Basketball: Seychellois-Spanish sisters plan to represent Seychelles in next IOIG

Chloe Boniface Pons is one the most promising players in Spain (Boniface Pons sisters)

(Seychelles News Agency) -  Siblings Chloe and Edith Boniface Pons intend to represent Seychelles at the next Indian Ocean Island Games (IOIG), bringing their knowledge and experience to the women's team.

The two girls, whose father is Seychellois and mother is Spanish, are currently playing basketball at the youth level in Spain for Club Juventut Badalona, where they have been posting impressive numbers.

Edith and Chloe have been playing basketball since they were four years old, residing in Barcelona with their father Jean-Paul Boniface, and their mother, who is also from Barcelona.

“It’s a big club with a strong structure, and currently, the club is keeping a close eye on the two kids for the future of the club, especially the younger one, Chloe, who is 12 and has a height of 1.83m,” explains Jean-Paul.

Known to their fans as La Penya (in English, The Club), Joventut Badalona is one of only two teams that have never been relegated from the top division of the Spanish League. The only other is Real Madrid.

For Edith, 14 years old, last year was a good one as her team won the Catalonia Championship in her age category, where she has been averaging about 16 points per game.

Edith, in green and black, won the championship with her team last season (Boniface Pons sisters) Photo license: All Rights Reserved

“In Spain, we start preparing for the future at a very young age,” said Edith, adding, “I hope to get a scholarship to study in America, and even though it’s ambitious, I think it's possible.”

Chloe also had a great year in 2023, winning numerous titles, just like her sister.

“Last year I won a 3x3 championship in Catalonia and was also the runner-up of the U13 Catalonia championship. I was ranked in the top 5 players in a national tournament and have been called up twice for the Catalonia selection,” explained Chloe.

Chloe was ranked in the top 5 players in a national tournament (Boniface Pons sisters) Photo license: All Rights Reserved

The two sisters were recently in Seychelles and left on January 10. During their stay, they played basketball regularly and even had the chance to train with the Mont Fleuri Dawgz team.

“It was a nice experience where we were able to see how basketball works here,” said Edith. However, they expressed disappointment that they were unable to train with any of the local women's teams during their time here.

For their father, Jean-Paul, the dream is to see his two daughters represent Seychelles at the 12th IOIG, scheduled to take place in Comoros in 2027.

“The plan is for us to come back and participate in the IOIG when one will be 18 and the other 16. After that, it will be up to them to choose which country they want to represent for the rest of their careers. But I told them that they owe me a gold medal for Seychelles first,” added Jean-Paul, jokingly.

The family has expressed their willingness to help elevate local basketball in Seychelles, with Edith stating that she was very surprised to see that there are no youth-level leagues in Seychelles.