Bertrand Mendouga has been visiting the Comoros since Thursday, May 25, 2023, thus marking the start of preparations for the organization of the African boxing championship in zone 4 scheduled for 2024.
The delegation is made up of AFBC President Bertrand Mendouga, AFBC General Secretary Basile Kalong and Salomon Kargbo (Sierra Leone), President of the Competitions Commission.
President Mendouga and his delegation were warmly welcomed at Prince Said Ibrahim International Airport by Mohamed Abdou Mbechezi and Ahmed Bakar, respectively President and Secretary General of the Comorian Boxing Federation. They were accompanied by members of their team and club officials, young boxers including those from the boxing center of Samba and the city of Iconi.
Upon his arrival, President Mendouga expressed his joy and that of his delegation at the warm welcome extended to them by the Comorian boxing family.
In a statement to the press, he reaffirmed his determination to support the Comoros in the organization of this prestigious competition which will bring together 14 southern African countries. The main objective of his visit is to assess the infrastructure and logistics capacity of the Comoros to host this continental-scale event.
The President of the AFBC also underlined the dynamism of the new office of the Comorian Boxing Federation and the “tenacity” of its President for the benefit of the development of boxing in the Comoros.
Bertrand Mendouga affirms: “For a year, something has changed in Comorian boxing. I have noticed it since Yaoundé.” He adds that the organization of the African Zone 4 Boxing Championship in 2024 will provide an exceptional opportunity for Comoros to position itself as a leading sports destination.
The delegation then paid a visit to the Maluzini Stadium, the women’s home of Moroni, the Coco Palme public market in Ikoni before ending with a welcome cocktail at the Retaj Hotel Le Moroni where the AFBC delegation is staying.
A dinner at the Retaj on May 26, 2023
The Comorian boxing federation organized a dinner at Le Retaj hotel in honor of President Mendouga and his AFBC delegation.
Before the meal, 4 speeches were delivered. First there was the word of the President of the National Olympic Committee, then the speech of the President of the Comorian Boxing Federation, the President of the African Boxing Confederation and finally the Minister of Youth and Sports, absent from the national territory and represented by his chief of staff.
A hundred people were invited to this dinner. Were present in particular, the Governor of Ngazidja Mrs. Sitti Farouata Mhoudine represented by her Secretary General, the Chief of Staff of the AND Brigadier General Idjihadi, members of the Diplomatic Corps, sponsors of the FCB, presidents of federations sports and many high national personalities.