The Prime Minister, Mr. Pravind Kumar Jugnauth, recalled the importance of engaging in sports activities and maintaining an active lifestyle in order to stay in good health, this afternoon, as he participated, along with his spouse Mrs Kobita Jugnauth, in the third edition of the 12-Hour National Relay Walk, Jog and Run for Health and Fun held at the Côte d’Or National Sports Complex.
This sports event, a joint collaboration of the Ministry of Youth Empowerment, Sports and Recreation and the Mauritius Sports Council, saw the participation of other personalities including the Minister of Energy and Public Utilities, Mr. Georges Pierre Lesjongard; the Minister of Youth Empowerment, Sports and Recreation, Mr. Stephan Toussaint; the Minister of National Infrastructure and Community Development, Mr. Mahendranuth Sharma Hurreeram; the Minister of Health and Wellness, Mr. Kailesh Kumar Singh Jagutpal, as well as Member of Parliament, Mrs. Marie Joanne Sabrina Tour.
In a statement, Mr. Pravind Kumar Jugnauth underlined that the National Sport and Physical Activity Policy, elaborated in 2018, aim at fostering a sports culture and promoting the practice of regular physical activity among the population. He observed that a significant number of citizens suffer from noncommunicable diseases, thus the importance of campaigning for a sports culture.
The Prime Minister, furthermore, indicated that Active Mauritius, implemented by the Mauritius Sports Council, including Ministries, regularly spearhead sports events to sensitise the population on the benefits of physical activities.
Speaking about his participation as well as that of his colleagues, Prime Minister Jugnauth emphasised that they are all championing the objectives of the national sports campaign of Government and thereby encourage the population to practice a regular physical activity despite their hectic lifestyle.
Mr. Jugnauth added that during this third edition of the event, he outperformed his previous record of 26 laps of the running track by today completing 30 laps and covering a total distance of 12 km.
As for Sports Minister, he expressed satisfaction as regards the high number of participants present for the National Relay which kicked off at 06 00 am this morning. He similarly underpinned the overarching objective of the event which is to sensitise the population on the importance of maintaining a physically active lifestyle.
Besides, Minister Toussaint urged all Mauritians to rally and support local athletes during the Commission de la Jeunesse et des Sports de l’Océan Indien Games to be hosted in Mauritius from 04 December to 11 December 2022.
