40 Gambian Athletes Introduced to IOC Athlete Career Outreach Programme

The Gambia National Olympic Committee (GNOC) on Sunday November 27,2016 hosted a

session of the International Olympic Committee's (IOC) and Adecco Athlete Career Outreach

Programme Workshop at the Olympic House at Mile 7 in Bakau.

The workshop was delivered by Association of National Olympic Committee of Africa

(ANOCA) Athlete commission member and IOC/ACP trainer Mrs. Kadidiatou Kanoute

Tounkara, former basketball player, Olympian and 5 time French National champion from Mali.

40 Athletes aged 16-20, drawn from National Sports Associations took part in the maiden

international Workshop for Athletes in The Gambia.

The aim of the day workshop was to help athletes prepare for their careers after retirement from

elite sport.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, Gambia’s International Olympic Committee (IOC) member

and first Vice President of Gambia National Olympic Committee (GNOC) Ms Beatrice Allen

said that GNOC work base on the dictates of the Olympic Charter in which the development of

Athletes is key in the Agenda 2020.

She added that balancing Sports and Education is a condition for any athlete to be successful in

life.

She shaped on the need for grassroots Sports development which cannot be achieved without

well trained coaches, a priority for the current GNOC Executive for the next four years leading

to Tokyo 2020.

Ms Beatrice Allen, who is also the Chairperson of ANOCA Women in Sports Commission,

believes that IOC career Outreach programme in The Gambia will surely charge the landscape of

athletes’ achievement especially after their Sporting Career.

Specially early the IOC/ IOC trainer Mrs. Kadidiatou Kanoute Tounkara said the outreach

programme started in 2005 when IOC realized the important of life after Sporting Career.

She added that the goals of the IOC/ACP outreach programme are to provide hands-on workshop

to Athletes with focus on three pillars namely Education, life Skills and Employment and assist

athletes to achieve success both on and off the pitch by supporting them at different stages of

their Sports from young to retired.

Mrs Tounkara hailed The Gambia National Olympic Committee (GNOC) for bringing this

workshop for Gambian Athletes.

The GNOC is one of a number of governing bodies worldwide which has put schemes in place to

assist its sportsmen and women with the void left by competitive action.

By NAMORY TRAWALLY

INFORMATION ASSISTANT

GNOC

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