VP Meriton cheers on Seychellois athletes hours after arriving in Mauritius |27 July 2019

Days after Designated Minister Macsuzy Mondon, who holds the sports portfolio, returned home from Mauritius, Vice-President Vincent Meriton jetted out to the sister island yesterday to bring his support to Seychellois athletes who are still competing in the 10th Indian Ocean Islands Games.

VP Meriton is being accompanied by information principal secretary Denis Rose.

Immediately after arriving in Mauritius, he went to see the local sailors in Grand Baie before catching up with some members of the men’s basketball team.

He was also present at the boxing finals but unfortunately he could not bring luck to the team as all three Seychellois fighters in action on the night lost to opponents from Mauritius.

Mauritius claimed seven gold medals in boxing for their best ever result, while on the other hand, it is the first time Seychelles did not win a gold medal in boxing in the 40-year history of the Indian Ocean Islands Games (IOIG).

The previous worst finish was one gold medal achieved by Jacques Bonne in 1998 in Reunion.

Commenting on former two-time Sportsman of the Year Andrique Allisop’s 1-4 loss to Mauritian boxing team captain Richarno Collin who has now won three gold medals in three consecutive IOIG, VP Meriton said: “I think it was a good fight considering that he returned to the ring only recently. In a fight like this, against the captain of the Mauritian team and in front of their crowd, you must really do something special to win. When a fight is a bit balanced like this one was, it tends to go to the home country. Andrique knows about this and I think he will use this as experience and move on.”

VP Meriton will surely be at the Gymnase Pandit Sahadeo in Vacoas this afternoon to cheer on the women’s volleyball team who are on a mission to becoming the first team to win three gold medals in a row after past triumphs in 2011 in Seychelles and 2015 in Reunion.

The last time the team tried to achieve the feat they fell short. It was in 2007 in Madagascar after the team had claimed the gold medal in 1998 in Reunion and 2003 in Mauritius under coach Maurice Denys.

Let’s see if the Seychellois female volleyball can go down in the history books.

The accompanying photos show VP Meriton and PS Rose with some of the athletes.