Seychelles and Russia discuss sports cooperation |05 March 2024

Seychelles is expected to benefit from more support for sports from Russia, following discussions between Minister Marie-Celine Zialor from the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Family and her colleague Russian Minister for Sports, Oleg Matytsin.

Russia has expressed willingness to assist with the preparation of the Beach Soccer World Cup, which will be held in Seychelles in 2025. This includes technical support with infrastructure development and coaching for the Seychelles national beach soccer team.

Minister Zialor, who was on an overseas mission to Kazan, Russia, to attend the Games of the Future, also expressed her gratitude and appreciation for the ongoing support in sports from Russia through its Seychelles’ embassy and ambassador, Artem Kozhin.

The existing collaboration with Rostov was cited by Minister Zialor as a strong cooperation in boxing with good benefits for Seychellois boxers, adding that Seychelles wants to continue with this cooperation.

Apart from meeting with Minister Matytsin, Minister Zialor also visited several sporting facilities in Kazan, which is the sports capital of Russia. These included the Palace of Water Sports and the Kazan Tennis Academy of the Volga Region.

Minister Zialor also held other bilateral discussions revolved around possible exchange and training programmes for students at sports universities in Kazan and Moscow.

Minister Zialor expressed hope for the development of sports tourism, the participation of Seychelles in the upcoming events in Russia, and support with scientific research in the field of sports, in particular for people with limited mobility.

The Seychelles’ minister also held a meeting with the Minister for Youth Affairs of the Republic of Tatarstan, Rinat Nailevich, for programmes for youth development, specifically in the arts.

The accompanying photos show some highlights of Minister Zialor’s mission to Russia.

Contributed