Seychelles Olympic and Commonwealth Games Association |29 March 2025
Antonio Gopal steps down after 33 years at the helm
- ‘Now is the perfect time to go’
As of today, the Seychelles Olympic and Commonwealth Games Association will have a new boss after long-standing president Antonio Gopal decided not to contest the election for another mandate at the association’s annual general meeting scheduled to take place today at the Olympic House, Roche Caïman.
Altogether, Mr Gopal spent 33 years at the helm of Seychelles’ Olympics movement, after being first elected into the post in 1992, replacing John Mascarenhas (1982-1991) who had taken over from John Pillay who was in charge between 1979 and 1982.
Prior to being elected president, Mr Gopal served as an ordinary member on the first Seychelles National Olympic Committee (Snoc) executive committee from 1979 to 1982 and as secretary general on the second from 1982 to 1991.
Commenting on his decision to step down, Mr Gopal simple said: “now is the perfect time to go, since those in office have acquired enough experience and knowledge, and are in a very good position to take over.”
Antonio Gopal and sports
Growing up at Mont Fleuri, close to the Seychelles College (now the Mont Fleuri secondary school), it was almost impossible for young Kristna Godfroy Antonio Gopal not to get sucked into the world of sports, given that the establishment featured most of the sporting facilities at the time.
He was firstly attracted to the playing field where, along with some friends, they set up the Rangers Football Club which grew to become one of the country’s most decorated sides.
Mr Gopal was the team’s ‘sweeper’, or centre-half as it is called today.
While playing football, he also experienced with other sports disciplines, including athletics, where he competed at house level during school competitions.
Following his return home from an overseas training, he decided to stop playing and take up a managerial role within the team.
Based on his success in his new role, he was appointed as secretary general of the Seychelles Football Association.
Upon regionalisation of local sports, also known as zoning, when many people boycotted the new sports administration, Mr Gopal kept going and was approached by the sports division, headed by John Pillay, to help with organising sports activities, until in 1982 when the National Sports Council was set up, where he was appointed as secretary.
Introduction to Olympics
In 1979, after the first Indian Ocean Islands Games (IOIG) in Reunion, the next step was to compete at the Olympics, but without a National Olympic Committee (NOC) it was impossible for Seychelles to compete at the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow, officially known as the Games of the XXII Olympiad.
That same year (1979), the Seychelles National Olympic Committee (Snoc) was created Seychelles became a member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC).
Mr Gopal explained that due to the United States-led boycott of the Moscow Games to protest the late 1979 Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, in total 65 nations refused to participate in the Games while 80 countries sent athletes to compete. Seychelles, being a Soviet ally, was fully funded to take part in the Moscow Games.
It is to note that the 1980 Summer Olympics boycott was the largest boycott in Olympic history, while the Soviet Union and its satellite states later boycotted the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, USA.
At the Games in Moscow in 1980, Mr Gopal competed in the men's 110 metres hurdles.
Other members of the Seychelles’ delegation were Michael Pillay, Remy Zialor, Michel Moncherry, Marc Larose, Bessie De Letourdie, Arthur Agathine, Albert Marie, Margaret Morel, Vincent Confait, Cassey Perreira, and Regis Tranquille.
To continue reading, please click here to subscribe to Seychelles NATION’s e copy