IOIG calendar confirmed - Team Seychelles ready for 15 sporting events

CNAPS Vontorovia, in the Malagasy capital Antananarivo, will host the athletics events. (Island Games Organising Committee)

With less than 40 days to go for the 11^th edition of the Indian Ocean Island Games (IOIG), the calendar of events is now confirmed while preparations are picking up steam.

Scheduled to take place in Madagascar from August 23 to September 3, the IOIG's official website has been launched featuring news and updates, as well as the official schedule of the games.

According to the website https://jioi2023.org/ , the opening ceremony will take place on August 25 which will also include the first sporting event, which will be football.

The site has an official message from Andre Haja Resampa, the president of the Island Games Organising Committee (COJI), who expressed his pride that Madagascar will host the games this year.

"The organisation of the Island Games 2023 is the result of hard work and the collaboration between various actors involved," he said.

He added that Madagascar has put in every effort to guarantee the quality of the sporting facilities so that every athlete, official, and visitor can enjoy the event.

Various sites will host the 19 porting events and these include the Barea Mahamasina rugby and football stadium with a capacity to take 40,260 people. The stadium will host the rugby sevens competition.

A sports complex, CNAPS Vontorovia, in the Malagasy capital Antananarivo, will host the athletics events, while football will take place at the State Elgeco Plus in the central region.

Athletes will be housed at the Novotel Convention and Spa in Antananarivo. (Island Games Organising Committee (COJI)) Photo License: All Rights Reserved

However, work is still underway to ensure everything is ready on time, after many concerns over the country's preparedness for the games.

The athletes will be based at the Novotel Convention and Spa in Antananarivo, which has been converted as the athletes' village for the games.

The 19 sporting disciplines confirmed are track and field athletics, basketball 5-a-side and 3-a-side, boxing, kickboxing, badminton, table tennis, football, cycling, weightlifting, judo, wrestling, swimming, rugby sevens, taekwondo, karate, handball, petanque, tennis and volleyball.

The only disciplines that Seychelles will not be taking part in are wrestling, taekwondo, rugby and kickboxing.

Team Seychelles is expected to comprise 400 athletes and 175 coaches and officials and will leave Seychelles on three chartered flights. These will be on August 23, and August 24, while the football team will leave earlier on a commercial flight since the competition starts on day one.