Commission de la Jeunesse et des Sports de l'Océan Indien (CJSOI) |16 December 2021
Minister Zialor flanked by Mr Savy (left) and Mr Vidot during the press conference yesterday (Photo: Jude Morel)
New ideas to transform and modernise the CJSOI
Strengthening the level of regional competition, no matter the magnitude, both in terms of organisation and performance remains the key element in preparing our athletes for success at continental and world level events.
Minister for Youth, Sports and Family, Marie-Celine Zialor, once again put emphasis on the above-mentioned statement yesterday, during a press conference where she gave updates on her recent strategic visit to Mauritius in her capacity as the president of the Commission de la Jeunesse et des Sports de l'Océan Indien (CJSOI).
The visit was the chance for Minister Zialor to familiarise herself with the CJSOI secretariat since taking over the presidency, while through discussion with her Mauritian counterpart Stephan Toussaint, various ideas for bilateral relation in the field of youth and sports came up.
During the visit, accompanied by local correspondent for the Conférence des ministres de la jeunesse et des sports de la Francophonie (Confejes), Michel Savy, and Kevin Vidot who is responsible for strategy in the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Family, also had the chance to visit most of the sports venues which will host the 12th CJSOI Games between December 4-11, 2022.
She also held several meetings mainly to get an insight on the preparations underway for the games which were expected to be held this year but were postponed to next year due to the pandemic.
The ministerial delegation also attended activities to commemorate the Journée de la jeunesse de l'Océan Indien which was on Saturday December 11.
Minister Zialor noted that Seychelles is taking its presiding mandate very seriously and that there are plans to come with several changes in order to transform and modernise the CJSOI, thus making it a more favourable platform for the youth of the region to better showcase their skills.
As for the “volet de jeunesse” part of the Games, a new approach will be taken, turning it into a better platform for youth development.
Other than cultural exchanges (dancing, singing and theatre) youths will be more engaged in academic dialogues and discussions around topics such as climate change or the blue economy.
Speaking on the infrastructure, Minister Zialor said she is satisfied with all venues that will host the 12th Games.
In terms of exchanges between Seychelles and Mauritius, Mr Vidot explained that there have been discussions for possible training camps to allow our young athletes to get acquainted to the venues prior to the Games.
Roland Duval