The Chairman of National Sports Council, Idd Kipingu, opened a five-day junior tennis camp at the Dar es Salaam Gymkhana Club yesterday.

Over 60 tennis teens are attending the camp as Kipingu said there is a need to empower many youngsters with skills to promote the game in the country.

He said the foundation of any game is on the youth and they must be given an opportunity to learn new skills.

“I’m recommending Tanzania Tennis Association (TTA) and Simba Cement for organising the training camp. I believe that whatever our young players learn here will be of useful importance to the develop of the game in the country,” he said.

The camp trainer is Italian tennis guru Fabrizio Caldarone and is assisted by domestic coaching duo of Hassan Kassim and Morris Loje.

On her part, TTA secretary general Inger Njau thanked Simba Cement for sponsoring the camp, saying the camp will help young players to learn skills of the game.

She also asked parents to release their children whenever training opportunities happen.

“I’m asking all parents to have a culture of allowing their children whenever there are training opportunities. This camp helps the game to grow and is a great opportunity that we should all look up to. We would also like to call upon our major stakeholders, the parents and guardians for supporting the success of this initiative,” she said.

The participants will be awarded certificates and the entire party will culminate with a two-day CRB Africa Legal Open tennis tournament competitive networking event that is expected to attract participation from across five regions.