Africa-Press – Seychelles. The sending ceremony of the athletes for the upcoming Games of the Commission de la Youth et des Sports de l’Océan Indien (CJSOI) which will be held in Mauritius from the 4th to the 11th of December next took place yesterday afternoon at Center International des Conférence des Seychelles.
A total of 200 Seychellois, the second largest delegation after the host country, Maurice, will leave the country on November 28, December 1 and December 3 and return on December 14 and 15.
The Seychellois flag bearers for these Games will be Gaël Barreau and Khema Elizabeth, and the head of the delegation will be Monsieur Alain Alcindor. For the first time, the athletes will be accompanied by a person who will provide them with psychological support during the games.
During the ceremony there was a parade of athletes followed by a song by Elijah who will also participate in the closing ceremony of the Games.
During her speech, the Minister of Youth, Sports and Family, Madame Marie-Céline Zialor encouraged all young people to give their best. “If we do not participate in competitions, we will not know the capacity of our youth; that’s why our ministry decided to send such a large group. Nous avons beaucoup d’espoir en vous and among the participants there are those who will participate in the youth section, two young entrepreneurs as well as two members of the Assembly of Youth in Seychelles”, said Minister Zialor.
The minister spoke vividly of the expectation of these Games. “During the last edition, we had 11 medals including three in gold. If the President (Wavel Ramkalawan) was with us, he would ask us to double or even triple the number of medals. We believe in you and we believe in your ability. The country is counting on you and we expect you to be very disciplined. There will be no tolerance in this area,” he said.
The minister also launched an appeal to adults. “The law of discipline also applies to adults, because we have a large number of children with us. Their responsibility rests on us. I am also asking the Seychellois to encourage these young people and to post positive messages,” she added.
After a presentation of the youth section, under Leko Tanbour, the Minister Designated, Monsieur Jean-François Ferrari handed over the official flag of Seychelles to the two bearers – Gaël Barreau and Khema Elizabeth.
Naisha Cafrine, beach handball athlete, shared that her team is well prepared to win a medal. They are trained three times a week.
The head of delegation Alain Alcindor added that the preparations were made by the sports federations and the National Youth Council. “We are chartering a flight that will leave the Seychelles on December 3. There are new disciplines during these games and we will do our best to make a good performance and also to continue to do it in Seychelles. »
One of the flag bearers, Gaël Barreau, expressed his pride in receiving this honor and asked the Seychellois to encourage them.
There will be eleven competition disciplines on the program, all open to girls and boys. Namely: athletics and handicap athletics, beach handball, boxing, futsal, weightlifting, swimming, petanque, tennis, table tennis, triathlon and sailing. The Seychellois will participate in all the disciplines in the program – except the triathlon.
The ministers Dr. Justin Valentin, Rose-Marie Hoareau, Devika Vidot, the principal secretaries and members of the federations were also present at this ceremony.
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