DAR ES SALAAM, Sept 19 (NNN-IRIN) – Hundreds of visitors to Tanzania’s first ever women sports festival, dubbed Tanzanite, were attracted to Chinese Kung Fu, featuring young Tanzanian girls.
The girls aged between 10 and 14 years, participated in the women sports festival that started on Sept 16 through Sept 18 (yesterday), at the Uhuru National Stadium, in the commercial capital, Dar es Salaam.
“Hundreds of visitors came here to watch the girls showing their prowess in Kung Fu,” Athuman Begeja, a 31-year-old Kung Fu teacher said, in an interview.
Begeja, who teaches Kung Fu at Begeja Wushu Club, located in Ilala District, in Dar es Salaam, said, during the three-day festival, his club received over 100 inquiries from girls who want to join the club and train in Kung Fu.
Apart from the Chinese martial arts, women from across the country also featured on other sports, including athletics, boxing, football, netball, volleyball and karate.
Themed as celebrating the power of women in sports, the festival will be held annually to encourage women to participate in sports.
John Mapepele, a senior officer in the Ministry of Information, Culture, Arts and Sports, said, the Tanzania women sports festival, whose founder is President Samia Suluhu Hassan, attracted about 350 sports women from across the east African nation.– NNN-IRIN
