Mr. Speaker, I would like to draw to the attention of the House the Somali Week International Soccer Tournament held each year at Centennial Park Stadium in Etobicoke and hosted by the Somali Sports and Cultural Association.
This year the number of teams participating from June 28 to July 15 has grown from 12 to 16 teams. These teams come from Europe, Britain, Sweden and Holland, the United States Boston, Washington, Atlanta, Minnesota and Columbus, Ohio, and Canada, Ottawa, Toronto, Mississauga and Calgary.
The Somali week tournament was established in the early nineties in order to: first, entertain the community during the summer; second, to create an environment where the community can mix together to build social cohesion; and third, to provide youngsters with exercise and camaraderie for a positive, constructive experience.
To date the tournament has been run without financial backing from federal, provincial or municipal governments.
Good luck to all the teams participating. We will see them there.