The National Sports Council (NSC), in consultation with the Ministry of Youth and Sports will hold its 2nd National Sports Conference at the Paradise Suites Hotel from today Wednesday July 8th to 9th July 2009.

The conference will have as its theme, “Mapping out strategies for better National Coordination of Efforts and Resources for the Attainment of Excellence in Sports through Mass Participation.”

The Sports Policy and the Action Plan, both 1999 - 2008, have now expired and new policy and administrative instruments now need to be developed and put in place to bolster the momentum gained, tackle the challenges faced, and provide the much-needed leadership and direction for the entire sporting fraternity. The government of President Jammeh, through the Ministry of Youth and Sports has articulated the need to uplift sports, through its mission statement: “Excellence in sports through mass participation.”

The mission is to ensure that Gambian sportsmen and women excel and win medals and trophies at national, regional and international competitions in identified priority areas.

In the same vein, the Ministry of Youth and Sports intent to encourage mass participation in sports and physical activities to positively impact and improve health and national well-being.

In order to achieve these goals and objectives, there is a need to update and usher in a new National Sports Policy and Action Plan, to provide the necessary policy framework. This will not only encapsulate the above aspirations, but also embolden our collective stakeholders’ interest in the drive towards their attainment.

It is against this backdrop and in the recognition of the crucial role all stakeholders can play in our national sports endeavour that the Ministry of Youth and Sports intends to host a National Sports Conference as the best way for a wider all-inclusive stakeholder consultation and participation in charting a way out for sports development.

It is our earnest hope, therefore that all stakeholders not only ensure their presence at this epochal and defining assembly, but also participate fully and effectively for the attainment of this national endeavour. We wish to express appreciation to all those authorities concerned for making this important conference a reality and trust that the results of the conference would be utilised in the best interest of sports.

“Two heads are better than one”

Anonymous