National Assembly |13 September 2023
US members call on Minister Zialor to resign after Team Seychelles’ “poor IOIG performance”
Certain members of United Seychelles (US) have proposed that the Minister for Youth, Sports and Family, Marie Celine Zialor, resign from her position, based on Team Seychelles’ performance in the recent Indian Ocean Islands Games (IOIG).
Hon. Johan Loze joined leader of the opposition in the National Assembly, Hon. Sebastien Pillay, in suggesting that the minister “failed”, laying blame on her for what they deemed as “poor performance” during the games, in which Seychelles secured eleven gold medals.
However, the minister proudly conveyed congratulations and gratitude to all sports men and women, and all others who constituted Team Seychelles, stating that the team’s performance is to be commended, in the face of numerous challenges.
The IOIG was held in Antananarivo, Madagascar from August 25 up until September 3.
As per the minister, the team was met with numerous hurdles, including that a number of water sports disciplines were excluded from the competition.
“I maintain a positive reaction regarding the performance of Team Seychelles. Together with government, we salute their efforts.”
“We know the difficulties they faced, and all their sacrifices in responding to the call to represent their country,” Minister Zialor stated.
For the first time, Team Seychelles comprised a psychosocial team to accompany the athletes.
She encouraged all involved with sports to continuously strive for positive performance across all disciplines, noting that the games served to unify the population, who rallied to support Seychellois athletes.
Team Seychelles was welcomed to the State House by President Wavel Ramkalawan on Saturday.
With the aim of revitalising sports, the ministry is undertaking renovations on a number of local sporting facilities, and plans to construct new ones.
Additionally, Minister Zialor highlighted the importance of empowering local talents in sports management, something which was neglected in former years.
The National Sports Council (NSC) will be holding a forum to determine the best mechanisms to empower athletes and sporting federations, chief executive Marc Arrisol added.
The Private Notice Question (PNQ) session came to an abrupt end, after Speaker Roger Mancienne instructed so, stating that Hon. Pillay was intent on arguing with Minister Zialor rather than posing questions.
Hon. Pillay, through his PNQ, was seeking an explanation as to why Team Seychelles did not perform as well as in preceding games, as they secured a meagre eleven gold medals.
Laura Pillay