03/16/2024
Prime Minister Jugnauth inaugurates MUGA facility at Malherbes
A MUGA facility, an initiative of the Mauritius Telecom (MT) Foundation, was inaugurated by the Prime Minister, Mr Pravind Kumar Jugnauth, this afternoon, at Malherbes.
The MUGA Malherbes (the 10th to date) is the biggest MUGA facility constructed across the island. Covering an area of some 10,000 square meters, it is equipped with two futsal pitches, one covered and one uncovered, a basketball court, and a boxing ring in addition to an aerobic floor, kids’ area, senior citizens corner, outdoor gym, and a petanque court. Free Wi-Fi connection is also offered to MUGA visitors.
The Deputy Prime Minister (DPM), Minister of Housing and Land Use Planning, Minister of Tourism, Mr Louis Steven Obeegadoo; the Minister of Youth Empowerment, Sports and Recreation, Mr Jean Christophe Stephan Toussaint; the Minister of Information Technology, Communication and Innovation, Mr Darsanand Balgobin ; the Parliamentary Private Secretary, Mr Soobeersingh Dhunnoo; the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the MT and Chairman of MT Foundation, Mr Kapil Reesaul ; the Chairperson of the Mauritius Sports Council (MSC), Mrs Sarah Rawat-Currimjee, and other dignitaries were present on the occasion.
In his address, Prime Minister Jugnauth gave an overview of the alarming prevalence of Non-Communicable Diseases in Mauritius, such as diabetes, hypertension and obesity, and highlighted the necessity to maintain good health through the regular practice of sports and healthy eating habits.
He emphasised the objective of investing in MUGA facilities as being part of the core mission of Government, which is to ensure the well-being and enhance the quality of life of the population.
MUGA, Mr Jugnauth underlined, provides the necessary space and equipment and a motivating environment for everyone, including the elderly to engage in leisure and sports activities.
On this score, the Prime Minister urged parents to encourage their children to opt for leisure activities as these will positively impact their health and day-to-day lives. He underpinned that it is in line with this goal that Government has come up with policies to include sports activities such as swimming and, after-school fitness programmes in the school curriculum, alongside academic subjects.
Prime Minister Jugnauth also elaborated on the intent of Government to initiate a sports programme through the promotion of elite sports to ultimately leverage the sports sector as a pillar of the economy and inculcate the sports culture among all sections of the population.
He, moreover, indicated that the Côte d'Or National Sports Complex has served to prepare our athletes for international competitions, as well as attracting international athletes, namely from the United Kingdom, to use this Complex to practice for the coming Olympics Paris 2024. He also dwelt on the training provided by the Liverpool Football Academy in Mauritius to young boys and girls.
Prime Minister Jugnauth further evoked the setting-up of the National Sports Policy in 2018 to foster sports for all and recalled his participation in activities such as World Walking Day and the 12-Hour National Relay Walk, Jog and Run to motivate people of all age groups to engage in sports activities.
In addition, the Prime Minister outlined other projects implemented by Government to enhance the lives of the population including the Metro Express, the SAJ Bridge at Soreze, the construction of several Mediclinics around the island, and the construction of specialised hospitals such as the New Cancer Hospital and Eye Hospital.
For his part, DPM Obeegadoo commended the MT’s initiative in providing the necessary infrastructure to the population as this will enable the decentralisation of sports activities and ease its practice regularly. He encouraged the inhabitants of the locality to make good use of this common social and leisure space.
The DPM outlined several projects in the pipeline for the region, including: the renovation of the Malherbes youth centre; looking into lighting issues, in particular at the soccer pitch and the basketball pitch of Malherbes; the construction of a municipal centre with appropriate social amenities; the construction of a bus layby at a crossroad in Malherbes to prevent traffic jam; and the construction of 70 New Social Living Development housing units to the cost of some Rs 165 million.
As for MT’s CEO, he underlined that the MT Foundation has contributed to various social projects between 2009 to 2023 particularly in two key areas, namely, sports and health. Our aim has always been to encourage the population to take part in sports and physical activity as a means of maintaining good health, and we now aspire to continue our work in the environmental sector and to implement ecological actions for a sustainable island, observed Mr Reesaul.
