10th Indian Ocean Island Games (IOIG) – Mauritius – July 19-28, 2019 |13 July 2019

R40,000 cash bonus for each gold medal

The new reward for a gold medal won by any Seychellois athlete at the upcoming Indian Ocean Island Games is a R40,000 cash bonus, Designated Minister Macsuzy Mondon, who is also responsible for sports, announced yesterday.

Minister Mondon made the announcement during the traditional sending off ceremony for Team Seychelles which took place at the International Conference Centre Seychelles (ICCS) in the presence of President Danny Faure who had the privilege to hand over the country’s flag to boxer and reigning Sportsman of the Year Keddy Agnes who will be Team Seychelles’ flag bearer at the 10th Games.

At the 10th Indian Ocean Island Games (IOIG) which will take place in Mauritius from July 19-28, a silver medal will now carry a reward of R25,000, while athletes will receive R12,000 for a bronze medal.

As a boost, the All Weather Builders Company will be offering an extra R10,000 voucher for each gold medal winner.

The new incentives portray an increase of nearly 60% compared to the last IOIG where athletes received R25,000 for a gold medal, R15,000 for a silver and R8,000 for a bronze medal.

Yesterday’s ceremony was also attended by Speaker of the National Assembly Nicholas Préa, leader of the opposition Wavel Ramkalawan, cabinet ministers, president of Seychelles Olympic and Commonwealth Games Association (Socga) Antonio Gopal, who is also the president of the Conseil International des Jeux (Cij), government officials, sponsors, athletes, coaches and officials.

Minister Mondon noted that the new incentive is part of the government’s commitment towards the continuous promotion of sports and its benefits towards the people.

She described the sending off ceremony as the beginning of one of the biggest moments that brings honour and pride to an athlete.

A moment, which she said, is where the athlete stands tall as real patriot to represent his or her country at regional or international level.

“Other than his or her own dream, or success, the main aim of a disciplined athlete is to represent his or her country at the highest level possible,” added Minister Mondon.

“His or her main aim should be to stand on the highest medal podium and salute his or her country’s flag while the national anthem is playing,” she further added.

Minister Mondon also noted that the Seychelles government has invested a lot in the preparation of our athletes for the 10th IOIG and the greatest wish is to see them perform extremely well and realise their dream, while making their families, along with the whole nation, proud.

She also advised the athletes that even if financial reward is an incentive, it should not be the only source of motivation for athletes, as they should be more focussed on improving their individual, as well as team performances to bring more medals.

For this to happen, Minister Mondon advised them to be fully committed, both physically and mentally, from the beginning till the end of the Games.

As for minor setbacks, the designated minister said they will always be there, but the main aim is to stay focused on their main objectives.

She added some setbacks can also be used as motivations to push further and improve their performances.

In his address, Mr Gopal described the IOIG as the main international sporting event which has the greatest impact on and brings together the Seychellois nation.

He noted that for the selected athletes, the Games is the opportunity for them to showcase their talents after sacrifices made in training, while for the coaches, the IOIG is the opportunity for them to assess their hard work.

He thanked all the athletes, coaches and officials for their devotion and hard work and also the government for the continuous support and commitment towards sports in the country.

During yesterday’s ceremony, the managing director of the Mauritius Commercial Bank (MCB) Seychelles, one of the Games’ sponsors, Bernard Jackson handed over Team Seychelles’ sports kit to the chief executive of the National Sports Council (NSC) Jean Larue.

Those present had the chance to view some of the new uniforms which will be worn at the Games by our athletes.

There were also cultural presentations by our young artists who will take part in the ‘volet jeunesse’ at the Games.

Team Seychelles, comprising 228 athletes (147 males and 81 females) and 97 officials will leave the country on Wednesday on two chartered Air Seychelles flights

Our athletes will be competing in football, basketball, volleyball, boxing, table tennis, weightlifting, athletics, yachting, swimming, judo, cycling, badminton and beach volleyball.

The accompanying photos show some highlights of the sending off ceremony.