The international Olympic committee president Dr Jacque rogue and IOC’s NOC relations department head Pere Miro jointly vowed to help construct headquarters for the Somali NOC during a meeting with Somali NOC president Duran Ahmed Farah and Somali state minister for sport Abdullahi Sheik Ali Qaloocow at the 18th ANOCA meeting and the 2nd World Olympic Sport Convention in Moscow.
New Somali NOC president Duran Ahmed Farah said in a press statement that the world sports showed solidarity with Somalia, adding that the world sport meeting observed a minute of silence in remembrance of the former Somali NOC president Aden Hajji Yeberow and former Somali FA president Said Mahmoud Nur who died in Mogadishu suicide blast on April 4.
He said the pictures of the late Somali sporting leaders were also presented during the meetings by the world sporting organizations.
“The world of sports showed commitment to help Somalia’s sport develop,” the Somali NOC president said in a statement on Tuesday.
ANOC president Sheikh Ahmed Bin Fahad Al-Sabah also vowed support for Somali NOC. He invited the Somali NOC offcials to visit Kuwait and will talk about more on Somali NOC’s current needs.
Mr. Duran noted that the Somali delegation also held a lengthy meeting with Chinese minister for sport Lui Ping as both sides discussed on possible Chinese government assistance for Somali sports.
“We asked the Chinese minister that his government may help us rebuild Mogadishu Sports Village which was built by China for Somalia in 1970s. The Chinese minister also told us to deliver documents carrying our needs to them and then China will help reconstruct the sports villag,” the Somali NOC presidential statement said.
Another historic meeting was that the Somali NOC officials met the Turkish minister for sport whose government is giving the biggest humanitarian assistance to the needy Somali people.
According to Mr. Duran, the Turkish Misnister pledged that his government will help the reconstruction of the destroyed sports facilities across the country and more other development aid for Somalia.
“Amid sadness over the deaths of our friends, Somali NOC and its member federations are committed to promoting sport in Somalis where the NOC has advocated to develop sports in the war-torn country,” the new Somali NOC president’s statement added.
