His Excellency President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih Minister Ahmed Mahloof, Honourable MPs, High Commissioner of India to the Maldives Sunjay Sudir, Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,
Today, we are here to celebrate the inauguration of the Ekuveni Synthetic Track – yet another generous contribution from the Government of India. And, with this project, I must say, we are definitely starting the year on the right foot.
For more than two decades, the Ekuveni Sports Complex has been the centrepoint for fitness and exercise for the majority of the residents of Malé city. As time wore on, and the popularity of adopting a healthy active lifestyle became widely accepted and practiced, sadly, the Ekuveni Track was not able to keep up with these modern requirements.
That is why today, as we stand on this state-of-the-art athletics track, I am pleased to say that we have indeed caught up with lost time, and we are sprinting towards a splendid future ahead.
Promoting fitness and exercise has always been an important priority for this Government. It is our hope that this project continues to motivate Maldivians of all ages to continue to adopt a healthy lifestyle and revitalise the spirit of togetherness, for many generations to come. This project also promises to be an excellent facility to train aspiring Maldivian athletes and someday compete in some of the world’s biggest arenas.
This project was generously facilitated by a cash grant by the Government of India.
I wish to thank the Indian Government for their continuous support for the people, and the local communities, of the Maldives, by facilitating so many of these socially impactful projects across the country. I thank Minister of External Affairs Dr Jaishankar, for his personal commitment to the Maldives-India partnership. I would also like to thank you, High Commissioner, and your team at the High Commission, for your warm relations with the people of the Maldives.
I would like to congratulate the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Community Empowerment for delivering this project to the people of the Maldives, and for all their work in promoting access to fitness and exercise.
The foundation of the strong and deep Maldives-India relations, is no doubt due to the personal commitment of President Solih in sustaining good relations with our closest neighbour. Furthermore, the close relations shared by the leaders of both countries is also testament to a committed partnership that makes a lasting impact.
With the inauguration of the Ekuveni Synthetic Track, we take yet another step forward towards the strengthening of the ties between the Maldives and India, the continuity of friendship between our peoples.
Thank you.