Africa-Press – Mauritius. The President of the world governing body for athletics, World Athletics, Lord Sebastian Coe CH, KBE, paid a courtesy call on the Prime Minister, Minister of Defence, Home Affairs and External Communications, Minister for Rodrigues, Outer Islands and Territorial Integrity, Mr Pravind Kumar Jugnauth, at the New Treasury Building, in Port Louis, this afternoon.
Lord Coe was accompanied by the Minister of Youth Empowerment, Sports and Recreation, Mr Jean Christophe Stephan Toussaint. World Athletics President Sebastian Coe is in Mauritius in the context of the 22nd African Senior Athletics Championships being held from 8 to 12 June 2022 at the Côte D’Or National Sports Complex.
Some 837 participants from 44 African countries, including 622 are participating in these Championships. In a statement, Lord Coe said that he is looking forward to the African Athletics meeting since it was the first African Athletics Championships that are being staged for nearly three years because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to Lord Coe, Mauritius always delivered good events with a great Athletics and other Sports Federations. “I am indebted to the Prime Minister, the Ministerial team and the Organising Committee for delivering, what I know, will be great Championships,” he affirmed, adding that he would be enjoying the few days of competition.
Moreover, the President of World Athletics deemed his conversation with the Prime Minister interesting as the latter understood the importance of sports.
Lord Coe underlined that Prime Minister Jugnauth is committed to sports, not only for competition purposes, but also as a means for enjoyment and ensuring the physical as well as mental health of young people.
In his message to the young athletes of Mauritius, Lord Coe pointed out that athletics are a tough sport, where it is statistically harder to win a medal at the Olympic Games or any World Championships than in any other sports, with 214 countries around the world being members of the World Federation.
He underlined, however, that the end game should not necessarily be winning Olympic or World Championship medals. The World Athletics President thus impressed on young people that there is a place for everyone and that it is not simply about elite competition.
He highlighted that making friendships, understanding the human condition, working in team, becoming volunteers, coaches, or technical officials, and the pleasure of exercise are important, too.
“Running is as easy, as good, as accessible, an exercise as you can imagine,” he said. It is recalled that Lord Sebastian Coe has set 12 world records during his athletics career.
He won gold in the 1500m and silver in the 800m at the Olympic Games in Moscow in 1980, and repeated this feat in Los Angeles in 1984. He retired from competitive athletics in 1990 and was elected president of the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF), now known as World Athletics, in 2015.
He was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 1991, promoted to Knight Commander (KBE) in 2006, and invested as a Companion of Honour (CH) in 2013.
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