Youth and Sports: Minister Nagalingum presents ongoing and upcoming projects

The Minister of Youth and Sports, Mr Darmarajen Nagalingum, held a press conference this morning in Port Louis to present a series of ongoing and upcoming initiatives aimed at promoting youth engagement and sports development.

In the youth sector, the projects include the Youth Consultative Workshop, Jeux Inter-collège de la musique et de la danse, Zenes Ena Talan, the Street Dance Festival, and Anou Transform Nou Lendrwa

For the sports sector, planned activities feature the National Inter-College Sports Competition 2026, the National Combat Sports Games 2026, the reopening of swimming schools, and a National Football Tournament centred on the FIFA World Cup 2026 theme.

Minister Nagalingum recalled that the Youth Consultative Workshop is a platform for the youth to express their concerns and develop ideas to put forward concrete proposals on specific themes. As such, young persons had the opportunity to discuss on drugs and substance abuse; healthy living and mental and emotional well-being; brain drain; social media; as well as arts, culture and leisure. Participants are aged between 14 to 35 years old and come from 10 different regions around the island. A knowledge-sharing session is scheduled for 30 May 2026, followed by a plenary session.

He pointed out that the Jeux Inter-collège de la musique et de la danse aim at promoting artistic creativity among the youth. This activity is being carried out in collaboration with the Ministry of Education and Human Resource. Some 762 students from 187 secondary schools participated in the event. A live performance will be held at the Paul Octave Wiéhé Auditorium on 28 May 2026.

As for Zenes Ena Talan, the Minister underlined that the 2026 edition is currently in its performance and judging phase. Participants aged 14 to 35 years old can showcase skills in various fields, including music, dance, art, slam poetry, humour, and other creative fields. Some 250 entries have been registered and auditions will be held on 06, 07, 13 and 14 June 2026. The final will be held on 27 June 2026 at the Paul Octave Wiéhé Auditorium.

The second edition of the Street Dance Festival is currently underway and the finals will be held at the Caudan Waterfront on 06 June 2026, observed Mr Nagalingum. This event, he added, not only provides a creative platform for the youth and promotes urban dance but it also helps to sensitise the public about the drug scourge.

Regarding the Anou Transform Nou Lendrwa initiative launched by the Ministry of Youth and Sports in June 2025, Minister Nagalingum observed that the programme targets youth in ‘hard-to-reach’ regions across Mauritius, using sports and recreation as a way to promote social transformation and prevent risky behaviours. One of the main goals of this initiative is to identify young talents and guide them toward official sports schools and technical training, he said. The 7th edition will be held on 07 June 2026 at Coteau Raffin in Black River.

As far as sports sector is concerned, he underscored that the preliminary phase for football, volleyball, basketball, athletics, basketball, and table tennis in the context of the National Inter-College Sports Competition 2026 is already ongoing.

Speaking about the National Combat Sports Games 2026, the Minister stressed that this competition is a first of its kind major multi-discipline martial arts event in Mauritius. The games feature 14 combat sports disciplines, including Karate, Kyokushinkai, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ), Taekwondo and Boxing. The objective is to provide a national platform for talent detection and the promotion of martial arts excellence among Mauritian youth.

Furthermore, the reopening of Swimming Schools was evoked during the press conference. Mr Nagalingum stated that four swimming pools are concerned by the project and around 291 children have been registered for the Level 1 which will span over 12 weeks. This project is being implemented in collaboration with the Ministry of Education and Human Resource.

The National Football Tournament themed around the FIFA World Cup 2026 will target children under 13 years old and will be held at the Côte d’Or National Sports Complex. A total of 48 teams representing countries qualified for the World Cup will be involved and the pool phase calendar will coincide with that of the FIFA World Cup 2026. Each match will span over 30 minutes and football teams will comprise of seven players.

Moreover, the Minister seized the opportunity to dwell on the Indian Ocean Island Games 2027, and the need to update the High-Level Sports Unit criteria for athletes to benefit from High Level Athlete Assistance Scheme. He also remarked that the Sports Bill has been finalised will soon be introduced into the National Assembly.

20 May 2026

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Topics: Education, Sports, Youth