Saint Mary of the Assumption for organizing basketball competition. Thus, we need a public basketball camp and also training for basketball referees and trainers in Manufahi,” said Pinheiro.
Journalist: Filomeno Martins
Editor: Nelia Borges Rosario
