XVIII Commonwealth Games-Team Seychelles settle in Games Village |10 March 2006

TEAM Seychelles are doing fine, training and settling into the Games Village, the place they will call home for the next three weeks, according to general team manager Michel Bau.

“The athletes are adapting well to the new environment and we just had a meeting with all members of the team this afternoon (yesterday afternoon),” Bau, who is in Melbourne, Australia, hosts of the XVIII Commonwealth Games, told Sports Nation in a telephone conversation.

With exactly five days before the opening ceremony, reigning Sportslasdy of the Year and javelin specialist Lindy Leveau-Agricole has been chosen as Team Seychelles’ flag bearer at the Opening Ceremony on March 15 to be attended by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.

Team Seychelles jetted off last Sunday morning for the Land Down Under via Dubai.

They reached their final destination on Tuesday to participate in the Melbourne Games.

The team will be officially welcomed in the Games Village on March 14.

In the Games Village, Seychellois athletes have for neighbours Mauritians, South Africans, Canadians, Irish, Indians and Pakistanis.

The local athletes representing Seychelles in Melbourne are Lindy Leveau-Agricole, Evans Marie, Céline Laporte (athletics), Hudson Mathieu (cycling), Steven Mangroo, Bertrand Bristol, Adrian Nanty, Shrone Austin (swimming), Georgie Cupidon, Juliette Ah-Wan, Cynthia Course, Steve Malcouzane (badminton), Godfrey Sultan, Janice Esparon (table tennis), Patrick Camille, Alvin Gabriel, Jovet Jean (boxing), Clementina Agricole, Steven Baccus, Julie Matatiken, Romeo Siméon and Janet Thélermont (weightlifting).

It must be noted that France-based long jumper Céline Laporte and swimmer Shrone Austin who has been training and studying in South Africa, will join the team in Melbourne the day before the Games’ opening ceremony on March 14.

Team Seychelles’ chef de mission is Simon Lespoir and the other officials are Michel Bau (general team manager), Mikola Avilov. Olivier Pauly (athletics coach), Luo Guo Hui (badminton coach), Rene Michaud (table tennis coach), Rival Payet (boxing coach), William Dixie (weightlifting coach), Manuel Mendoza Marin (swimming coach) and Lucas Georges (cycling coach).

Seychelles National Olympic Committee president Antonio Gopal and the local Olympic body’s secretary general Alain Alcindor are attending the Games as invited guests.

This is the fifth time Seychelles participates in the Games after past participations in Auckland, New Zealand in 1990; Victoria, Canada in 1994; Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in 1998; and Manchester, England in 2002.

While there are reports that athletes from different countries have been forced to rent their own cooling fans after Commonwealth Games organisers failed to install airconditioners in the Parkville village, Mr Bau said that temperatures of mid-30s aren’t affecting our compatriots.

“We are doing OK. The weather is fine.  Everything’s in full swing. We can’t complain,” said Bau.

About 6,000 athletes and officials from 71 Commonwealth-affiliated countries will be living in the village built with a $90 million budget.

It must be noted that airconditioning has only been installed in office and public areas, including the massive 2000-seat dining hall.

The village was originally designed to sleep up to 5,800 athletes and officials, but organisers eventually ordered 6,100 beds with additional athletes accommodated in bunks.

A total of 27 athletes are being housed in one village house worth more than $1 million after being remodeled.

Medals revealed

Meanwhile, the organisers of the Melbourne 2006 Games have unveiled the gold, silver and bronze medals to be awarded during the 12 days of competition.

President of the Commonwealth Games Federation Mike Fennell, Premier of Victoria Steve Bracks said the medal design for the Games united the heritage with the spirit of the Melbourne 2006 event and recognised the significance of sporting achievement.

The heraldic and iconic emblem of the Commonwealth Games Federation is embossed on the front side of the medal. On the back, the design uses elements of the Games identity and features the halo lines to create a dynamic composition.

A total of 245 medal events will be contested during the Games, with a total of 1,334 medals handed out to athletes - 441 gold, 441 silver and 452 bronze.

The lanyard which will hang around the necks of the podium winners will be in the shape of two gum leaves.

Along with the medals, the organisers also revealed the fanfare music – Heartbeat - to be used during every medal presentation during the Games.

The creator of the fanfare music is Australian Greg Bowman who also produced the fanfare music for the 2002 Manchester Commonwealth Games and the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games.

The podium on which the medalists will be rewarded has be designed by Charlwood Design who also designed the unique Queens’ Baton which relayed in Seychelles from June 4 to 9, 2005.

G. G.