Luanda — The chairman of the Angolan Paralympic Committee (CPA), Leonel da Rocha Pinto, last Thursday in Luanda said that the country needs to create a high performance centre, without which it will be difficult to improve sports results.

Speaking at a press conference, in the end of press conference, in the end of the four-day visit to Angola of the former world record breaker, the North American Michael Johnson, Leonel da Rocha Pinto said that national sport needs better organisation so that at medium term it may be possible to combine the financial investments with the sports performances.

He stated that one of the reasons that made the oil company BP-Angola, in partnership with the Angolan Paralympic Committee, invite the former world record breaker Michael Johnson is the fact that the athlete has a training and high performance foundation.

"The Michael Johnson Performance Foundation, whose objective is to help athletes reach a high potential, can be very useful to our goals of creating an elite of athletes that can guarantee medals in world championships, Olympic and Paralympic games", emphasised the official.

The CPA official hopes that at short term a national conference on adapted sports can be held to debate matters related with the hindrances to the development of sports, such as the lack of high performance centres in the country.

Meanwhile, Michael Johnson made an assessment of the needs in Olympic and adapted athletics in Angola, as well as analysed how he might help the Angolan Olympic and Paralympic Committees to achieve development.

The first idea, said the renowned American athlete, is to make talented young people to attend a course at one of the academies of the foundation.

During his stay, Michael Johnson visited the Youth and Sports Ministry, held meetings with members of the Olympic and Paralympic Committees of Angola, gave a lecture that was attended by members of the Olympic athletes Association, viosted the 11 de Novembro Stadium in Luanda, as well as visited the Kilamba city.

On Thursday morning, Michael Johnson participated in two non competitive 100-metre races with the Angolan renowned Paralympic athelete José Sayovo, in Luanda's Coqueiros stadium.