The Ministry of Youth and Sports in collaboration with the National Sports Council has fixed July 8 and July 9, as the dates for its much-talked about National Sports Conference, where new policies will be developed to engance excellence in sports.

A press statement issued by the National Sports Council, said the theme for the two-day gathering, which will be preceded by a day-long pre-conference on July 1, will be "Mapping out strategies for better national coordination of efforts and resources for the attainment of excellence in sports through mass participation."

According to the one-page statement, the conference is necessitated by the fact that the sports policy and action plan for 1999  - 2008 has expired, hence the need to develop a new one in order to bolster the momentum gained and tackle the challenges faced in addition to providing the much needed leadership and direction for the entire sporting fraternity.

The release added: "The government of His Excellency the President, Sheikh Professor Alhaji Dr Yahya Jammeh through the Ministry of Youth and Sports has articulated the need to uplift the sports and sporting activities through its stated mission statement "Excellence in sports through mass participation." "The mission is to ensure that Gambians sportsmen and women excel and win medals and trophies at the national, regional and international competitions in identified priority sporting disciplines."

In the same vein, the release added, the Youth and Sports ministry intends to encourage mass participation in sports and physical activities to positively impact and improve health and national well-being. In order to achieve these goals and objectives, the release continues, there is the need to update and usher in a new National Sports Policy and Action Plan to provide the necessary policy framework. "This will not only encapsulate the above aspiration but also embolden our collective stakeholders' interest in the drive towards their attainment.

It is for this reason and the recognition of the crucial role all stakeholders can play in our national sports endeavor, that the Ministry of Youth and Sports intends to host a national sports conference as the best way for a wider all inclusive stakeholder consultation and participation in charting a sports development strategy," the release concluded.