ANOCA Games Zone 7 begin in Seychelles for under 18s
Sport |Author: Sedrick Nicette Edited By: Betymie Bonnelame | May 7, 2024, Tuesday @ 12:00| 6037 views
Team Seychelles for the ANOCA Games. (Seychelles Nation)
(Seychelles News Agency) - The 2024 Association of National Olympic Committees of Africa (ANOCA ) Games for Zone 7 have officially begun in Seychelles and athletes will compete in four disciplines.
The Games will take place from May 6 to 11 and are open to athletes under 18. In the opening ceremony at Berjaya Beau Vallon Bay Resort on Monday, the young athletes were urged to not only do their best but also enjoy the experience.
The vice president of the Seychelles Olympic and Commonwealth Games Association (SOCGA), Michel Bau, officially declared the games open and expressed his joy that all these nations have been brought together to compete.
"We are united to celebrate sports in all its forms today. I remember a time when it was difficult to get us all together, but today I am very happy that we are all here," he said.
The ceremony saw each of the five countries taking part in the competition parade their athletes in front of the guests present, with all the athletes in good spirits.
Seychellois Luthra Elizabeth from the beach volleyball team and swimmer Thierry Payet took the athletes' oath for the games. And for the officials, table tennis player Ryan Lepere and basketballer Jana Malbrook did the same.
Hosted by SOCGA, the Games aim to promote Olympism and its values of universality, diversity and friendship, as well as its goal; which is to place sport at the service of the harmonious development of humankind, to promote a peaceful society concerned with the preservation of human dignity.
It features table tennis, beach volleyball, swimming and 3x3 basketball, with five nations competing, including Mauritius, Madagascar, Comoros, Djibouti and Seychelles.
The Association of National Olympic Committees of Africa is an international organisation that unites Africa's 54 National Olympic Committees.
Its headquarters is in Abuja, Nigeria, and it serves as the successor to the standing committee of African Sports or Comité permanent du sport Africain, founded in 1965 in Brazzaville, Republic of Congo.