HPC, Seychelles government sign MoU to strengthen partnership |13 April 2023
Family photo after the signing of the MoU (Photo credit: Reg Caldecott)
The High Performance Centre of South Africa and the Seychelles government, in support of their national federations, signed a memorandum of understanding to identify athletes to be sent to Pretoria in support of their athletic pursuits.
During these opportunities, the athletes will stay at the High Performance Centre (HPC), while gaining access to crucial support in services offered at the HPC and key strategic partners, namely TuksSport (coaching expertise and facilities) and SEMLI (sport science and medical). The Seychelles government will focus on individual sporting codes such as athletics and swimming during the initial phases and could see it expand to sporting codes such as cycling and judo for example.
The agreement comes after the two parties met at the HPC, highlighting the achievements and lessons learned from the HPC and TuksSport's unique sporting environment.
"Today, as we celebrate International Day of Sport for Development and Peace, under the theme 'Scoring for People and the Planet,' we wish that the athletes will think about the planet and sustainability through sports. We thank the HPC that we could come to this conclusion in frank discussions and share the same goal of promoting our athletes to a higher level," said Ralph Jean-Louis, principal secretary for youth and sports.
Why a collaboration with the HPC specifically?
"We have been working with the HPC for a long time, sending an athlete or two on ad-hoc occasions, but this time, we felt that we need to put things firmly in an agreement. At the same time, we know the HPC and its capability of producing the best. We want our athletes to get the best training and environment, so we came to the HPC," PS Jean-Louis added.
The HPC and TuksSport's partnership with Seychelles government is unique and significant for the shared vision to be the market leader in developing and providing services to elite sports talent at a provincial, national and international level. In addition, the HPC and TuksSport have a value statement of collaborative engagement through applying science and knowledge in sport, while being backed and supported by the aims and services of SEMLI.
"I am delighted because this initiative and discussions started in early 2016 and did not materialise in between. Today, we are seeing this initiative materialise to its fruition. I will leave here happy because we know the values, facilities and structure of the HPC and the university. It is renowned, and it is the best. So this will be an excellent initiative to prepare our athletes, and I hope we will implement the memorandum of understanding that we have signed. I will be happy to see new faces here and with our friends from the HPC, which it will be a successful venture," said Ambassador Claude Morel, Seychelles High Commissioner in South Africa.
TuksSport director and acting chief executive of HPC, Steven Ball, also acknowledged the collaboration that sets to pave the path to the bigger picture of positioning HPC as a flagship in Africa for sports performance and the conversation around sports development.
"This is a special moment for me and the institution ‒ the University of Pretoria. We are excited to see some Seychellois athletes at the High Performance Centre. Such a partnership is built on being open and honest and holding each other accountable with real expectations. So I look forward to seeing where this ends one day,” said Mr Ball.
Bhekani Bright Ndebele