Foloko, ANOCA team meets Putin

By BENEDICT TEMBO

ZAMBIAN sports administrator Alfred Foloko last week led a delegation of the Association of National Olympic Committees of Africa (ANOCA) to the 13th International Sports Forum in Russia.
Foloko, who is president of the National Olympic Committee of Zambia (NOCZ) and vice-president of ANOCA, said sports must continue to be a space for dialogue, solidarity and unity in the world.
The decorated Zambian sports administrator sympathised with Russia, whose participation in international sports had been faced with restrictions because of its war on Ukraine.
In a speech delivered in the presence of Russian president Vladimir Putin, Foloko said through its neutrality and solidarity, Africa was going to act as a mediator.
On behalf of ANOCA president Mustapha Berraf, who is also vice president of the Association of Olympic Committees of the World (ANOC), Foloko conveyed a message of solidarity while extending best wishes for the success of the International Sports Forum.
“In recent years, Russia’s participation in international sport has been faced with certain restrictions. Russia, thankfully has not given up on competition.
It has turned to Asia and the international arena, seeking new sporting partnerships and new platforms for cooperation.
“This movement marks the emergence of a more multipolar sport, more diverse in its alliances, which will enable the development and success of sport,” Foloko said.
He said ANOCA under the leadership of Berraf, strongly believes that sport must remain a space for dialogue, solidarity and unity.
“Through its neutrality and commitment to principles of solidarity and unity, Africa acts as a moral mediator between the blocs, defending the idea that competition should bring people together, not divide them,” Foloko told the meeting.
By supporting cooperation between continents, ANOCA offered a path to reconciliation. It demonstrates that African sport, with its strong human values and commitment to peace, can help restore trust within the global Olympic Movement.
“ANOCA will always work to ensure that world sport remains united despite political divisions. Sport belongs to no one side; it belongs to all of humanity,” he said.
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