Dutch organisation to set up sports structure in Saba

Huis voor de Sport Groningen, an organisation in the northeast of the Netherlands, has received a subsidy from the Ministry of Public Health, Welfare and Sport to promote sports and a healthy lifestyle among Sabans in the next two years.

Saba has a relatively high percentage of unhealthy persons among its almost 1,950 residents, and many have an inactive lifestyle. The island is lacking in a social and organised sports culture, according to health specialists.

Huis voor Sport was selected to carry out the Saba project because the organisation has been very successful with its so-called “Intervention Sports Village” project. Under this project sports coordinators were assigned to sev­eral villages to renew sports on offer in consultation with the sports associations. In this way, 10 villages in Groningen prov­ince were taken “on the move.” Nationwide, 69 Dutch munici­palities participated in the project.

Mark Mulder of Huis voor de Sport Groningen (House for Sport Groningen) expects that workers of his organisation will play a role in the coordination and execution of the project on Saba. Many tasks will, however, be executed from a distance, he told Dutch-language Dagblad van het Noorden newspaper.

Mulder thinks Saba can be provided with a better sport in­frastructure. There is no fear for a financial debacle as a fixed amount has been made available for the next two years.

The Daily Herald.