BEIJING, Jan. 31 (Xinhua) -- A group of Chinese youth football players aged between 10 and 12 are to embark on a training camp in Barcelona, Spain, where they will take classes from local coaches.
Juan Antonio Samaranch Jr., IOC vice president and Chair of the IOC Coordination Commission for Beijing 2022, attended a farewell ceremony for the youths in Beijing on Thursday.
The training program is part of "Free Football For All," a project launched by Samaranch's foundation that bears his name. The program is specifically designed for young amateurs from border areas, central and western parts of China, where professional coaches were introduced into local schools, leading to the most promising students being selected to attend a training camp in Spain.
16 primary school students from Gansu, Jilin provinces and Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region are to take part in the program this year. Mahatuni, a 12-year-old girl from Gansu, who is not afraid of competing against boys, said she was "excited about going to Barcelona," where she could improve her skills and hopefully "meet superstars like Lionel Messi."
Mahatuni was among the young players to whom Samaranch Jr. gave a speech at the ceremony. "We have various goals, among which the most important one is to promote the Olympic spirit, which means to make better human beings through sports," said Samaranch Jr., adding that he hoped the young players would enjoy the Spanish food as well as the football.
The young players were also given a trial class by a coach from Spain's second division after the ceremony.
