Government committed to youths’ development

President James Michel was joined by Vijay Patel in unveiling the plaque to officially open the Eve Island Swimming Pool on Praslin on Saturday and said the new facility signifies the government's commitment to the development of the youths.

Mr Michel thanked Vijay Patel of Vijay Construction Pty Ltd for contributing R5 million – one third of the total sum of R15 million – towards the project which started on November 11, 2013 with the laying of the foundation stone. Mr Patel has also offered to help in the operation of the facilities while the local technicians are trained.

The government has made a R10 million contribution to the construction of the eight-lane 25-metre pool which is of Fédération internationale de Natation (Fina) standards and can host international short course competitions.

The President commended Mr Patel for taking up the initiative to partner with the government as well as the staff and board members of the National Sports Council (NSC) for their hard work in the realisation of this project. 

He further noted that the pool will help the youths from Praslin and La Digue to learn how to swim without having to go to Mahé, which will be an advantage in their development especially in the realisation of the Blue Economy concept.

“I believe that today we have witnessed the realisation of another plan for Praslin which in itself represents another accomplishment for the benefit of the youths of Praslin, La Digue and all Seychellois. This shows why we should give a lot of importance to the development of young people in sports as it helps them to progress in all aspects in order to become good citizens in the future. I would like to take this opportunity to thank Mr Patel who has played an important role on private sector side in partnership with the government to build sports infrastructure in Seychelles,” said President Michel.

Social Affairs, Community Development and Sports Minister Vincent Meriton said the Eve Island Swimming Pool is a costly project, but is money well spent, adding that the modern swimming pool complex will be used not only to teach our youngsters and Praslinois and Diguois at large to swim and compete, but also equip them with the necessary skills to explore our coastal waters and ocean fearlessly.

The minister noted that the fact that the swimming pool complex is built on reclaimed land should not go unnoticed. 

“It is the government’s wise decision to invest extensively in land reclamation that is enabling us today to benefit from so many industrial, social, community and sports facilities. This pool and the National Swimming Pool on Mahé have both been built on reclaimed land and so has the entire Roche Caïman sports complex. Land in Seychelles is a scarce commodity and devoting so much of it for sports and youth development is a noble gesture and should be applauded,” he said.

Minister Meriton pointed out that during the early days of Eve Island when the land use plan was being considered, President Michel insisted that land should be set aside for a swimming pool and other sports facilities for the youth. 

He added that apart from the swimming pool Eve Island also boasts a playing field which his ministry is planning to develop into an athletics stadium in the years to come.

The minister said when Mr Patel learned of the government’s intention to build a swimming pool on Eve Island, he offered to help and under his ministry’s guidance Vijay Construction assumed the execution of the project. 

While thanking Mr Patel, Minister Meriton used the opportunity to call on other companies, especially those from Praslin and La Digue, to contribute towards sports development on the two islands as part of their corporate social responsibility, adding that the NSC is finalising its sports infrastructure master plan for the two islands and will be presenting it to them.

He noted that investment in recreational facilities is always a tonic for the health and wellbeing of the nation, although return on investment might not seem evident at first glance during the cost benefit analysis.

“Recreational infrastructure such as this one improves community facilities and services, contributes to building prosperous communities and provides a place for families and neighbours to gather together for a healthy cause, well away from substance abuse and social malaise.

“Swimming is one of the best forms of exercise because it engages almost all your body parts in an environment that does not stress your joints. It provides an aerobic exercise that has a range of health benefits. Indeed swimming is the mother of all exercises,” said Minister Meriton.

Swimming has a lot of benefits for children, as well as being a fun form of exercise that should be introduced at an early age. This is why the NSC and the Seychelles Swimming Association are working closely with the Ministry of Education towards making every child a swimmer by the age of 10.

To achieve this though, much more than the swimming pool infrastructure will be required. Physical education instructors will have to undergo the required training and logistics such as transportation will have to be made available.

Children from Praslin do not have to worry about transportation as the Children’s Fund has sponsored a new 30-seater bus worth R1 million.
It was Doreen Monthy, the coordinator of the fund, who symbolically handed over the bus to NSC chief executive Giovanna Rousseau.

Mr Patel said it has been a pleasure for him to be part of the project as he knows a lot of people will benefit from the pool.

“Apart from the sport, swimming has other benefits like making people become more courageous and get the water fear out of them. We might also have a champion,” he said.

Seychelles Swimming Association vice-chairman Kenny Roberts noted that the “pool is a reflection of the importance placed on sports by the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Sports in charting the young lives of our students in schools and all Seychellois who would like to learn to swim”.

Probably Seychelles’ best ever male swimmer, Mr Roberts noted that sports provide an excellent way of equipping our youths with the right skills, mindsets and values for a world of continuous and dynamic change.

“Through participation in sports, our youths learn important values such as honesty, teamwork, fair play, respect, adherence to rules, discipline, resilience and a strong sense of purpose. Sports also teach young people how to deal with competition, how to cope with both winning and losing. The ability to take defeat in their stride, to reflect and improve for the next round and to have courage to try again are not skills that can be easily learned in the classroom. I believe we can and must develop these important soft skills through sports,” said Mr Roberts.

In his vote of thanks, Sportsman of the Year 2014, judoka Dominic Dugasse who hails from Praslin, said the new pool will not only serve swimmers but also other sportsmen and women in their preparation, adding that it has come at an opportune time as athletes are preparing for the Indian Ocean Island Games in Reunion next year.

Guests at the ceremony who included Health Minister Mitcy Larue, members of the National Assembly, chief executives, district administrators, NSC board members and Praslinois themselves were entertained by school children of the Baie Ste Anne and Grand Anse primary schools who gave performances with skipping ropes and hoops. There were also demonstration of the four strokes in swimming – freestyle, backstroke, butterfly and breaststroke – by young swimmers from Mahé, Praslin and La Digue, followed by a synchronised swimming performance before the guests toured the pool.

The new facility was also blessed by Reverend Simon and Father Charles from the Anglican and Catholic churches respectively.

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