Some 62 physical and mental trainers from the Member States of the Commission de la Jeunesse et des Sports de l’Océan Indien (CJSOI) were awarded certificates following the successful completion of a four-day online course, at the initiative of the Mauritian Ministry of Youth Empowerment, Sports and Recreation.
The course was delivered by experts Richard Gourel de St-Pern and Khemraj Naiko for 21 participants from Mauritius, nine from Rodrigues, eight from the Union of Comoros, eight from Mayotte, seven from Madagascar, seven from the Seychelles and two from Djibouti.
In that context, an award ceremony was held, this afternoon, at Citadelle Mall, in Port Louis in the presence of the Minister of Youth Empowerment, Sports and Recreation, Mr Stephan Toussaint; the General Secretary of the CJSOI, Mr Ashok Cheetamun; and other personalities. Representatives of the Government of the other Member States of the CJSOI witnessed the ceremony trough video conferencing.
In his address, Minister Toussaint congratulated all participants and commended the organisers for the training course, which he said, would be beneficial for the development of young athletes. He underlined the resilience of these young sportspersons who, despite the COVID-19 situation, strive to be on the fields and courts, and the need to maintain sanitary precautions at all time.
Recalling that Mauritius will be hosting the 12th edition of the CJSOI Games in December 2022, Mr Toussaint reported on progress achieved so far in respect of the preparation. He stated that most of the events would be held at the Côte d’Or National Sports Complex which comprises a gymnasium, a football stadium, a track and a swimming pool.
The Minister also mentioned the construction of a Beach Arena at the Blue Bay public beach which would be used, in the first instance, for the beach competitions of the CJSOI Games. The arena would be ready in 2022, said Mr Toussaint.
The CJSOI Games, which are usually held every two years, were introduced in 1994, with the objectives of promoting friendship ties between young people from member States and fostering regional cooperation, sporting culture and development of youth aged 14 to 17 years old. The last edition was held in 2018 in Djibouti.
