World Italian Sports Day in Tanzania

(ANSA) - NAIROBI, 13 SET - On the occasion of the first edition of the Day of Italian Sport in the World, the Italian Embassy in Dar es Salaam organised a series of events to give visibility to the many initiatives promoted by Italians in Tanzania also in the field of sport, including the creation of the first women's hockey team in the country, kitesurfing regattas and swimming courses for children in Zanzibar.
    In the spirit of inclusiveness, the embassy organised wheelchair basketball, basketball, hockey and football tournaments, also in cooperation with the Juventus Academy Tanzania, in which 200 young Tanzanians participated in mixed teams. A padel tournament was held at the Slipway lido, in the new facilities built with Italian technology.
    The final event, attended by the Tanzanian Minister for Culture, Art and Sport, Damas Ndumbaro, included two video messages from the coach of the Comoros national football team, Stefano Cusin, and from Lorenzo Simonelli, gold medallist in the 110 hurdles at the European Athletics Championships in Rome in June, who was born in Dodoma to a Tanzanian mother and an Italian father.
    Ambassador Giuseppe Coppola assured the Italian interest in strengthening relations with Tanzania in this area as well, and thanked Lorenzo Simonelli's grandparents for attending the event. Minister Ndumbaro wished for a greater presence of Italian sports academies for the training of young Tanzanians and noted that Lorenzo Simonelli's experience - which will be invaluable in inspiring young Tanzanians as well - demonstrates that 'Italy and Tanzania do not only have excellent diplomatic relations but also excellent people-to-people relations'.