Kinshasa, April 10th, 2021 (CPA) .- The President of the Republic, Félix Antoine Tshisekedi, on Friday April 9th, 2021, laid the foundation stone marking the launch of the development and rehabilitation works of the sites selected to house the 9th Edition of the Games of La Francophonie, during a ceremony organized in the playgrounds of the Tata Raphael Stadium in the town of Kalamu.
In his speech for the occasion, the High Representative of the Head of State at the Games of La Francophonie, Didier Tshiyoyo, spoke of the work that will be carried out at the Tata Raphaël stadium, at the Martyrs of Pentecost stadium as well as at the interchange from Limete. According to him, the Games village which will serve as a place of accommodation for athletes, artists as well as various delegations will be built at the Tata Raphaël stadium. There will also be 12 R + 7 buildings with more than 2,328 rooms in total to accommodate 4,000 people. « Each ground floor will be dedicated to people with reduced mobility, 2 buildings of 1500 m2 will be reserved for the rehearsals of creative dance, Hip Hop, juggling, songs and basketball, judo and freestyle wrestling training and a restaurant with a service capacity of up to 20,000 meals per day, ”he said. While at the Pentecostal Martyrs Stadium, he said, the spaces under the stands will be redeveloped to house volunteers, store sports equipment, house African wrestling competitions and serve as a dining hall for visitors. The Limite interchange, he said, will host the Hip Hop, dance, juggling and giant puppet competitions.
« The laying of the first stone for the construction and rehabilitation of infrastructure within the framework of the organization of the 9th games of the Francophonie in Kinshasa is a special moment which will forever mark the history of our nation in the symbol which represents its significant in the eyes of fellow citizens in general and the athlete in particular”, indicated, for his part, the Minister of Sports and Recreation, Marcel Amos Mbayo Kitenge. While deploring that the country suffers from a lack of sports infrastructure, he nevertheless affirmed that the Tata Raphael stadium is a great work that will remain in the hearts of the Congolese. The Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Infrastructures and Public Works, Willy Ngoopos Sunzhel, expressed his gratitude to the Head of State for having presided over the ceremony while welcoming his personal involvement in the follow-up of the evolution of the file of these games.
According to him, the accompaniment of the Head of State will contribute to the urgent implementation of the commitments contained in the specifications for the games of the Francophonie in Kinshasa. « This ceremony, and not only the culmination but above all the posted testimony of our country to do everything possible to meet the deadline. The pace will be maintained until the delivery within the agreed timeframe of the last book, « he said, before recalling the commitments made by the DRC in the application file.
“The DRC was committed to complying with the specifications of the games. It had undertaken to undertake the construction work and to proceed with the rehabilitation of a certain number of cultural infrastructures in particular the International Fair of Kinshasa (FIKIN), the Academy of Fine Arts, the National Museum, the Palais du people for the organization of gala evenings as well as the Limete interchange and the Martyrs of Pentecost stadium. It is also about the construction of two sports villages to accommodate 5,000 people, « he recalled. These Games will take place in Kinshasa, the largest French-speaking city, from August 19th to 28th; 2022
