Somali youth play chess to promote peace

Somali youth play chess to promote peace
www.chinaview.cn 2009-05-08 02:57:27

By Abdurrahman Warsameh

MOGADISHU, May 7 (Xinhua) — Somali youths will have yet another thing to pass their tough times and perhaps develop their mental capacities and promote peace as schools in Mogadishu now started to hold regular chess contests among their students, thanks to an initiative by local schools chess association.

The first of its kind, the contests which kicked off on Thursday bring together chess players from a number of schools in Mogadishu who will be competing one another for the next week.

Held in Mogadishu, the opening ceremony was attended by senior Somali government officials including the Deputy Speaker of Somali parliament Omar Dalha, head of Somalia’s Olympic Committee, Aden Haji Yeberow Wiish, and the leader of Somalia’s Chess Federation, Ahmed Abdi Hassan Wata.

Somalia Chess Federation which is a member of the International Chess Federation has organized the event for the local Mogadishu Schools Chess Association, the only schools chess organization in the war-torn country.

Sports is very much appreciated in the chaotic country where most of the facilities have either been destroyed or changed into military bases by the warring sides in the Somali civil conflict that raged for the past two decades.

“Chess is not only a sport and past time but is also a mental exercise that will definitely stimulate the young brain and we hope this will contribute to the healthy development of our young people, and promote peace in our country” Said wata, the top official of Somali Chess Federation, as he spoke during the opening ceremony of the Mogadishu Schools Chess Contest.

Other dignitaries who spoke at function praised the Somali Chess Federation for its initiative to organizes the chess contest and for encouraging the youth to take up the sport which many of the officials, agreed help promote peace in the war torn country.

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