Information is taken from website https://investinseychelles.com/

This year, about 200 young athletes aged 13 to 16 years took part in the competition.

For the first time, athletes from the twin city of Rostov-on-Don Victoria, the capital of the Seychelles, arrived at the tournament.

After three days of qualifying competitions, the Cup medals were awarded in the final matches.

Two young Seychellois pugilists, Jade Micoсk and Wess Kenny Jean Сharles, won a silver medal each. They were part of a four-member team coached by Roland Raforme and Gerry Legras.

Four boxers from Seychelles arrived at the youth tournament in Rostov-on-Don.

Athletes will stay in the South of Russia until November 13, take part in the Friendship Cup and also attend training sessions that will help them improve their skills.

The young athletes are accompanied by two Seychelles coaches, Jerry Legras and Roland Raforme.

This is part of the twinning programme between Rostov-on-don and Victoria, where several exchanges are taking place between the two cities.

Four young boxers from Seychelles will leave the country at the beginning of November to participate in a youth tournament in Rostov-on-don in Russia.

The boxers all aged 16 were presented with their air tickets in a ceremony at Victoria Mayor's office in the presence of the Deputy Mayor of Rostov, Yury Ovchinnikov, the Russian Ambassador to Seychelles, Artem Kozhin, and the principal secretary for sports, Ralph Jean-Louis on Friday.

The boxers leave Seychelles on November 1 and return on November 13, and aside from competing in a youth tournament in the Russian city, they will also attend training sessions which will help them to improve their skills.

The four boxers making the trip are Mihael Salum in the 56.3 kg category, Trevor Uranie in the 57.8kg, Jade Micock in 75kg, and Wess Jean-Charles in 81kg.

Micock said, "I am taking this upcoming competition with a positive attitude and will look to do well there."

The young boxer also spoke of how boxing has changed his life and will look to push himself to go as far as possible now.

The boxers all aged 16 were presented with their air tickets in a ceremony at Victoria Mayor's office on Friday. (Seychelles News Agency) Photo License: CC-BY

"I had behavioural problems in school and joined boxing to help me. It wasn't easy at first, where I was not really interested, but then I started to put more effort into it and I am very satisfied with where I am now," said Micock, who wants to bring back a good result.

Jean-Charles said that he will work hard to bring positive results.

"Boxing has brought me a lot of discipline and it has made me better, where my performance in school has been better and now I want to keep going and be a great boxer," he said.

Speaking during the presentation ceremony, Ovchinnikov, said that he is very happy to have these young boxers competing in Rostov and assured them that it will be a memorable trip for them.

The principal secretary for sports thanked the Russian ambassador for helping Seychelles in boxing.

Since earlier this year, a Russian boxing coach, Alexey Kozlov, has been working with the Seychelles team, helping them win a number of medals in the recent Indian Ocean Island Games in Madagascar.

While in Russia, the athletes will be accompanied by two Seychellois coaches, Jerry Legras and Roland Raforme, who will both also take on some training to enhance the levels of coaching.

This is part of the twinning programme between Rostov-on-don and Victoria, where several exchanges are taking place between the two cities.

Rostov-on-don is a port city and the administrative centre of Rostov Oblast and the Southern Federal District of Russia.

International Association Football Federation (FIFA) has announced the venue for the Beach Soccer World Cup in 2025. As noted in the FIFA press release, in 2025 the competitions will take place in Seychelles.

In 2021, the Beach Soccer World Cup was held in Moscow, the Russian national team won the title for the third time.

Information is taken from

https://www.fifa.com/fifaplus/en/articles/seychelles-beach-soccer-world-cup-2025

Gianni Infantino, FIFA President

Jaime Yarza, Director of FIFA Tournaments and Sylvestre Radegonde, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Tourism of the Republic of Seychelles 

Seychelles has so far this year welcomed a record-breaking number of visitors from Russia – 27,000 plus. This was announced by the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Tourism, Sylvestre Radegonde, during the launch of the Digital Tourism Fair yesterday at the International Conference Centre Seychelles (ICCS).

“As I stand before you today, statistics published by the National Bureau of Statistics paint a promising picture. We have welcomed over 242,000 visitors so far, representing a 5% increase over the same period last year. This performance is in line with our predictions for the industry's growth for this year. These predictions took into account the challenging circumstances in Western Europe, which made it difficult to regain our pre-pandemic market share. While we acknowledged these difficulties, we recognized the need to diversify our markets. One such market was Russia, and it is remarkable to see that it has exceeded 27,000 visitors – a historic record for this market. The growth in Russian tourists is expected to continue, with additional flight frequencies by Aeroflot planned for the end of October this year,” Minister Radegonde noted.

He also spoke about how Russia supports all categories of our properties, from the largest to the smallest. It is one such market that ensures consistent occupancy across. In fact, the recent analysis of Aeroflot flights for August 2023 alone shows that 45% of guests from this airline during that month were staying in larger properties while 39% were in self-catering establishments.

“The challenges we face in the markets, especially our traditional ones, will not become any easier, especially during times like this year when we lost key air connectivity to our main European source markets,” concluded Minister Radegonde.

Information is taken from https://www.nation.sc/

This survey is a short survey so that Seychellois communities abroad can directly shape the development of the first ever National Diaspora Policy of the Republic of Seychelles. It is designed to be a listening exercise where the policy development team can learn about what Seychellois communities abroad would like to see prioritized in the national policy. The policy development process is being led by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Republic of Seychelles with the support of the International Organization for Migration (IOM).

This survey should take no longer than 15 minutes to complete.

#SeychellesDiasporaPolicy

https://iom.eu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_6D6rq1ZB9sWFJgq

The National Sports Council signed an initial three-month contact with Russian boxing coach Alexey Kozlov at the beginning of August this year as part of a twin-city agreement between Rostov-on-Don, Russia, and Victoria, Seychelles, signed in December 2021.

The signing ceremony was attended by Acting Mayor of Victoria L.Charlie, Deputy Minister of Sports of Seychelles R. Jean-Louis, the leadership of the Seychelles Boxing Federation and a representative of the Russian Embassy.

Kozlov's main aim was to train Seychellois boxers for the Indian Ocean Island Games (IOIG) in Madagascar, which finished recently, but future collaboration with the trainer could continue if high-level results are achieved.

SNA spoke to Kozlov about the performance of the boxers at the IOIG and his efforts to elevate the sports level in Seychelles.

SNA: Please share with us how you came to the world of boxing and how you ended up in Seychelles.

AK: I got into sports a long time ago, around the age of six or seven. It was my father who got me interested in sports and to date, my father is still a boxing coach. He brought me to the sport when I was in first grade and from that day, everything started. He was the initiator of my career in sports.

I came to Seychelles thanks to the administration of the city of Rostov-on-Don, probably because of some of my small, modest achievements.

SNA: You recently came back to Seychelles from the Indian Ocean Islands Games, which was held in Madagascar. How would you rate the performance of the Seychelles' boxing team?

AK: If I am to judge strictly, I'm not very pleased. Let me explain why. There is no limit to perfection and there is always something to work on. As a young trainer, I always want more and better results for the team. That's why I have higher expectations for the guys.

When it comes to the quality, of course, I am satisfied with the performance, but I know that they could have done better. I saw them in the ring, and I liked the way they boxed.

We are back in Seychelles now, and we're going to work on those mistakes and try to correct them. So, if we talk about the rating, then out of 5 points, I will give them a solid 4 for their performance.

Of course, I would like to congratulate them all. In terms of medals, this was the highest number of medals we have ever received. I just didn't expect that there would be such a result.

I just didn't expect that because I was not very aware of the level of these competitions and even either doubted myself or doubted the guys, because I didn't know much about the competitions. However, once we got there, started doing some training, and got adapted, I appreciated that we were at a fairly good level of preparation.

SNA: How long did you get to work with the team before you went to Madagascar?

AK: Before heading to Madagascar, I got to work with them for about three weeks. They had competitions in Cameroon and as such were absent for about two weeks and that also influenced the preparation schedule.

When I arrived, I worked with them for one week, then they left for the competition for two weeks and upon their return, we trained for another two weeks. As such, we had a broken cycle of preparation.

SNA: We have local coaches already working with the boxers. What are your thoughts on the level of the coaches and the work they do with the athletes?

AK: Firstly, I want to thank them for the level of work that they have been doing. They made quite a lot of effort to achieve these results because this is not only my merit, it is also the merit of the local trainers training, who have worked with them and united them. They put a lot of effort into achieving these results. 

The trainers are very good and we are working together, exchanging experiences. We need to remember though that the local trainers were trained by coaches from the USSR. Due to this, we do not have a lot of differences in the way we do things; we have common themes. We have a general preparation methodology; therefore, I can only say that the trainers are at a good level.

SNA: In that regard, what are you bringing to the table, in order to elevate the level of our boxers?

AK: I am most likely going to make adjustments rather than change things. I would really like to work and pay attention to physical preparation and endurance, as with any sport, it is quite important. Then I want to work on their technique and tactical skills. These will need more time.

Discipline is an important aspect as well. It is very basic but without discipline, there is not a single victory or medal. I can't make clear predictions as to when we will start seeing results though. Not everything depends on me alone. All I can say is that great differences can be achieved within a year. This is a good timeline to make such a difference but again, this is only if there is good discipline in the team.

Boxing is not fighting; it is a sport. First of all, you need to think with your head, and not think with your muscles or fists. I am trying to make them think when in the ring and to correctly build a strategy.

SNA: How long do you intend to stay in Seychelles?

AK: Personally, I have a great desire to help the guys and help the coaches. I need to outline that they are also helping me to gather more experience. I would like to be here for as long as possible. The main thing for me is to work so that there is a result. If there are results, then people will be interested in me, if there is no result, well there will be no result. 

 Information is taken from http://m.seychellesnewsagency.com/  

From left to right: Mr Solin, Mr Julie and Mrs Julie (Photo: Louis Toussaint)

The Seychelles-Russia Friendship Association has celebrated the 45th anniversary since the sending of the first cohort of Seychellois students to Russia for further studies.

It was on August 5, 1978 that Jeremy Solin and Priscilla Julie left Seychelles for Moscow for further studies. This was followed in the same month by Bryan Julie. Over the years, around 300 candidates have pursued long-term and short-term courses in the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) and Russia.

In a ceremony yesterday evening at the Savoy Resort & Spa, Russian Ambassador to Seychelles Artyom Kozhin stated that Seychelles remains one of the most desirable destinations for Russian tourists who are champions within the spending index, and Russia is one of the top markets for the local tourism industry.

Russian Ambassador Kozhin addressing the guests (Photo: Louis Toussaint)

“No wonder that it is this year that the SRFA, which embraces the graduates of Soviet and Russian universities, has restarted its activities. It is 45 years this year since the first group of Seychellois students went to study in Moscow and other cities of our huge country,” he stated.

He considered it a success story. In addition, he explained that through the education they got in Russia, the Seychellois students achieved a lot. Among them some members went on to become members of government, principal secretaries, senior military officers, businessmen, prominent cultural figures, film directors, teachers, doctors and engineers.

“What makes me especially proud is that by providing good education we have invested a lot into capacity building in this country and, in general, in strengthening its sovereignty,” said Ambassador Kozhin.

He added that in the 1960s, Russia played a crucial role in the dismantling of the global colonial system, and thousands of students from new-born African and Asian countries were admitted in Russian universities. “This is definitely one of the most important foundations of the lasting friendship between Russia and them.”

Ambassador Kozhin said Russia is ready to offer more scholarships to Seychellois students and added that cooperation in the educational sphere was not only about pure academic studies.

“Education includes many other fields, like tourism, sports and culture. Today, we can engage more options like online education or targeted short term courses,” he noted.

For his part, the chairperson of the association, Vincent Meriton, stated that the decision to send Seychellois students abroad was made possible following the establishments of diplomatic relations between the Soviet Union and Seychelles in 1976 and the drive to build the capacity of human resources at the dawn of the nationhood.

“Forty-five years later, as we reflect on the road travelled since, we are reminded of the challenges we faced, the opportunities we seized, and the bonds we forged,” stated Mr Meriton.

Mr Meriton (Photo: Louis Toussaint)

Furthermore, Mr Meriton mentioned that the ability to embrace the newfound culture while retaining the Seychellois identity was a testament to the Seychellois adaptability and determination. “Turning challenges into opportunities has always been the hallmark of those who have studied in the USSR,” added Mr Meriton.

He further added that the journey embarked upon by the first Seychellois students was not only in academic pursuit but also a profound journey of discovery and forging lifelong friendships that transcended borders. “The journey was a tapestry of happiness, a symphony of true friendships, love, and a newfound sense of family that transcended geographical boundaries,” said Mr Meriton who also handed over a certificate of appreciation to Ambassador Kozhin.

Mr Meriton handing over a certificate of appreciation to Ambassador Kozhin (Photo: Louis Toussaint)

He concluded by stating that as the association celebrates the milestone, they will pledge to give back to the community. “We recognise the debt of gratitude we owe to our country and our people. It is our duty to contribute to our homeland’s well-being.”

In her testimony on behalf of the cohort, Priscilla Julie who studied international law for six years and went on to successfully complete her studies with a Master’s degree, reflected on the fact that the very first thing she had to do upon arriving in Russia was to learn the language so as to be able to communicate with the locals.

Upon further reflection, she also spoke about the different cultural foods which she, along with her cohorts enjoyed. “Our studies were conducted in the Russian language throughout, and this was a big challenge for all of us,” she stated.

She humorously remarked that the subject of sports was compulsory and had to be passed before the actual exam as a motivation to keep the students active during the winter years.

For his part, Benjamin Port-Louis presented new opportunities in Russia for the next batch of Seychellois students who would wish to continue furthering their studies. One of the major opportunities is that in Seychelles, there are currently discussions of the Russian language being taught here for free.

Mr Port-Louis (Photo: Louis Toussaint)

During the ceremony, there was a minute of silence for those who studied in Russia and have since passed away.

The attendees got the chance to see a video and an exhibition at the end of the event which included photographs of the former students. Some even took photos with fellow Seychellois with framed old photos of them in the background.

To round off the event, two dancers took the stage to put on a lovely show for the audience.

Sunny Esparon 

The information is taken from website https://www.nation.sc/

At once three teams from Russia: "Without Limit" (Rostov-on-Don), "Treasure" (Moscow) and "Latina-Dance" (Moscow) took part in two international festivals which were held last weekend in Victoria: the 10th Biennale de danse and first ever All-African Artistic Dance Championships. Cultural cooperation between Russia and Seychelles is on the up!
The information is taken from the official community of the Russian Embassy in the Seychelles

https://vk.com/rusembsey