10-day Olympic Solidarity training for local coaches ends positively |26 January 2023
The coaches proudly show off their certificates in the presence of Socga president Antonio Gopal, Socga vice-president Michel Bau, Socga secretary general Alain Alcindor, principal secretary for youth and sports Ralph Jean-Louis, NSC CEO Marc Arrisol and
Local coaches who took part in an Olympic Solidarity training seminar spearheaded by the Seychelles Olympic and Commonwealth Games Association have received their certificates as the 10-day training ended yesterday at the Olympic House, Roche Caïman.
The short closing ceremony yesterday morning was attended by all the coaches in the presence of Seychelles Olympic and Commonwealth Games Association (Socga) president Antonio Gopal, vice-president Michel Bau, secretary general Alain Alcindor, principal secretary for youth and sports Ralph Jean-Louis, newly appointed chief executive of the National Sports Council (NSC) Marc Arrisol, and Canadian coach Alex Parent, one of the three coaches who coordinated the sessions.
The two other coaches ‒ Monika Kurath, former champion and judo coach of the Swiss Judo Federation, and Okeile Stewart, a Jamaican high level sprint coach ‒ had already left the country.
The training was carried out in preparation for the forthcoming 11th Indian Ocean Islands Games set for Madagascar in August and was done with the help of Paisac, an international support programme for African and Caribbean sports. The programme was a combination of training in physical ability, technical skills and partaking psychological knowledge to address optimal performance and wellbeing of athletes.
In his closing remarks, Mr Alcindor on behalf of Socga thanked Paisac and the lecturers for agreeing to hold this course in Seychelles and had a special message for the local coaches. “I do hope that you make use of that knowledge for your own progression but most of all to apply the knowledge to your athletes for the benefits of Seychelles’ sports,” he said.
For his part, NSC chief executive Arrisol, expressed his enthusiasm for being present at the ceremony ‒ his first sports-related meeting outside the NSC building since his appointment. He thanked Paisac for their support which they have given Seychelles in terms of sports, federation, coaching and also the psychological aspect for the athletes.
“This will strengthen us and we hope that our coaches and athletes will come bearing results during the Indian Ocean Islands Games. I want to also congratulate the coaches as well for participating and I hope that you will pass on this knowledge within your federations and to your athletes,” he concluded.
Canadian coach Alex Parent said the training was reciprocal, with him even learning way more from the local coaches than vice versa.
“It was a really unique and unbelievable experience to be able to share with all these experienced and elite coaches of Seychelles,” he said.
During the course, they addressed the development of strength and power of athletes. He said he was confident the coaches are ready for the upcoming Indian Ocean Islands Games.
Seychellois coach Williana Dubois, who is currently coaching the women’s handball team, described the session as a very fruitful experience because they have learned many new things, others already taught were presented in a different light, which generated much more interest.
“I definitely feel ready because even during the 10 days of training I have been applying what I have learned with my athletes and it has been effective,” she told Sports NATION.
It should be noted that the training will be done in two phases. Following the training component in Seychelles, the coaches will travel to Montreal, Canada for the second phase.
Diane Larame
