Category: Sports

Seychelles has won two gold and three bronze medals at the African Weightlifting Championships taking place in Tunisia from May 14 to May 19.

Twenty-year-old Joelita Coloma won two gold medals at the competition on Wednesday. She earned her first gold medal in the snatch lifting, a total of 85 kg, but came out fourth in the clean and jerk.

After lifting 100kg, she failed her attempt at 101kg and did not return for her third attempt as she had picked up a slight injury. Coloma's Olympic total of 185kg brought her a second gold medal.

Algerian Bouchra Hirech came in second place with a lift of 81kg in snatch lifting and 103kg for clean and jerk, giving her a total of 184kg. In third place was Rayssa Djifack from Cameroon with a total of 180kg - 77kg snatch and 103kg clean & jerk.

Earlier in the competition, experienced Seychellois lifter Ruby Malvina won three bronze medals for Seychelles in the 64kg weight class. She finished third with a total of 187kg after snatching 80kg and lifting 107kg in the clean and jerk.

The winner was Tunisian Chaima Rhamouni who lifted a total of 199kg -90kg snatch and 109kg for clean & jerk - and second-place finisher another Tunisian Jawaher Gesmi who snatched and lifted 86kg and raised 107kg in the clean and jerk for a total of 193kg.

The Weightlifting Federation of Africa (WFA) is hosting the competition, which also serves as qualifiers for African nations to compete at the XXXIII Olympic Games in Paris, France, from July 26 to August 11, 2024.

Source: Seychelles News Agency

Tunisia's Mouloudia Sport of Boussalem qualified for the final of the Men's Volleyball CAVB African Club Championship 2023, after beating Cameroon's Port Douala 3-0 (25-21, 25-18, 25-17) in the semifinals, played Friday night in Kelibia (Tunisia). The Tunisian team will take on Sunday in final Egypt's Zamalek SC, winners in the other semi-final against Algeria's JSC Ouled Adouane 3-0 (25-20, 25-20, 25-20).

Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse

The Burkinabè Minister in charge of sports Boubakar Sawadogo received the architectural plans for the August 4 stadium on May 17 from the Chinese Ambassador to Burkina Faso Lu Shan. -we learned Thursday, from the communication service of the Burkinabe sports department.

“The Minister of Sports, Youth and Employment received on the afternoon of Wednesday May 17, 2023, the architectural plans of the August 4 Stadium in Ouagadougou. This presentation took place during an audience granted by Minister Boubakar SAVADOGO to the Ambassador of the People's Republic of China in Burkina, His Excellency Mr. Lu SHAN", announced on his Facebook page the Ministry in charge of Burkinabe sports.

The announcement mentions that "the stadium rehabilitation works having started without the architectural plans, the Minister Boubakar SAVADOGO as soon as he arrived at the head of the Ministry, took steps with the Embassy of the People's Republic of China in Burkina, in order to obtain these precious documents which are more than 40 years old".

“The copies of these architectural plans, more than 500 pages will be of great importance in the completion of the stadium works,” she adds.

The sports department is pleased to obtain these plans which "is a sign of the good relations of cooperation between Burkina Faso and China".

According to the Ministry of Sports, this “hearing was also an opportunity for both parties to discuss the prospects for collaboration between China and Burkina Faso in terms of sports infrastructure. On the subject, leads have already been cleared”.

For the ministry, “China, which has several construction companies in Burkina, says it is ready to support the Country of Upright Men in the construction of quality sports infrastructure.

August 4th Stadium was built by the People's Republic of China. Work began in 1981. The inauguration of the stadium took place on July 18, 1984. It was then baptized “Stade du 4 Aout”, in homage to the August 1983 revolution in Burkina.

Renovation work on the August 4 stadium began in October 2021 for a period of 11 months after its suspension on March 2 by the Confederation of African Football (CAF).

Source: Burkina Information Agency

Seychelles' women's volleyball club ARSU won one match and lost one in the 2023 Confederation of African Volleyball (CAVB) championship taking place in Tunisia on Sunday.

ARSU won their match against Indian Ocean neighbours Quatre Borne Volleyball Club (QVC) of Mauritius in 3 sets to 1, with the set scores of 25-17, 17-25, 25-23, 28-26.

The Anse Royale-based team lost their first match of the competition last week against the host nation's team, Carthage of Tunisia, with 0-3 set scores of 15-25, 15-25, 11-25.

The Seychelles' side has been drawn in pool A which also includes Senegal's AJD Diorfior that ARSU ladies will face on Tuesday. There are 16 teams participating in the tournament and they have been drawn in four groups of four.

The last time ARSU took part in the tournament was in 2017 when they finished 13th after qualifying as the Indian Ocean region champions.

This time, they qualified after reaching the final of the Indian Ocean Club Championship earlier this year, where they lost to QVC.

Meanwhile, the next big outing for Seychellois volleyball players will be at the 2023 Indian Ocean Island Games (IOIG) in Madagascar in August.

Seychelles' men's and women's teams will be led by two experienced coaches, Maurice Denis for the men's side and Julien Onezime for the women.

Although the hope is for Seychelles to do well, the chairman of the Seychelles Volleyball Federation (SVF) chairman, Ronald Wong, told SNA on Tuesday that the teams are not ready for the games.

"We are not ready, as it has been difficult to prepare since we do not have adequate facilities," he said.

Volleyball competitions in Seychelles, an archipelago in the western Indian Ocean, very often take place at the Palais de Sports at Roche Caiman. Since March 2022, the facility has been under renovation which was expected to take 14 weeks.

The renovation also includes electrical work to replace existing lights, and placement of steel bracings to support wooden columns damaged by leaks and inflows of water during rainy weather. The works are also to stop leakages which make courts inside the infrastructure slippery when it rains.

Furthermore, since the COVID-19 pandemic, Seychelles' volleyball competition has not been played at the same level as before. Restrictions that were in place on large gatherings curtailed the organisations of tournaments.

Wong told SNA that despite a lack of adequate support, such as insufficient payment for coaches, it is the people who love the sport, who continue to contribute towards its development.

Source: Seychelles News Agency

The Zimbabwe Olympic Committee is the 51st committee to confirm its participation in the 2nd African Beach Games (JAP), due on June 23-30 in Hammamet, said a source from the JAP Organising Committee (COJAP).

Led by President of the Tunisian National Olympic Committee (CNOT) Mehrez Boussayene, the COJAP is all set to complete all the preparations so that the host city of the games, Hammamet, will be ready to welcome its visitors during the June event. An appointment on the occasion of which Tunisia will be back to organising major multidisciplinary sports events.

The registration of athletes through the digital platform dedicated for the JAP is underway and is expected to end about ten days before the start of the JAP, the same source added.

"Nearly 65% of the expected participants (900) registered in only 1 week," he specified, indicating that the registration of athletes will continue until May 25.

The digital platform dedicated to registration and accreditation was created entirely by young Tunisian competences for the first time in the history of major sporting events organised by Tunisia.

Among the official delegations, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) will be represented by eight of its senior executives, led by Director of Olympic Solidarity James Macleod.

The Paris 2024 Olympic Games Organising Committee will also participate in the JAP with four of its members whose mission is to promote the Paris edition on the occasion of the General Assembly of the Association of National Olympic Committees of Africa (ANOCA), due on June 2.

Besides, the COJAP has already launched the accreditation operation for journalists for the games, to run till May 27.

The journalists' accreditation operation is carried out through the various National Olympic Committees of their respective countries, while non-African journalists are called to correspond with the CNOT or to send their accreditation request by e-mail (jap2023@cnot.org.tn).

Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse

Two Seychellois runners along with a Reunion Island runner made it up the podium at the end of the first ever Nature Trail Seychelles Challenge.

In a total of 118 participants, 25-year-old Greth Estico, best known locally for his boxing skills, finished the 22km trek in first place.

Estico completed the journey, which took the athletes through mountainous trails and coastal roads of northern Mahe, in 2 hours and 33 minutes, making history by become the event’s first ever winner.

“The race was okay, but to be honest I think if it was longer it would have been even better,” the young man claimed.

Estico, was followed not too far behind in second place by Reunion runner, Jeremie Fontaine, whose time was 2 hours and 34 minutes.

Fontaine would end up being the only foreigner on the overall podium, after another local, Jonathan Quatre, claimed third position.

Quatre managed to complete the challenge after 2 hours and 40 minutes.

“It was a good race, where I started in 10th place, but I think I did well to eventually catch up with the others and end up third,” Quatre said.

With the podium already settled, fourth place went to another runner from Reunion Island, Alexandre Viene, who said that this was a great race, although it was quite hot.

“It was wonderful. The whole route was beautiful and I will definitely be looking to come back in the future,” said Viene.

Meanwhile, the first female runner to cross the line was Isabelle Lamy, who in finished fifth overall.

Lamy crossed the line after 2 hours and 51 seconds.

“I absolutely adored the trail, and it was quite fun, although it was really hot,” Lamy said.

In total, 40 of the 118 runners were from foreign nations, including the likes of South Africa, France, Great Britain and Mauritius.

“Everything went as planned today, although there were some minor hiccups as expected, but overall, I am very satisfied with how it went,” said Francis Remie, member of the organising team.

All athletes who completed the challenge were rewarded with medals for completing the event, during an official prize giving ceremony to reward winners from all the various categories.

Source: Seychelles News Agency

US Monastir won the Final 1 of the Super Playoff of the Pro A basketball championship, after defeating Club Africain 92-89 after overtime (79-79 at the end of regular time) on Saturday in Monastir.

Game 2 is scheduled for Tuesday, May 16 in Monastir.

Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse

The Burkinabè Head of State, Captain Ibrahim Traoré, congratulated the national cadet football team for their qualifications on Thursday for the CAN semi-finals and for the next World Cup in their category .

Burkina Information Agency

Read the full message

"Proud Stallions, your qualification for the last four of the U-17 Africa Cup of Nations which ensures the presence of our country in the final stages of the next World Cup, is a source of great pride and a mark of the resilience of our People.

I would therefore like to take this opportunity to send you my sincere congratulations on this stage victory and to convey to you the blessings and prayers of all our compatriots in town and country.

May this spirit of combativeness and victory which has always accompanied our predecessors guide you towards final victory. Victory for our People, Victory for our Fighting Forces, Victory for Our Nation, Go Stallions. »

Source: Burkina Information Agency

ES Radès defeated Etoile du Sahel (94-91) at a placement game for the third place of Tunisia's Basketball Pro A championship, played Friday in Rades.

The second game will be played on May 17 in Rades, while the third and fourth games will be played on May 23 and 26 in Sousse.

If they tie, the two teams will play a decisive fifth game on May 26 in Rades.

Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse

Tunisia's tennis player Ons Jabeur (world No. 7), on Friday, was knocked out of the second round of the WTA Italian Open by Spanish Paula Badosa (world No. 35) 1-6, 4-6.

Jabeur, who was exempt from the first round, had reached the final of the previous edition, before losing to world No. 1 Iga Swiatek (2-6, 2-6).

Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse