Sports year 2013 in review |31 December 2013

Golden memories of another glorious year of sport

From the Indian Ocean Club Championship to the Confederation of Africa Athletics Southern Region track and field championship and to badminton’s African Senior Championship, Seychellois athletes competed in and did not shy away from victory.

As our sportswomen and sportsmen competed in a feast of competitions it reminded us of sport's capacity to astonish and enthrall.

In this end-of-year review we recap the best moments of Seychelles’ sports during the 2013 season.

Marie-Helen Rose wins two silver, Dean William captures bronze

In athletics, Seychellois athletes performed admirably at the Confederation of Africa Athletics (CAA) Southern Region track and field championship, winning two silver medals and a bronze as well as smashing the 200m national record.

Reigning Young Female Athlete of the Year Marie-Helen Rose grabbed two silver medals in as many days in the discus and shot put events at the University of Botswana in Gaborone, Botswana.

Dean William’s best throw in the men’s shot put was measured at 13.87 metres and it was good enough for third place and the bronze medal.

On the track, budding sprinter Leeroy Henriette once again proved his sprinting qualities by lowering his own 200m national record.

After registering a time of 21.75 seconds in the heats, Henriette powered to the finish line in the final in a new time of 21.10 seconds – bettering his own prior 21.42-second record -- which he set on August 13, 2011 at Stad Popiler during the Indian Ocean Islands Games -- by 32 hundredths of a second. Henriette’s time helped him to finish fifth in the final placing of the 200m race.

At the 11th African Junior Championship at the Stade Germain Commarmond in Bambous, Maurice, Marie-Helen Rose and Dean William each won a bronze medal.

Rose won her medal in the discus throw event with a best effort of 28.03 metres, while William finished third behind Egyptians in the hammer throw contest with a distance of 52.29 metres.
At the same championship, William improved the Seychelles junior shot put record with a distance of 14.80 metres to finish fifth overall.

Moving to the Stade de Champ Fleuri in Reunion where the CJSOI (Commission de la Jeunesse et des Sports de l’Océan Indien) athletics competition took place, younger Seychellois athletes did not disappoint, winning 25 medals – 9 gold, 8 silver and 8 bronze.

Ned Azemia won three gold medals in the 400m, 400m hurdles and medley relay, as well as a silver in the 800m race.

Ezra Almaze triumphed in the 400 metres with a time of 59.52 seconds, Marie-Noella Larue clocked 12 minutes 29.48 seconds to win the 3,000m race, Murvin Aglaé dominated the high jump with a bar of 1.92m. Debra Servina won the shot put throw event with a distance of 10.85m and Aicha Cushion dominated the javelin throw with a best effort of 38.11m.

The female and male teams also won the medley relays (100m, 200m, 300m and400m). Surera Charles, Dianne Nioze, Anissa Emile and Ezra Almaze won the female race in 2 minutes 20.52 seconds, while Dean Toussaint, Dylan Sicobo, Mohamed Haryba and Ned Azemia joined forces to win the boys’ race in 2 minutes 00.70 seconds.

The 8 silver medallists were: Ned Azemia (800m in 1:58.60), Yannick Magnan (3,000m in 9:32.58), Dean Toussaint (long jump with 6.69m), Dianne Nioze (100m in 12.81 seconds, 200m in 26.65 seconds), Debra Servina (discus with 25.54m), Jean-Yves Roseline (100m in 11.20 seconds), and the girls’ 4x100m relay team of Dianne Nioze, Ezra Almaze, Surera Charles and Samia Almaze (51.16 seconds).

The 8 bronze medallists were: Ezra Almaze (200m in 26.97 seconds), Peggy Rachel (triple jump with 10.18m), Anissa Emile (400m in 60.92 seconds), Dianne Nioze (long jump with 5.29m), Nelson Dodin (discus with 29.18m), Andria Auguste (800m in 2:34.16 and 1,500m in 5:31.08), and Jean-Yves Roseline (javelin with 43.29m).

Veteran Simon Labiche was the winner of the Suncheon half-marathon raced in South Korea. The 43-year-old won the event in a time of 1 hour 15 minutes 57 seconds.

In the 10km race, Keddy Moustache clocked 37 minutes 04 seconds to finish fifth, while in the 5km race Vincent Confait was eighth in 23 minutes 15 seconds.

The 13th Suncheon Namseungryong marathon in Suncheon city, South Korea, took place where the 2013 Suncheon Bay International Garden Expo was held.


Ah-Wan, Camille African women’s doubles gold medallists

In badminton, cousins Juliette Ah-Wan and Alisen Camille beat the Mauritian pair of Shama Aboobakar and Yeldy Louison in the final to win the women’s doubles gold medal at the African Senior badminton Championship in Rose-Hill. Mauritius.

In the team event, the Seychelles team were ranked third to win the bronze medal.

In the CJSOI tournament at the La Promenade Gymnasium, Seychelles won five bronze medals through Javis Renaud and Fabien Gerry (boys’ doubles), Aaron and Christian Toussaint (boys’ doubles), Stephanie Henriette and Noelissa Remie (girls’ doubles), Chlorie Cadeau and Sheryl Lucas (girls’ doubles), and the whole team in the team event.

In basketball, PLS Hawks and Anse Etoile Stars were the Indian Ocean Club Championship (IOCC) bronze medallists in Mauritius.

On the local scene, PLS Hawks made another clean sweep of all the titles. The men’s division one league title was their fifth in a row, bringing their tally to nine in 14 years since the introduction of clubs in 1993. They have previously won the title in 2001, 2002, 2005, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2012.

In the women’s SBF Cup final, Mont Fleuri stunned league champions Anse Etoile Stars to stop their opponents from making a clean sweep of all trophies this year.

Former Seychelles centre Lenny ‘Bad’ Aglaé left for Kyiv, Ukraine in August to take part in the Fiba Europe coaching certificate programme which is in its fourth year.

Head coach of the female Juniors team, Aglaé is among 60 coaches to attend three coaching clinics over a period of two years. The clinics are always organised in conjunction with the European Youth Championships with an examination part as the final element.

Ziad Al Adou Mekdachi continued his latest domination of the local bodybuilding scene and he was again in top condition at the Eden Plaza to walk away with the Mr Seychelles title in December after having already won the Mr Regatta in September.

In boxing, Keddy Agnes, gold medallist at the Indian Ocean Island Games on home soil in 2011, won the +91kg gold medal with a 17-7 win against Florent Kaouachi at the Coupe de l'Océan Indien in Reunion.

Andrique Allisop (-60kg) and Achille David (-56kg) lost in the finals against Mauritians John Colin and Yannish Hupersad.

At the tournoi international de Rodrigues de boxe, Alvin Botsoie won a gold medal by defeating Christopher Casimir of Rodrigues in the final.

Allisop lost to Mauritian John Colin in the -60kg final, Alva Botsoie lost the -64kg final to Mauritian Jean-Luc Rosalba and Lorenzo Bonne lost the junior -52kg final to Jordan Rodriguez of Reunion.

Côte d’Or first top flight champions from Praslin

In cycling, Team Sharks’ Dominic Arrisol rode away from the field to win this year’s three-race National Championship and at the same time improved his 36.3km individual time trial record.

Arrisol succeeded Edward Pothin who had himself replaced Hedson Mathieu as National Championship winner in 2012.

It has been a very good season for Arrisol with a series of wins in short and long distance races and records to go with them.

In football, Côte d’Or became the first team from Praslin to win the Barclays-sponsored division one league title. They also reached the final of the l'Union des fédérations de football de l'Océan Indien (l’UFFOI) tournament, losing 0-6 (0-2 on Praslin and 0-4 at the Stade Mahamasina) on aggregate score against Malagasy side Tana Formation de Madagascar.

St Michel won the other three titles – President’s Cup, Intelvision Cup and Airtel Cup.

In the CJSOI tournament in Mauritius, the young Seychelles team finished third with six points – the same total as champions Mauritius ‘A’ and runners-up Reunion.

The Seychelles team lost the title on goal difference – +1 (3 goals for and 2 against) compared to +6 for Mauritius ‘A’ (8 goals for and 2 against) and +4 for Reunion (5 goals for and 1 against).

Former Manchester United striker Dwight Yorke came to Seychelles under the Airtel Rising Star programme. He met young footballers from the Seychelles Youth Academy in a talk aimed at inspiring and advising them to help in their sporting development.

Former legendary France international midfielder Patrick Vieira was also in Seychelles for a football clinic. The former Manchester City Football Club (MCFC) football development executive was accompanied by a team of City coaches for the Manchester City Seychelles soccer school 2013 hosted by Air Seychelles and Etihad Airways.

The series of football clinics for Seychellois youths were organised in collaboration with the Seychelles Football Federation (SFF).

Clinics for children aged seven to 16 years old took place from May 4-6 on Mahé and Praslin. More than 500 school children were selected and invited to take part in the programme.

Etihad Airways, Air Seychelles’ equity alliance partner, signed a 10-year partnership deal with MCFC in July 2011, which includes naming rights for the club’s stadium and expansive surrounding grounds, known as Etihad Stadium and Etihad Campus, respectively.

Patel re-elected to Caf’s executive committee

Seychellois Suketu Patel was re-elected to the Confederation of African Football (Caf) executive committee after retaining his seat from the southern African zone.

Patel, who is also Caf vice-president and was a former Seychelles Football Federation chairman, was re-elected during the Caf congress in Morocco.

SFF chairman Elvis Chetty was appointed on the Fifa organising committee for the Fifa club world cup committee. He was also appointed vice-chairman of the disciplinary committee of Confederation of African Football (Caf).

Vice-chairman Roch Henriette has been representing Seychelles on the African Futsal and Beach Soccer committee.


In handball, MF Storm won the bronze medal in the women’s Indian Ocean Club Championship (IOCC) tournament played at the Palais des Sports as ASC Saint Gilles of Reunion won the gold medal.

MF Storm beat fellow Seychelles side Au Cap Sisters 30-20 in the third place playoff match.

MF Storm also won all the titles locally, achieving a league and cup double for the sixth time. They had achieved consecutive wins in 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2011.

Super 8 also achieved a league and cup double in the men’s competitions.

Dugasse returns with gold, Rose wins bronze

In judo, Dominic Dugasse made a triumphant return home after securing a gold medal at the African Open Championship in St Louis, Mauritius.

In the -100kg final, Dugasse met Johan Duckworth of South Africa and he beat his opponent in 35 seconds with an amazing uchi-mata.

 “I am very proud of what I have achieved and am looking forward to the Olympic Games qualification cycle. It is my dream to represent my country and I am very grateful to the International Judo Federation for all it is doing to help Seychelles,” he was quoted as saying.

Brigitte Rose won a bronze medal in the -78kg category after losing in the semifinal against Canadian Sarah Mazouz who went on to lose to Chinese Ding Yuping in the final.

Rose and Dugasse were Seychelles’ top performers at the just-ended 34th African senior judo championships held from April 18-21 in Maputo, Mozambique.

Rose (women’s -78kg) and Dugasse (men’s -100kg) were ranked fifth in their respective categories, while Manuella Volcère (women’s +78kg), Francis Labrosse (men’s -66kg) and Naddy Jeanne (men’s -73kg) lost to their respective categories’ eventual gold medallists.

Jean-Michel Vidot won Seychelles’ only gold medal at the Tournoi international de Maurice (TiMau) at the Pandit Sahadeo gymnasium in Vacoas.

Vidot won his -55kg cadet category final against Louis Begué by ippon after just 14 seconds. He also got two other wins by ippon.

Naddy Jeanne (-73kg) and Amanda Payet (-78kg) lost in the finals.

Seychellois judokas also made a good showing at the second Seychelles international judo tournament at the Omnisports Gym. The competition featured judokas from different local clubs – Port Glaud, Baie Ste Anne, Roche Caïman and Ile Perseverance – as well as fighters from countries like France, Ethiopia and Mauritius.

Francis Labrosse and Naddy Jeanne returned with a bronze medal each after their first involvement in the African Sambo championship in Morocco.

Labrosse won a bronze medal in the 68kg category and Jeanne took his in the 74kg classy.

Gertrude, Govinden, Julie, Lablache gold medallists at regional sailing championship

Meggy Gertrude (female Laser radial), Roy Govinden (male Laser radial), Allan Julie (male Laser standard) and Bertrand Lablache (Formula windsurfing) were crowned the winners of their respective categories of the regional sailing championship.

Of the four, only Meggy Gertrude did not win a gold medal during the 8th Indian Ocean Island Games here in 2011, proving that Julie, Govinden and Lablache can still be counted on for future successes.

Reunionnais Emeline Laude and Meggy Gertrude’s younger sister Elsie Gertrude could not match the All-Africa Games 2007 gold medallist’s prowess on the sea as she (Meggy Gertrude) won all 10 races to finish with 9 points.
 
Rodney Govinden was the silver medallist behind Allan Julie in the Laser standard class.

Roy Govinden started the competition on the back foot with two second places but went on to claim seven consecutive wins before finishing third in the 10th race for 11 points and first place in the Laser radial category. Paul Morel was third with 34 points.

Seychelles’ fourth gold medal was won by Praslinois windsurfer Bertrand Lablache in the all-Seychellois Formula windsurfing fleet.

Lablache collected seven wins in the 10 races for 12 points with fellow Praslinois Jean-Marc Gardette finishing second on 17 points (three wins). Third was Mahé-Praslin crossing record holder Stephen Stravens with 22 points.

Alison Hoareau could only finish third in the girls’ Laser 4.7 class with 24 points.

Record-breaker Passon

Felicity Passon, 14, broke two records belonging to Seychelles’ swimming champ Shrone Austin.

On Friday April 26, 2013 during the Seychelles Swimming Association (SSA) series, Passon touched the wall in the 50m backstroke event in a time of 33.75 seconds for a new Seychelles record, knocking 10 hundredths of a second off Austin’s old best of 33.85 seconds clocked on December 12, 2005 during the CJSOI swimming tournament.

Passon’s second national record came on Friday August 2, 2013 when she was ranked 49th out of 60 with a time of 30.46 seconds in the 50m butterfly at the world swimming championship in Barcelona, Spain.

The 30.46-second timing was faster than the old time of 30.85 seconds set on December 12, 2005 by Austin.

In April this year, Passon was a four-time gold medallist in the 50m backstroke (35.17 seconds), 50m breaststroke (41.37 seconds), 50m butterfly (31.42 seconds) and 50m freestyle (29.45 seconds) as well as winner of the best female swimmer trophy at the fifth Jeux de l’Espoir in Mauritius.

She also won for the second consecutive year the best female swimmer title based on points accumulated through the final placings at the Sacos National Open Championships in June.

At the 10th African Junior Championship in Lusaka, Zambia in November, Passon won the 100m butterfly silver medal and 50m butterfly bronze medal (30.13 seconds, a new Seychelles record) in the 13-14 years category.

Pierre-André Adam shattered two breaststroke records at the Palau Sant Jordi during the world swimming championships.

At 35 years old, Adam proved that age is just a number by breaking the 50m and 100m breaststroke records – the second time in just over a month.

When he entered the water on Sunday July 28 for the 100m breaststroke heat, he touched the wall at 1 minute 09.77 seconds (1:09.77) to finish 67th out of 77 swimmers, but at the same time improve his own record of 1:10.67 set during the national open swimming championship in early June.

On Tuesday July 30, Adam was again in action, this time in the shorter 50m breaststroke and shaved one hundredth of a second off his old record of 31.32 seconds by clocking 31.31 seconds to be ranked 64th out of 80.

Adam had in June bettered Fabien Antat’s 100m breaststroke (1:11.69) and 50m breaststroke (32.02 seconds) which had stood for 21 years.

In tennis, Damien Laporte won the boys’ singles title of the tournoi ‘Des Petites Mains’ in Reunion, beating Samuel Verbard du Tennis Club de l’Oasis of Reunion in the final.

In the boys’ doubles event, Laporte joined forces with Fort of Reunion to win the title.

At the ITF/CAT African Junior Circuit in Mauritius, Laporte won two more titles. He beat Adam de Villiers of Reunion 2-0 (7-5, 6-3) in the under-12 age category boys’ singles final, and then teamed up with compatriot Shaun Andriamaro to win the boys’ doubles against Mauritians Niels Hartmann amd Sebastien Liu.

Baldwin wins Boksman triathlon

Baldwin won the Boksman triathlon and finished in a new course record time of 5 hours 21 minutes 11 seconds.

The Boksman triathlon is a 2.6km swim, 120km bike and 20km run in the New Forest in the South of England. It covered a hilly course that challenges all competitors.

Nick Baldwin also clinched the 18-24 age-group title of the 2013 Abu Dhabi International triathlon and finishing 11th overall.

Competing under the glow of the warm Arabian sun, Baldwin finished with a cumulative time of 7 hours 10 minutes 11 seconds (7h10:11) after clocking 40 minutes 23 seconds in the 3km swim, 5 hours 06 minutes 12 seconds in the 200km bike and 1 hour 16 minutes 48 seconds in the 20km run.

During the KMD Ironman Copenhagen in Denmark, Baldwin set a huge overall personal best by 30 minutes and finished fourth overall – his highest overall placing at an international race.

He finished the 140.6-mile race in a combined time of 8 hours 18 minutes 08 seconds (8h18:08), only 5 minutes 30 seconds behind the winner – Denmark’s Jens Petersen-Bach who crossed the finish line with a time of 8h12:41.

Clementina Agricole wins Commonwealth silver medal

Clementina Agricole was the 58kg weight class silver medallist at the Commonwealth Weightlifting Championship in Penang, Malaysia.

Agricole finished with an Olympic total of 190kg (85kg in snatch and 105kg in clean & jerk) to claim the silver medal behind the gold medallist from Nigeria.

At the African Junior Weightlifting Championship in Casablanca, Morocco, Seychellois lifters won 11 medals – seven silver and four bronze.

Competing in the 53kg class, Romentha Larue amassed six medals – three silver (in the youth category) and three bronze (in the junior category) – after finishing with an Olympic total of 110kg (50kg snatch and 60kg clean-and-jerk).

Derreck Côme lined up in the youth 85kg class and won three silver medals after lifting 98kg in snatch and 116kg in clean-and-jerk for an Olympic total of 214kg.

As for Rick Confiance who competed in the junior 62kg division, he won a silver medal in the snatch event with 102kg and a bronze in the Olympic total (227kg) after he had clean-and-jerked 125kg.
In volleyball, 2013 was the year Beau Vallon made a stunning return to the local and international arenas.

After winning all the titles locally – SVF Shield, league, SVF Cup and Land Marine Divisional Cup – Beau Vallon conquered the region by winning the Indian Ocean Club Championship (IOCC) zone 7 for the sixth time after past wins in 1997, 2004 and 2008 (in Seychelles) and 1998 and 2000 (in Madagascar).

They beat Quatre Bornes VBC of Mauritius 3-2 (25-27, 25-13, 24-26, 25-13, 16-14) in the final.

Three Beau Vallon players – Daniel Lozaique, Ian Furneau and Hank Panagary – won individuals prizes.

Lozaique was voted Most Valuable Player (MVP), best server and best blocker. Furneau was named the best attacker and Panagary the best setter.

Other than Felicity Passon’s four  gold medals in the 50m backstroke (35.17 seconds), 50m breaststroke (41.37 seconds), 50m butterfly (31.42 seconds) and 50m freestyle (29.45 seconds) at the fifth Jeux de l’Espoir in Mauritius, Seychelles’ other gold medallists were Nicholas Esther (boys’ singles in table tennis), Andria Auguste (800m in athletics) and Rani Camille (60m in athletics).
Shawn Asba and Valerie Philoe (judo) and Rani Camille (100m athletics) were the three silver medallists, while the four bronze medals were won by Kevin Benoit and Dylan Charles (boxing) and Zoe Barois (two in swimming).

After the 7th Jeux de la Francophonie in Nice, France, Jude Ally won the gold medal in the painting category with his work called ‘Xylophobia’.


State-of-the-art swimming pool for Praslin


Praslin will soon get its very own swimming pool which will be built of Eve island.

A memorandum of understanding was signed by the National Sports Council and Vijay Construction for the construction of the swimming pool complex which will benefit mostly Praslin and La Digue residents.

By the middle of next year, residents of the two islands will benefit from a state-of-the-art 25m swimming pool.

The complex will feature the latest technologies, with a smaller pool for those learning to swim also to be added.

The total cost of the facilities will be R15 million, with the government funding R10 million and Vijay Construction donating the remaining R5 million.

Construction work began in November following the laying of the foundation stone, and residents of the two islands can look forward to a new attraction once it is finished by the middle of next year.

New cricket ground

Local cricket players will in the near future enjoy their discipline at their very own international standard stadium.

A memorandum of understanding was signed, giving the local cricket body the go-ahead to build their new ground.

National Sports Council (NSC) chief executive Giovanna Rousseau described the signing as an “historic day” as land use and housing principal secretary (PS) Joseph François and Seychelles Cricket Association (SCA) chairman Jonathan Paul put pen to paper to ensure the SCA can soon begin constructing the country’s first cricket stadium.

Seychelles’ cricket integrated the gentleman’s game’s international family in 2010, becoming the 105th member of the International Cricket Council (ICC) and that same year the SCA began working on plans to build an international standard field here.

SCA’s application for ICC membership was approved by 104 members during the international body’s annual conference at the Raffles City Convention Centre in Singapore from June 27 to July 1, 2010.

The local cricket family made the move to become an ICC member in early 2010 and Africa Cricket Association (ACA) chief executive Cassim Suliman visited Seychelles in January to do checks and balances as regards to SCA’s application.

NSC celebrates 30th anniversary

The National Sports Council celebrated its 30th anniversary and as part of activities organised it rewarded three of its long serving staff and a group of loyal sponsors who have chosen sports as their corporate and social responsibility.

Principal secretary for community development and sports Denis Rose presented Louis Nourrice, Ulric Mathiot and Giovanna Rousseau with a token of appreciation for their long and loyal services with the organisation.

A group of sponsors who have chosen sports as their corporate and social responsibility as well as a group of partners were also recognised during the ceremony.

The council’s loyal sponsors are Air Seychelles, Airtel, Barclays Bank, Berjaya Beau Vallon Bay Beach Resort and Casino, Cable & Wireless, the Children’s Fund, Development Bank Seychelles, Gill’s Pest Control, J and G Contractor, Kenya Airways, La Scala Restaurant, Land Marine, Mauritius Commercial Bank, MEJ Electrical, Mohan Shopping Centre, Nouvobanq, Public Utilities Corporation, Sacos Insurance Company, Savings Bank, Seystyle Tailoring, Seychelles Breweries, Skychef, Seychelles Trading Company and Vijay Construction.

As for the partners recognised they are the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Health, the department of community development, the Seychelles Olympic and Commonwealth Games Association, the National Information Services Agency, and the Seychelles Broadcasting Corporation.

An exhibition was also organised for the occasion and the council’s new website www.seynsc.com was also launched.

The NSC also launched its sports ambassadors programme aimed at inspiring young athletes and providing them with skills that support their involvement in sports from the school environment through to adulthood.

The sports ambassadors will be selected based on their sporting talent, and more importantly, due to their exceptional commitment and ability as leaders or volunteers.
 
The programme also seeks to develop leaders and volunteers further by providing them with the responsibility of being an ambassador for sports.

The first group of sports ambassadors comprises all athletes who have been chosen Sportsmen and Sportswomen of the Year. They are windsurfer Barbara Habayeb (1985), volleyballer Thelma Pierre-Louis (1986), squash player Giovanna Rousseau (1987), basketballer Lina Lestrange (1988), swimmer Elke Talma (1989), volleyballer Marie-Ange Quatre, now Bouchereau (1990), basketballer Simone Asba (1991), athlete Mirenda Francourt (1992 and 1994), athlete Beryl Laramé (1993), chessler Amelie Payet (1995), athlete Lindy Leveau-Agricole (1996, 2005, 2008 and 2009), volleyballer Jerina Bonne (1997), volleyballer Yvonne Legaie (1998), weightlifter Sophia Vandagne (1999), badminton player Juliette Ah-Wan (2000 and 2007), athlete Helda Marie (2001), weightlifter Janet Georges, formerly Thélermont (2002, 2004, 2006 and 2010), swimmer Shrone Austin (2003), badminton player Alisen Camille (2011), footballer Mike Mancienne (1984), boxer Ralph Labrosse (1985), athlete Albert Marie (1986), boxer Jerry Legras (1987, 1996 and 1997), footballer Bernard Dorasamy (1988), boxer Rival Cadeau, now Payet (1989, 1993, 1994 and 1995), athlete Paul Nioze (1990), boxer Roland Raforme (1991), athlete Danny Beauchamp (1992), swimmer Kenny Roberts (1998), swimmer Benjamin Lo-Pinto (1999), Laser sailor Allan Julie (2000, 2001, 2002, 2004, 2005, and 2011), weightlifter Steven Baccus (2003), badminton player Georgie Cupidon (2006 and 2007), canoeist Tony Lespoir (2008), badminton player Steve Malcouzane (2009), and weightlifter Terrence Dixie (2010).

The ambassadors will also include other outstanding sports persons before the sports awards programme was introduced or those whose nature of their sports make it difficult for them to win the sportsman and sportswoman titles. Sports persons who have reached international standard from other pillars of sports like officiating, coaching and administration have also been selected.

Country’s national sports policy ready

The country’s four-year national sports policy 2013-2017 was presented to representatives of sports federations and associations by Social Affairs, Community Development and Sports Minister Vincent Meriton.

When presenting the document to the delegate, Minister Meriton said that everyone should take ownership of the policy, adding that it will help guide the sports strategic plan 2013-2017 and beyond by ensuring that the aspirations, needs and perspectives of our sports community are taken into consideration.

Community development and sports principal secretary Denis Rose, National Sports Council (NSC) chairman Jean Larue and NSC chief executive Alain Volcère were also present.

The policy’s vision is to have by 2017 a more active, cohesive and healthier Seychelles for the social well-being of its citizens; and a sustainable sporting environment which enhances international relations, national and international success, economic benefits and a bolstered sense of national identity and pride.

Some of the objectives of this policy are: ensure that quality education and school sports are further enhanced in all educational and sports institutions; provide an enabling environment that will motivate all Seychellois to become more active participants, and foster the development of healthy, active lifestyles and a culture of lifelong participation at all levels and across the sports spectrum; ensure gender balance with particular emphasis on girls and women in sports; create and facilitate career development opportunities in emerging fields and specialisation in sports;

maximise the social benefit and economic potential of sports as an emerging industry and increase its contribution to the country’s development; develop and strengthen international cooperation and exchange between Seychelles and other national and international institutions; and provide competency-based education and training opportunities for a strong technical and human resource base.

The policy contains five statements – participation (physical education and school sports; sports for all; women and sports; leisure and recreation; and federations and associations), competitive sports (national competitions; sports clubs, federations and associations; coaches development), high level sports performance (talent identification and development; excellence pathways; long-term athletes development programme; sports academy; science and medical support services; international competitions), sports development (sports federations; secretariat for federations; prioritising sports, volunteers; facilities, incentives and rewards; sports information centre; recording and archiving; ethical environment; use of prohibited substances and methods), and capacity building and service delivery (sports organisations support; financial resources; human resources development; international relations; marketing and media and information).

Seychelles now part of International Paralympic Committee

The Paralympic Association of Seychelles (PAS), the body with the mission to organise, promote and develop the paralympic movement in Seychelles, was granted full membership to the International Paralympic Committee (IPC).

This was during a ceremony on the occasion of the 16th General Assembly of the IPC held in Athens, Greece between November 22-24, 2013. It was the chairman of PAS, Alain Volcère, who received the membership certificate from the IPC’s President, Sir Philip Craven, together with the representatives of six other new members, namely – the National Paralympic Committees of Sao Tome and Principe, the US Virgin Islands, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Antigua and Barbuda, Chile as well as the Boccia International Sports Federation.


Nydia Samy, Annette Domingue die

On a sad note, former basketballer Nydia Samy passed away after losing her battle against cancer.

Samy was diagnosed with cancer in 2007 after a long career as a player. After receiving treatment for the cancer in 2007, she was OK for four months, only to discover the cancer had spread to her spine.
The 48-year-old defended the colours of Mont Buxton, Rivière Anglaise and Anse Etoile Stars at club level and also played for the country’s national team, winning three Indian Ocean Island Games silver medals in 1990 in Madagascar, 1993 in Seychelles and 1998 in Reunion.
Formerly Lablache, Samy started playing basketball at the age of 12 and put an end to her career in 2003.

The Special Olympics Seychelles organisation also mourned the loss of a great servant – Annette Domingue.

Ms Domingue, who joined Special Olympics Seychelles in 1986, was the organisation’s chairperson for a number of years. In 2008, she became a member of the Special Olympics African advisory council.
Ms Domingue always believed in giving Special Olympic athletes, with different degree of disabilities, the opportunity to develop their physical fitness, demonstrate courage, experience joy and take part in the sharing of gifts, skills and friendship with their colleagues, families and the community.

She was instrumental in sending Seychelles’ teams to the International Special Olympics Summer Games where local special athletes always excelled.

Compiled by G. G.