Launch of local Paralympic association tomorrow |12 July 2013

The ‘Paralympic Association of Seychelles’ (Pas) is a newly created association which will work with disabled athletes, mostly in preparation for the Paralympic Games which are held every four years in the same year as the Olympic Games.

Tomorrow’s special events will coincide with activities to commemorate the ‘National Day for the Disabled’. The activity is being organised by the National Council for the Disabled, the District Disabled Support Group, the Paralympic Association of Seychelles and the National Sports Council in conjunction with the main sponsor, telecommunications company Airtel.

The event will start with a mass at 9.30am and will be followed by the launch of the association. Sports activities, entertainment, as well as an exhibition will be organised to mark the event.

The Paralympic Association of Seychelles will be affiliated with the International Paralympics Committee (IPC) – the global governing body of the Paralympic movement. The purpose of the International Paralympics Committee is to organise the summer and winter Paralympic Games and act as the international federation for nine sports, supervising and coordinating world championships and other competitions.

The idea to form the Paralympic Association of Seychelles came about in March this year following the visit of Rwanda National Paralympics Committee boss Dominique Bizimana and Elias Musangeya, senior development consultant at UK Sport.
They held meetings with Social Affairs, Community Development and Sports Minister Vincent Meriton, community development and sports principal secretary Denis Rose, former National Sports Council chief executive Alain Volcère, and Dan Frichot, special adviser on community development to the Minister for Social Affairs, Community Development and Sports.

Speaking to Sports Nation after his meeting, Mr Musangeya, holder of a doctorate degree in education and former director general of Zimbabwe sports and recreation, said:

“We’ve had a very good meeting with Minister Meriton and his team. When the United Kingdom hosted the Paralympic Games last year, it wanted the games to have a legacy – supporting Paralympics movement in the world. We want to support the development of Paralympics in Seychelles. We have noticed that Seychelles has the capacity but needs strategic support.”

S. N.