Minister of Youth, Sports and Community Empowerment, Abdullah Rafiu, has stated that the implementation of projects requested by the islands of B. Atoll is progressing based on close consultation with the atoll’s residents and according to their wishes. The Sports Minister made these remarks during a special interview with PSM News while accompanying the President on his ongoing trip to B. Atoll, visiting B. Kendhoo. The Minister said that the sports grounds, courts, fitness and recreation centers, and outdoor gyms being established in the islands are facilities that provide opportunities for residents to maintain good health and also serve as resources for producing excellent athletes.
The Minister explained that the work on establishing sports facilities is progressing with some projects being assigned to state-owned companies. He added that efforts are underway to procure the necessary resources in bulk to complete the assigned tasks. To this end, a team from the Ministry and STO is currently in China to purchase equipment in bulk through STO. The Minister stated that the team is working on acquiring durable equipment suitable for an environment like the Maldives. He pointed out that the difference between now and before is that previously, different aspects of field construction were assigned to various companies, which led to prolonged project completion times.
However, now projects are assigned to a single entity to complete all aspects at once, which saves time and allows projects to be completed faster, benefiting the public, according to the Minister. He also emphasized the importance of fitness centers being established in the islands, mentioning that these centers will have facilities for gym, aerobics classes, and board games. Additionally, there will be classrooms and meeting rooms. The Minister added that these fitness centers will also have classrooms for conducting periodic courses for training coaches and officials.
