Air Seychelles charter transports Seychellois athletes to Djibouti for CJSOI games

Air Seychelles operated a special charter flight on Wednesday to take the Seychellois delegation to Djibouti for the 11th edition of the “Commission de La Jeunesse et de Sports de L’Ocean Indien” (CJSOI) games. 

 

The Airbus A320 aircraft left the island nation on Wednesday morning carrying a delegation of 150 participants, fans as well as officials from the Seychelles National Sports Council. 

 

A send-off ceremony was held on Tuesday evening for the delegation at the International Conference Center in Victoria - the capital city of the Seychelles - a group of islands in the western Indian Ocean.

 

The 80 athletes will participate in five sports: athletics, football, handball, table tennis and petanque. Other particpants will participate in theater, traditional dances and the youth assembly which forms the youth programme.

 

Set to kick off on April 20, the sports competition will see Seychelles go up against neighbouring Comoros, Djibouti, Madagascar, Mauritius, Mayotte and La Réunion (Air Seychelles) Photo License: CC-BY

Set to kick off on April 20, the sports competition will see Seychelles go up against neighbouring Comoros, Djibouti, Madagascar, Mauritius, Mayotte and La Réunion - a French-administered department in the Indian Ocean.

 

The Chief Executive Officer of the National Sports Council, Giovanna Rouseau, said “the CJSOI is a fantastic chance for our brightest stars in sports and athletics to gain experience in competing at the highest level."

 

"We are happy that Air Seychelles has been able to support our delegation in their travel arrangements and are confident the team will make us all proud,” adds Rousseau. 

 

Chief Executive Officer of Air Seychelles, Remco Althuis, said “as the flag carrier, Air Seychelles is proud to play a part in supporting young Seychellois sportsmen and women in the CJSOI games."

The competition will run from April 20 to 28 (Air Seychelles) Photo License: CC-BY

The chief executive added that "it is at international events such as this that the power of sports to inspire and bring people together can truly be felt. We wish everyone good luck and will be cheering on from the Seychelles.” 

 

The competition will run from April 20 to 28. Air Seychelles will bring the team back to the island nation on April 30.  In another chartered flight on Tuesday, Air Seychelles flew the Mayotte sports delegation from Mayotte to Djibouti.

 

First held in 1995, the Commission de La Jeunesse et de Sports de L’Ocean Indien brings together young athletes between 14 and 17 years of age from across the Indian Ocean. This year it is the second time that Djibouti hosts the event.