Welcome back and thank you for making Seychelles proud |30 July 2019

I would like to say a warm welcome to our athletes and officials who have taken part in the 10th Indian Ocean Islands Games in Mauritius from July 19-28. You are all winners. Some of you have won medals. Some have improved their time, techniques, team work and others have gained experience.

It is very important that you start thinking of preparing yourselves for the next Indian Ocean Islands Games (IOIG) in the Maldives in 2023. Athletes and coaches should not fall in the trap that four years are a long time for preparation. Let’s make a little reflection together to count the numbers of hours you will be training in four years, maybe it will not be a lot of time. Don’t count your training by days, count in hours.

In my opinion, a proper post mortem on the results of the IOIG must be conducted. The evaluation will help us to know how we have won or lost, very simple. If you don’t know how you won maybe you will not win again. If you don’t know how you lost may be you will continue losing. Same actions same results.

All coaches and athletes should start setting new goals for the next IOIG or international competitions.

Without goals you are like a ship without a rudder – heading in any particular direction.

A goal-setting programme will not succeed unless those individuals who are paramount in the athletes’ life support it. These include coaches, athletes’ families, teammates, federations and the sports authority.

Athletes should stay motivated and focus on their goals.

Motivation is the desire to do things. It is a crucial element in setting and attaining goals. An athlete can influence his own motivation and self control.

You figure out what you want and power through the pain period, and start being who you want to be.

Without your determination to improve your performance all other physical, technical, tactical training are meaningless.

My daily question to you athletes when you start training.

Daily questions. Every day, you should ask yourselves these two questions.

When you get up in the morning, ask yourselves: What can I do today to become the best athlete I can be?

Before you go to sleep ask yourselves: Did I do everything possible today to become the best athlete I can be?

These two questions will remind you daily of what your goals are and will challenge you to be motivated to become your best.

Maurice Denys

Certified Mental Coach (CMC)

S.N.S.H. Dip. (Sports Psychology)