Luanda - The Angolan delegation to the eighth games of the Community of Portuguese-speaking Countries (CPLP) leave on June 25 to Quinta do Lobo in the Algarve, Portugal, to hold a 10-day training programme ahead of the tournament set for 7-15 July in Mafra, ANGOP learned Tuseday.

 
According to the national director of Sports, Raimundo Ricardo, the group will consist of nearly 100 people, 69 of them are athletes of modalities such as handball, football (men), tennis, beach volleyball, athletics, adapted athletics (male and female ), and female basketball.

 
He said that the pre-competitive stage is part of the strategy of the Ministry of Youth and Sports (MJD) taking into account the objective of maintaining or improving the third position in the medals table of the past edition, held in 2010 in Maputo, Mozambique.

 
Raimundo Ricardo said that games favours the socialization among young people under 16 years old, but despite that, the competitive component is always present.

 
In organizational terms, he indicated that there are almost resolved all aspects of the participation of Angola in the event of Mafra, such as accommodation, equipment, besides the cultural aspect as the participation of athletes in theatre play, music, dance and literature.

 
In the previous edition, Angola won 17 medals, three gold, eight silver and six bronze, distributed between the adapted sports, beach volleyball, tennis, handball and athletics. The football and basketball did not get any medal.

 
The CPLP games were instituted in 1990 to give the body an instrument of cooperation in the Lusophone community that groups Angola, Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau, Mozambique, Portugal, Sao Tome and Principe and Brazil. East Timor has participated as an observer member.

 
This is a multi-sport event that involves all members of the CPLP. Although the concept is similar to that of the Lusophone Games, in CPLP Games is only allowed the participation of athletes under the age of 16 years.