Athletics |14 March 2023

Caleb Vadivello (second right) and Denzel Adam (third left) were seen off at the Seychelles Internationale Airport by youth and sports principal secretary Ralph Jean-Louis, Ruudy Joseph of the National Sports Council and their mother

Two local track athletes on training at the High Performance Centre in Pretoria

Track athletes Caleb Vadivello and Denzel Adam are presently in Pretoria, South Africa where they are undergoing a training programme at the High Performance Centre, based at the University of Pretoria’s Hillcrest Sports Campus.

Other than preparing for the forthcoming 11th Indian Ocean Island Games 2023 scheduled to take place in Madagascar from August 23 to September 3, the training is also part of the long- term vision, in line with our country’s quest to win its first Olympic medal.

It is worth noting that the training programme has been materialised following initial work done by Seychelles’ ambassador to South Africa, Claude Morel, linking up the government, through the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Family with the High Performance Centre (HPC).

Still in line with the long-term vision for the Olympic medal, the Seychelles government is ready to negotiate the possibility of signing a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the HPC regarding scholarship for potential athletes for a longer period of time which will involve both their schooling and training.

Vadivello and Adam will train at the HPC until April 31.

The HPC – hotel and sports centre – is Southern Africa’s first elite performance sports facility.

Launched in 2002 and having celebrated its 14th year in existence, the centre is the training ground for tomorrow’s sporting champions and the venue of choice for sports professionals and enthusiasts alike.

The facilities annually attract international athletes as well as local South African sporting bodies for training camps or specific team preparation.

The HPC has become the preferred location for Team South Africa pre-departure camps, as well as the preferred centre of specialisation for a significant number of South African national federations.

Within the sporting environment, this sporting initiative has been endorsed by several South African national federations who host their academies at the HPC.

It offers academy programmes for a number of sporting codes.

In addition, the TuksSport High School was created by the HPC to provide high school learner athletes with a unique opportunity to live out their passion for sport in a distinctive sporting milieu.

TuksSport High School distinguishes itself by offering quality education to South African and international high performance athletes and does so within a flexible structure.

The structure creates optimal training opportunities, without compromising the academic development of the learners/athletes.

Roland Duval