Sports end-of-year review |29 December 2023
Emphasis on international competitions as NSC gets new CEO in 2023
Despite two major Games, namely Jeux de la Francophonie, and Indian Ocean Islands Games,featuring on the calendar this year, local sports remained more or less dormant in 2023, while the focus was on preparations, rather than competitions.
Most sporting federations and associations were not active in terms of competitions, while late preparations for the Games were not up to required standards, impacting on the results of our athletes.
It was early in January that Marc Arissol was appointed as the new chief executive of the National Sports Council (NSC), replacing Jean Larue who had been in the post since August 1, 2018.
Better known for his leadership role within the educational field, former head teacher of the Mont Fleuri Secondary School, Mr Arissol, who is still in his thirties and without any sporting background, was not so lucky, inheriting a considerable load, in a time where local sports were all over the place, not only due to the Covid-19 pandemic, but mostly because of poor management on behalf of several federations and associations.
Sorting out the disarray within the structure of the NSC was seen as his main challenge, especially in terms of restructuring, thus coming up with new and modern ways of doing things.
With the strong belief that the headquarters, which is the heart of any organisation, should be well and in working order so that other sections or branches can function properly and effectively, Mr Arissol’s prime target wasto sort out the various issues within the NSC, bringing the staff within all ranks to work together towards a common goal, which is to revive local sports.
Coming from a completely different field, Mr Arissol firmly believes that a leader remains a leader, wherever he or she is posted, as long as leadership skill is used appropriately to the benefit of the organisation.
A belief which did not seem to work in his advantage as it was not enough to steer local sports into the right direction, let alone producing any result.
Upon taking the chair, Mr Arissol promised to set up a performance-based structure, which he said is crucial in the running of the organisation, boosting progression of sports, both locally and at international level, through proper evidence and appropriate spending.
He also talked about professionalism in sports and sports-related profession, stressing on boosting the level of the professionals involved.
He said, as the chief executive, he greatly relies on the expertise of the professional in the field, therefore, it is important that they are well-trained and competent in their respective areas.
After a year in the seat, it is obvious that not much has changed, in relation to the vision of the new sports boss, while local sports still tread water, with other countries within the region leaving us further behind.
Athletics
Due to the poor state of our local facilities, no official competition was hosted by the Seychelles Athletics Federation (SAF) in 2023, except for the Kids’ Athletics Competition which took place late in November, where the La Digue Primary School emerged as the grand winner.
The aim of the Kids’ Athletics Programme is to encourage children of primary school age to practice athletics and inspire children, in this era of internet and video games, to be more physically active.
It operates by engaging young people through exciting and creative means of practicing athletics.
In Seychelles, the programme is being coordinated by the kids’ athletics committee, under the umbrella of the SAF.
As part of the preparations for the Indian Ocean Islands Games (IOIG), our athletes took part in the Mauritius 2023 Vital Senior National Championships held from July 8 to 9 at the Maryse Justin Stadium in Réduit, and also the Mauritius U18 Inter-Iles, where sprinter Leah Pool won the gold medal in the 200m after clocking 25.88 seconds.
To keep the memories of past track and field stars who have left us, some prematurely, leaving behind their legacies as inspirations for the younger generations of athletes, the Seychelles Former Athletes Association (SFAA) hosted a track and field competition, bringing back the excitement at Stad Popiler, home of the thrills in the 80s and early 90s.
The activity, the second to be hosted by the SFAA brought together over 20 ex-athletes who competed in various events, including 100m, 200m, 400m, 15,00m, mixed-relay 80m, high-jump, long jump, and shot put.
Basketball
The only event on the Seychelles Basketball Federation (SBF) calendar for 2023 was the Curtain-Raiser competition where Beau Vallon Heat were the top flight’s champions, while newcomers PLS Legends won the men’s second division title, with Bel Air-based B Challenge finishing as women’s champions.
In the men’s division one final, Beau Vallon Heat beat rivals PLS Hawks 92-63, while in men’s second division final, PLS Legends defeated the younger players of the PLS Suns 63-53 to clinch the title in their inaugural season.
In the women’s final, B Challenge were victorious 56-37 over HotShots from Anse Boileau.
At international level, Beau Vallon Heat, who were last season’s doubles winners, travelled to Madagascar to compete in the preliminaries of the Basketball Africa League (BAL), or Road to BAL as it is more commonly known.
For the group stage, Heat were drawn in group E alongside Club Omnisport Police Nationale (COSPN) of Madagascar, Ushindzi Club de Ouani of the Comoros, and Roche-Bois Warriors of Mauritius.
In their first group match, Beau Vallon Heat defeated Ushindzi Club de Ouani 82-60, before losing 60-82 to COSPN in their second match.
Only three out of the four teams featured in the preliminaries after Roche Bois Warriors withdrew their participation at the last minute.
With two victories in as many matches, COSPN finished as group E leaders to progress to the next stage of the competition.
The ‘Basketball for Good’ platform, an initiative of theFédération internationale de basket-ball(Fiba) Foundation with the full backing and support of local Islamic Bank Al Salam-Seychelles Limited, continued in 2023.The platform is primarily aimed at attracting and retaining young participants, with more focus on women and girls, as well as providing safe, inclusive and accessible environments to help participants enjoy their basketball experiences.
The Fiba Foundation is the social and legacy arm of Fiba that addresses the role of sports and particularly basketball in society, preserving and promoting basketball’s values and its cultural heritage. The foundation uses the power of basketball to initiate positive social change globally, contributing to the United Nation’s sustainable development goals.
Also in 2023, it was with great sadness that Sports NATION learned the passing of seasoned basketball coach Clifford Joubert who left behind tons of legacies, including Seychelles’ only gold medal at the IOIG.
Coach Joubert‘s gold medal with the men’s selection came during the 8th Games held on home soil in 2011, defeating Mayotte in the final.
An all-rounder, Clifford Joubert initially started playing volleyball and football, before switching to basketball, after Peter ‘Bones’ Boniface set up the Plaisance team in the early 80s.
It also worth noting that the Seychelles’ basketball will enter 2024 without a leader, after chairman of the SBF Jana Malbrook resigned from the post in September.
Boxing
Keddy Agnes finished as runner-up and silver medallist of the super heavy weight category of the 2023 AFBC Elite Men and Women Boxing Championships.The highly anticipated US $1 million tournament was held from July 28 to August 5, 2023 in Cameroon.
In the elite men 92+kg final at the Yaoundé Multipurpose Sports Complex, Agnes faced Zacharie Serge Mvogo Amougou of the host country and lost.Agnes surrendered just after the first round of the last and final fight. He won a cash prize of US $10,000, while Zacharie Serge Mvogo Amougou went home with US $15,000.
Agnes collected two wins on his way to the final. His first fight was against S. Maroy of Ivory Coast in the quarterfinal and he won 4-3 on points and in the semifinal he met Algerian Mourad Kadi who had won by referee stopped contest (RSC) against F Ramogi of Kenya.
Two silver and one bronze medals were the total harvest of Team Seychelles at a youth boxing tournament in Rostov, Russia, in November where the local pugilists also attended a training camp.
Seychelles’ silver medals came from Jade Micock (75kg) and Wess Jean-Charles (85kg) after they both lost their final bouts.
As for Seychelles’ bronze medal, it came courtesy of Michael Salum who lost his semifinal fight in the 56.3kg category.
The boxers were accompanied by coaches Gerry Legras and Roland Raforme.The trip was made possible under the twinning agreement between the City of Victoria and the City of Rostov-on-Don, Russia.
Cycling
After being set up in 2022 to replace the defunct Seychelles Cycling Association, l’Union Cycliste des Seychelles is now recognised as the country’s legitimate cycling governing body by l’Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI), the sport’s world governing body which also oversees international competitive cycling events. UCI is based in Aigle, Switzerland.
This was during the UCI congress held on August 3, in Glasgow, Scotland (Great Britain), where the members of the renewed UCI ethics commission were appointed for a new four-year term (2023 through 2027).
Chaired by Ahmad Arissol, l’Union Cycliste des Seychelles (UCS) was being represented at the congress by vice-chairperson Hedson Mathieu.
The other executive committee members are secretary general Matthew Harper, treasurer Alberto Louis and ordinary members Sam Rignace, Kevin Marie and Ricky Rosalie.
The 192nd UCI Congress – a decision-making congress – was during the first UCI Cycling World Championships and brought together representatives from a record number of 151 UCI member national federations.
Under the auspice of the National Sports Council (NSC), other than the UCI, the UCS is also an affiliated member of the Confédération Africaine de Cyclisme (CAC).
Swimming
After being poorly governed over the years, the sport of swimming finally saw the light at the end of the tunnel, with the election of a new governing body which has promised to promote the development of aquatic sports in Seychelles for fitness, leisure and competition.
The new body – Seychelles Aquatic Federation (SAF) – headed by Muriel Morgan replaced the defunct Seychelles Swimming Association (SSA) – headed by David Vidot – which was struck off by the Office of the Registrar General for non-compliance.
The SAF was elected, more than eight months after it was officially recognised by the Office of the Registrar General in January, during a special meeting headed by representative of the Confédération Africaine de Natation (Cana) – transiting into Africa Aquatics – Raymond Hack and attorney at law Elvis Chetty who was mediating the issue.
Other than Mrs Morgan, its other members are Antoine Onezime (vice-chairman), Eliza Moïse, Dwayne Didon, Julia Monnaie, Collette Labushagne, Faruk Jean-Jean-Baptiste (ordinary members).
The posts of treasurer and secretary will be finalised once all the official formalities are completed since they will be employed by the SAF, instead of being voted in.
Weightlifting
Female lifter Joelita Coloma won two gold medals in the 76kg weight category at the African Weightlifting Championships held in Tunis, Tunisia.
Coloma won her first gold medal in snatch with a lift of 85kg but had to settle for a fourth position in clean and jerk. After lifting 100kg, she failed her attempt at 101kg but did not return to the platform for her third attempt as she had picked up a slight injury.
Coloma’s Olympic total of 185kg brought her a second gold medal.
Algerian Hirech was second on 81kg-103kg-184kg and Rayssa Djifack from Cameroon was third on 77kg-103kg-180kg.
Seychelles finished the championship with five medals ‒ two gold and three bronze ‒ after Ruby Malvina picked up three bronze medals to finish behind two lifters from the host country in the women’s 64kg weight category.
Her total of 187kg after snatching 80kg and lifting 107kg in clean and jerk placed her third behind Jawaher Gesmi who snatched 86kg and lifted 107kg in clean and jerk for a total of 193kg to finish second in the group, and winner Chaima Rhamouni who snatched 90kg and lifted 109kg in clean and jerk for a total of 199kg.
The event, hosted by the Weightlifting Federation of Africa (WFA) was also part of the qualification process for African countries at the Games of the XXXIII Olympiad which will take place in Paris, France from July 26 to August 11, 2024.
Following the event, Malvina was suspended with immediate effect on July 3, after testing positive for prohibited substance, namely Metenolone, by the International Testing Agency (ITA).
The doping control test was carried out at the African Weightlifting Championshipswhere the ITA was delegated the task of implementing anti-doping programme by the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF).
Metenolone has the ability to increase strength without significantly increasing muscular bulk, which is useful for athletes who aren't bodybuilders, while it promotes increased muscular endurance and recuperation.
The ban is Malvina’s second in less than ten years after she was banned for four years by the IWF in 2015 following a failed test for banned performance enhancing drug – stanozolol. She had until July 10 to apply for a‘B’ sample of the test.
Windsurfing
After surprising everyone last year by becoming the youngest ever surfboarder to successfully complete the Mahe-Praslin crossing, 14-year-old Praslinois Jules Kandasamy once again shone and finished second at PWA Youth & Junior Slalom World Cup, held in Alacati, Turkey from October 3 to 8.
Kandasamy, who competed in the U-15 boys’ junior category, finished the four-race regatta second overall following a first, a second, a third and ninth-place finish.
Tycho Smits of Bonaire was the grand winner with three first places, and a third-place finish, while Kuzey Ziyal of Turkey finished third overall with two third places, a fourth-place and a sixth-place finish.
Kandasamy, who started windsurfing at age of six, and has been training under the guidance of Elvin ‘Spear’ Jeannevol recently received new windsurfing equipment from President Wavel Ramkalawan andFirst Lady Lynda Ramkalawan, a gesture which he described as ‘ a dream come true for him’.
Bodybuilding
The Seychelles Bodybuilding and Physique Federation is presently being guided by a temporary caretaker committee, following the removal of Kisnan Louise as chairman during the federation’s extraordinary general meeting (EGM).
The temporary committee is being chaired by Rodney Henriette, with Marc Ally as the treasurer, while François Ally is the secretary.
The EGM was initiated through a signed petition aimed at getting rid of Louise as chairman for lack of trust, especially for not being honest and truthful with the members, while the sport has remained stagnant for years under his leadership.
Until the EGM took place, most members of the previous executive committee had resigned, leaving only Henriette (athletes’ representative), Michael Etienne, Barnsley Antat (gyms representatives) and Joelen Valentin (head of the disciplinary committee) to chair the meeting.
The other previous committee members were Herald Kowlessur (vice-chairman – resigned), Tara De Lafontaine (secretary- resigned), Marty Vidot (treasurer – resigned), Helga Hoareau (events coordinator), Cyril Rabat, and Jacques-Alain Hoareau (gyms representatives).
IFBB International Grand Prix Seychelles
Local flex poser Savio Larue became the second Seychellois athlete to receive an International Federation of Bodybuilding and Fitness Pro-card and now has the opportunity to follow a genuine career as a professional bodybuilder, following in the footsteps of compatriot Ziad Aladou Mekdachi who became the first Seychellois professional bodybuilder in 2019.
Larue won the prestigious accreditation during the International Fitness and Bodybuilding Federation (IFBB) Seychelles Grand Prix competition held at the Berjaya Beau Vallon Bay Resort and Casino.
Hosted under the umbrella of the IFBB by the Seychelles Elite Pro Amateur Bodybuilding and Fitness Federation (SEPABFF) –local legitimate affiliated body of the IFBB – the competition which was the first at this level to be hosted locally attracted athletes from Seychelles, Kazakhstan and Mauritius, with the latter flying the biggest contingent of posers.
The competition with three pro-cards up for grab was divided into 10 categories, precisely fit model, junior men’s physique 16-21 years old, men’s classic bodybuilding up to 180cm, men’s classic physique open, men’s physique up to 174cm, men’s physique over 174cm,men’s masters bodybuilding open, men’s bodybuilding up to 80kg, and men’s bodybuilding over 80kg.
Pro-card winner Larue who competed in the men’s physique up to 174cm, topped the group and finished ahead of Mauritian Mathieu Legallant, before qualifying for the overall or final line-up where he was chosen as the best by the panel of IFBB judges over Derrick Mensah – a Ghanaian national living in Seychelles – who finished first in the men’s physique over 174cm, defeating Seychellois Elicks Rapide who is still a junior.
The two other pro-cards were grabbed by Mauritians Jean Coomarasamy who was the only competitor in the men’s classic physique, and Jimmy Raynald in bodybuilding.
Gymshark – Ryan Terry British Championships 2023
Local poser Wallace Dorasamy won a gold and took a silver medal at the Gymshark Ryan Terry British Championships 2023 held at the Manchester Central Convention Complex in Manchester.
Despite his exploit, Dorasamy said his priority is to improve his performances at each competition, instead of chasing a pro-card which he said will definitely come at the appropriate time.
At Gymshark Ryan Terry British Championships, Dorasamy competed firstly in the open bodybuilding middleweight class where he clinched the gold medal, and secondly in the men's classic physique where he finished second to settle for the silver medal.
Hosted by 2BrosPro, the British Championship is to encourage a new generation of posers to step forward, whether they are a total newbie stepping on stage for the first time, or a seasoned bodybuilder competing for a Pro-card.
The competition has a variety of men's and women's categories for all levels to take part in.
For his second appearance at the competition – after finishing third last year – Dorasamy has been under the guidance of coaches Jamie Do Rego and Tara de la Fontaine.
Rugby
In its effort to bring future success and medals for Seychelles, the local rugby governing body has obtained the services of a full-time rugby coach who will look to harness local talents and grow the player numbers by providing free coaching within local schools.
Since last month, South African coach Quintin Hiepner has been in the country, conducting sessions with various local state and private schools to assess the level of interests for rugby among the kids, while detecting young talents worth nurturing to create the generation of players Seychelles needs to shine at international level.
A former player of the Durban Collegians, coach Hiepner is already impressed by the level of interests, and also the level of progress made by the Seychelles Rugby Union (SRU) after only two years in existence.
It is to note that it was September 28 this year that the SRU received confirmation of its membership with the Federation of International Touch Rugby, thus, allowing it as a member to take part in international tournaments.
As part of its mandate to promote and spread the sport of rugby locally, especially at grassroots level, the SRU started to partner with local educational institutions, helping them set up, or improve existing school rugby programmes.
This has been made possible through a donation of equipment from the British High Commission in Victoria.
New league format
Sharks were the winners of the second Cable & Wireless Island Nations Cup organised by the SRU, after registering a 49-17 win over Marlins in their last league match.
Other than running the league, 2023 was a successful year for the SRU, in terms of youth development programme, networking, as well as taking part in giving a helping hand to the local community.
Initially launched last year, the Nations Cup started as a four-team league with Seyboks (made up South African expatriates), Seychelles (made up of locals), Madagascar(made up of Malagasy expatriates), and the International Barbarians (featuring all other nationalities presently residing, or working in Seychelles).
Following post-mortem of the 2022 season, the SRU decided to mix the teams in 2023, thus making the competition a friendlier one, and also giving more players the opportunity to take part in a more sociable environment, rather than being limited to representing their country of origin.
Karate
Fourteen medals – five gold, five silver and four bronze – were the total harvest of the Northern Tang Soo Do team at the World Tang Soo Do Association (WTSDA) Region 14 Championship held in Maputo, Mozambique.
Other than competitions, the championship also featured the regional dan and gup clinic with a special Hwarang Dan League clinic held for the first time ever in Africa.
The gold medals came courtesy of Jishin Jins (2), Mastura Shah-Faure (1), Kyan Francourt (1) and Tariq Shah-Faure (1).
As for the silver medals they were from Mastura Shah-Faure (1), Jishin (1), Francourt (1), Ashwin Ragupathy (1), and Alan Murzalin (1).
The four bronze medals were won by Ragupathy (1), Tahsin Shah-Faure (1), Hershall Belle (1), and Jonathan Volcere (1).
Jishin also won the Senior GUP Trophy, in the male category, while Tiny Tiger Amber Belle received a Special Tiny Tiger medal.
Beside the medals and trophies won, the small team of 11 also received two other recognition awards, firstly, Master James Faure for his many years of outstanding dedication to the Art of Tang Soo Do, and the WTSDA, and secondly, a plaque of commendation made to BSBN Mastura Shah-Faure, for the enhancement of the honour of Tang Soo Do, and the development of the WTSDA.
Football
In Novembers, Seychelles lost its first two matches counting as African qualifiers for the 2026 Fifa World Cup.
Seychelles suffered a heavy 0-9 defeat at the hands of the mighty Ivory Coast in their first match at the Olympic Stadium of Ebimpé before losing their second group F match 0-5 to the Harembe Stars of Kenya at the Felix Houphouet Boigny Stadium in Abidjan.
The defeats keep Seychelles, under the guidance of coach Ralph Jean-Louis, at the bottom of the table without any point, with 14 goals conceded.
For the two matches, Jean-Louis was temporarily appointed as the lead coach of the team who are being managed by a caretaker committee, made up of Jonathan Paul (head of delegation), Basil Hoareau (assistant coach), Osama Haroun (technical support), Dylan Paul (liaison and communication officer), Michel Pierre (administration officer), along with three foreign experts who provided their know-how in goalkeeping, video and field and osteopathy.
Seychelles is competing in group F alongside Côte d'Ivoire, Gabon, Kenya, the Gambia and Burundi.
SFF Champions League
Forêt Noire-based Foresters are the defending champions of the National Champions League organised by the Seychelles Football Federation, after upsetting Praslin side Côte d’Or 2-1 at home in the do-or-die match, at Stad Amitié.
Champions Foresters concluded the league campaign on 28 points from eight wins, four draws and two losses out of 14 matches played.
Automatically qualified for the Total Energies Confederation of African Football (CAF) Champions League, Foresters decided to withdraw their participation, with the intention of boosting the national selection for the 11th IOIG, since the dates for the preliminaries of the continental competition clashed with those of the IOIG.
The national selection featured six regulars of Foresters, namely Warren Mellie, Darrel Damoo, Ryan Henriette, Brandon Molle, Brandon Labrosse and Colin Bibi.
Similar decision was also taken by Malagasy defending champions Le Fosa Juniors FC who fed eight players to the Barea.
Special Olympics
In June, Team Seychelles competed at the 16th Special Olympics World Games held in Berlin, Germany, where our athletes won seven medals ̶ two gold, two silver and three bronze.
Team Seychelles at the Special Olympics World Games 2023 comprised Donelle Ernesta (girls athletics), Jean-Marc de Silva and Anil Quatre (boys athletics), Graham Jacques, Anielle Charlette – from La Digue – Peter Valentin, Maggie Estico – from Praslin – Aleandro Croisée, Suzie Sarakkya – from Mahé – (bocce), and Richard Sophola (power lifting).
They were accompanied by head coach Erica Celeste, coaches Olivier Nibourette, Vincent Cedras, Rency Balgobin and Jean Vardin, Hellen Ernesta (head of delegation), Raymonde Onezime (assistant head of delegation) and Dr Mickey Noël (medical).
The gold medalists were Richard Sophola and Jean-Marc de Silva.
De Silva won the country’s first gold medal in the long jump contest with a best effort of 2.38m, while Sophola added another gold medal to Seychelles’ tally after winning the men’s deadlift competition.
Seychelles’ other silver medal was won by Suzie Sarakkya in women’s singles bocce.
As for the bronze medals, they came from Sarakkya and Anielle Charlette in women’s doubles bocce, while Peter Valentin and Graham Jacques won one apiece in the men’s singles bocce.
Special athlete Janet Marie left us
It was with great sadness that Sports NATION learned the passing away of special athlete Janet Marieearliy in December.
An active member of the Special Olympics Seychelles, Marie was one of the oldest, and more experienced in terms of competitions, especially at the international level.
In 2015, she was part of the Seychelles’ team at the Special Olympics World Games in Los Angeles, California in the United States of America, while in 2019, she competed at the Special Olympics World Games in Abu Dhabi.
Janet has also represented the country as a handi-sport athlete within the region, precisely at the IOIG.
11th IOIG
The performance of Team Seychelles at the 11th IOIG in Madagascar from August 25 to September 3 was good, despite some unfair verdicts which have affected our final medal tally, according to President Wavel Ramkalawan.
The head-of-state was speaking during a special appreciation and reward ceremony held at State House to thank Team Seychelles for their participation at the Games, bringing home a total of 84 medals – 11 gold, 33 silver, and 40 bronze – finishing fourth overall.
The ceremony which was attended by Vice-President Ahmed Afif, Designated Minister Jean-François Ferrari, Cabinet ministers, athletes, coaches, team managers and sponsors was highlighted by presentations of monetary rewards to medalists, whereby gold medal winners received R40,000 per medal, while silver medalists pocketed R25,000.As for bronze medal winners, they received R12,000.
At the Games which started with the opening ceremony at the Barea Mahamasina Stadium in Antananarivo, where swimmer Felicity Passon was Seychelles’ flag bearer, Seychelles was being represented in 15 out of the 19 scheduled sporting events.
These were track and field athletics, basketball 5-a-side and 3-a-side, boxing, badminton, table tennis, football, cycling, weightlifting, judo, swimming, karate, handball, petanque, tennis and volleyball.
The trips to Madagascar – three chartered flights – were facilitated by national carrier Air Seychelles.
Seychelles’ medalists at the 11th IOIG
The gold medallists: Simon Bachman – swimming (3), Chakira Rose – weightlifting (2), Iven Moïse – track and field athletics (2), Keddy Agnes – boxing (1), Dasheil Fanchette – boxing (1), Felicity Passon – swimming (1) and the women’s volleyball team (1)
The silver medallists: Simon Bachman – swimming (1), Chakira Rose – weightlifting (1), Felicity Passon – swimming (6), Joelita Coloma – weightlifting (3), Dereck Come – weightlifting (3), Cyrous Farabeau – weightlifting (3), Rick Confiance – weightlifting (3), Clementina Agricole – weightlifting (2), Adam Moncherry – swimming (1), Frederick Gappy – handisports swimming (1), Joshua Onezime – high jump (1), Richard Sophola – handisport athletics (1), Rosie Coralie – handisports athletics (1), Arsheild David – boxing (1), Edrian Volcere – boxing (1), Amandah Payet – judo (1), swimming – women’s relay teams (2).
The bronze medallists: Clementina Agricole – weightlifting (1), Sophie Frichot – swimming (1), Terrence Dixie – weightlifting (3), Liam Robert – weightlifting (3), Stephanie De Letourdie – karate (1), Gretel Valentin – karate (1), Damien Payet – swimming (1), Michael Andrew – handisport athletics(2), Bernard Thérésine – karate (2), Liliana Despeville Mason – swimming (1), Norris Brioche – high jump (1), Gerry Thérésine – handisport (1), Alisha Gertrude – handisports (1), Samuel Morel – handisport (1), Fabio Roselie – boxing (1), Jovanie Bouzin – boxing (1), Joshua Cousin – boxing (1), Adrian Laporte-Durup – boxing (1), Dyan Vidot – boxing (1), Tino Gabriel – boxing (1), Dominic Dugasse – boxing(1), David Boniface – karate (1), Selwyn Payet – karate (1), Petanque – women’s doublette (1), Petanque – men’s triplette (1), Karate – women’s team kata (1), Karate – women’s team kumite (1), Swimming – women’s relay team (1), Swimming – men’s relay team (3).
They also left us this year
The local sports community also mourned the loss of other sports administrators – Frank Aglaé, Marie-Andrée Cupidon, Cedric Thomas, Giancarlo Lauro and Allen Micock
Their demise is a great loss to their families and has also robbed Seychelles sports of their invaluable services and contributions.
Compiled by Roland Duval