TRIPOLI – The new Minister-Designate of Sports and Youth, Ibrahim Shakas, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding in Madrid with the Spanish authorities on developing sports skills and facilities in Libya, in particular ahead of the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations to be held in Tripoli, Benghazi and Tajoura. Shakas arrived in Spain last week from London at the head of a sports and youth delegation aimed at formalizing sporting ties already negotiated with the Spanish. The three-day visit included a quick visit to Barcelona. There were meetings with the presidents of Spanish football leagues, companies that specialize in sports infrastructure as well as in security at sports events. There was a visit to Real Madrid football club to look into setting up football boarding schools in Libya. It was not all football. There were talks about developing water polo in Libya and, away from sports altogether, Sahaka had a meeting with Spain's Secretary of State for Trade, Jaime García-Legaz. The MOU was signed with the President of Spain's Higher Council of Sports, Miguel Cardenal Carro on Thursday. It covers: Training;
* The establishment of a Libyan Spanish youth association; * The promotion and development of youth movement activities such as youth camps and volunteer work; * Technical and managerial expertise support for sports clubs and for international events such as the African Nations Cup; * Support in the preparation of a Libyan Olympic training camp in Spain; * Cooperation on sports medicine and anti-doping measures in sports; * Developing sports for people with special needs; the creation of youth training centers in Libya by the Real Madrid Foundation; * Cooperation in developing the industry and technology of modern sports; * Techniques in various sports fields, such as standards and specifications and planning for its development; * Infrastructural support for Libyan in African and international sporting events; * The exchange of audio-visual materials and library resources, publications, and documents and experiences related to the field of youth and sports. – Libya Herald
