http://maigoc2007.sports.sina.com.cn 2007-04-22 MAIGOC
Manuel Silvério, President of the Association of the Portuguese-speaking Olympic Committees (ACOLOP), arrived this weekend in South Africa after a four-day visit to Mozambique. In this trip to Africa, the President of ACOLOP aims to enhance the relationship between the members of the Association and to better understand their actual working conditions. In Johannesburg, the President of ACOLOP also 1st vice-president of the Macau Olympic Committee will meet representatives from SASCO (South African National Olympic Committee), and the International Olympic Committee (IOC).
Manuel Silvério believed that these contacts are very important to the development of ACOLOP. The visit to Johannesburg and also Mozambique will enhance understanding on what has been done for Sports in Africa. “ACOLOP is going through a period of great development. After the success of the 1st Lusofonia Games in Macau in 2006, the preparatory works for the second edition in Lisbon in 2009, have already started. As we are a new association, with only three years of establishment, these contacts are essential, since they will spread the ACOLOP message to other places, where Portuguese is also widely spoken,” he further underlined that there is a significant Lusofonia community in South Africa.
“ACOLOP is not a closed association and since the beginning we have wanted this project to be open to Lusofonia communities around the world,” Manuel Silvério added. “This visit will, without any doubt, permit the missions and the work of ACOLOP to spread in pragmatic ways, which are not only consisted in the Lusofonia Games, although that is the greatest moment we had in the association.”
To create awareness in the authorities
The visit of Mozambique aimed to fulfil, precisely, the targets of ACOLOP “in doing a continuous work and know the reality in which our members live, because that is the only way of getting collective solutions to improve the conditions of those that are facing more difficulties.”
In Maputo, Manuel Silvério was satisfied with the conditions and the visit to the Mozambican Prime Minister. “To create awareness of ACOLOP in the governments of the countries and regions where our members belong is one of our priority tasks. The Mozambican authorities were very receptive to our project,” he explained, after meeting Luísa Dias Diogo.
Amongst other subjects, one of the questions approached was the second edition of the Lusofonia Games. Manuel Silvério reminded the importance of the support given by governments of the several countries and regions to their delegations, in order to bring about the participation in the Lusofonia Games. “The second edition of our great lusofonia meet, that Portugal is already in eager preparations, depends on the same vision already showed by the authorities of the countries and regions of our members,” he explained during the meeting with the Prime Minister.
The Prime Minister said that the Government of Mozambique is very honoured by the visit of ACOLOP. Luísa Dias Diogo underlined the importance of the Lusofonia Games, which was received enthusiastically by the local population, and explained how they were followed up in Mozambique. On the future of the Lusofonia Games, the president of ACOLOP said that he hopes that Mozambique could be one of the next organizers. During the meeting, which was also attended by the Minister of Youth and Sports Mr. David Simango, the President of the Mozambican Olympic Committee Mr. Marcelino Macome, and the Chinese Ambassador to Mozambique Mr. Tian Guangfeng, Manuel Silvério repeated the statements of the Chief Executive of Macau SAR in February, and said that “we would enjoy a lot if the Mozambican athletes could use the platform of Macau and take part of the Sports world of China and Macau.”
ACOLOP and Mozambican Writers Association prepare cooperation
Besides the meeting with the Mozambican authorities, the President of ACOLOP had the opportunity to get in touch with the sport and cultural structures of the country. On the day before departing to Johannesburg, Manuel Silvério met Uvenal Bucuane, Secretary General of the Mozambican Writers Association. Established more than 20 years ago, the association promotes the literature of the country and also awarded several important authors of the Lusofonia world. “We wanted to know the diversified social structures of Mozambique, starting with those that have a connection to our project, that is also a cultural one. This meeting was very important, it was an opportunity to exchange experiences. This association have done a great job not only in Mozambique but also distinguishing authors from other points of the Lusofonia world,” Manuel Silvério concluded.
Uvenal Bucuane is overwhelmed with the meeting with ACOLOP, since it is mainly a sporting association. He said that it is very unique to find a sports association that has the language as the common link of its members. Since both associations share the same target and world of work – the Lusofonia one – it was decided to study a way of developing projects together, mainly relating with contents production.
