The mayor of Mealhada, António Jorge Franco, recently received a group of French judo athletes, who were visiting the municipality. The reception was part of the twinning activities between Mealhada and Millau.
Passing through Portugal for a “journey not only sporting, but also cultural”, the athletes made visits to various places in the country, with stops at Portuguese judo clubs, namely Trofa, Porto, Ronfe (Guimarães) and Coimbra , to see “other ways of training”, as explained by Joaquim Alves da Silva, president of the Millau/Mealhada Twinning Committee, who organized this visit to Portugal and is a key figure in promoting ties between the two cities. Also present at the reception were Emmanuelle Gazel, mayor of Millau, and Bouchra El Mérouani, councilor for tourism.
“After the mayor of Mealhada, António Jorge Franco, wished you a good stay and Emmanuelle Gazel left an invitation to all Mealhada residents to visit the city of Millau, memories of each of the municipalities were shared, with the delegation following, then, to Mata do Bussaco”, reads a council communication, which adds that “since the signing of the twinning protocol between the two cities, in 2010, the Millau/Mealhada Twinning Committee has been organizing visits to Portugal . What began as an exchange between young people from Mealhada and Millau schools became a twinning of two municipalities in favor of a more cohesive Europe, of citizenship and democracy, which encourages the sharing and exchange of experiences, opinions and values between citizens of its member states”.
