WITH its new high level sports (HLS) development strategy, Seychelles will be one of the top 10 African sporting nations in 10 years' time, according to High Level Sports (HLS) director general, Mr Ronald Wong, during a recent interview with Sports Nation.

Mr Wong said that the whole six months since the HLS was officially launched  in June last year by Ms Sylvette Pool, the Minister for Local Government, Sports and Culture, a lot of work had been done especially in delimiting the boundaries of the three main sub-divisions – the National Sports Council, the Sports Planning and Development, and the High Level Sports – within the Sports Division. This is why, according to Mr Wong, the HLS had remained passive for a while.

Mr Wong, a run-of-the hill sportsman before turning into coaching and sports management, said that like in other countries, Seychelles' high level sport strategy will run from the grassroots level to reach the very top of the pyramid.

He continued that the HLS, which he heads, will make sure that Seychellois athletes don't reach the very high level by accident.

"We will have to identity, develop, nurture, support and tap abundant talents in our athletes at a very young age so that when they mature they are able to shoulder the  training load given to other top athletes in the world," said Mr Wong.

The HLS, which is aimed at developing the cream of Seychellois sportsmen and women to its highest potential so that the country can one day win an Olympic Games medal, includes three programmes – regional, continental and Olympic.

Athletes who fall in the regional programme receive a monthly allowance of R500, those of the African R1,000 and the Olympic R1,500.  An additional R500 is given to athletes who are unemployed.

All athletes, according to Mr Wong, will receive quality equipment and attire so that they can compete on a par with other athletes in countries where they are training.

The HLS, a coach-driven programme that would apply the most up-to-date techniques to athletes' preparation, performance and development, is to give Seychellois sportsmen and women enough international exposure prior to big competitions like the Indian Ocean Islands Games (IOIG), the All-Africa Games, the World Championships, the Commonwealth Games and the Olympic Games.

Scholarships for athletes

DG Wong, holder of a Masters' degree in Training Methods, also noted that the HLS would make it its duty that when the sporting career of an athlete is over, he or she would not have to do odd jobs to earn a living.

"We have had talks with the Seychelles National Olympic Committee (SNOC) and through our international cooperation with different countries, we expect to give our athletes who go on overseas training an additional vocational training so that they become a professional after their heydays," said Mr Wong.

As for top athletes who don't make the grades for scholarships, the HLS is to soon discuss with their working institutions to see if they can get enough training time and some kind of on-the-job training so that they too can become professionals in their own fields. 

A Medical Unit, which will give Seychellois sportsmen and women access to sports science and sport medicine services, will soon be set up with the help of Seychellois sports doctor Kenneth Sherwin and other foreigners who have worked here.

Going to the grassroots

Mr Wong added that the HLS was divided into three sections – Talent Identification, Talent Development and Science and Support.

Following a series of consultations between the HLS and the Ministry of Education and Youth, it was discovered that because the country's schooling system is compulsory, it was easier to work with the youths who have the heart and are willing to train hard.

The HLS will thus help the Ministry of Education and Youth run its school competitions and the Talent Identification section, which will include people from different federations and associations, will, during competitions, identity talented male and female athletes in the under 15 and under 18 age categories in different disciplines.

The talent identification will be made using different tests like speed, morphology and strength and the young athletes will be guided into what sport to concentrate on depending on the results of the tests.

"With the help of Physical Education instructors and coaches, we will try to convince the young athletes that they should concentrate on such and such sport for a specific reason, but we will not impose anything on them. Another parameter which will be used later on to detect future talents is the athletes' psychology and will to win," explained Mr Wong, who coached the Seychelles football team to a famous 1-0 win over Mauritius at Stad Popiler in 1988.

After the athletes have been identified, they will join one of the four training centres on Mahe – Anse Boileau/Anse Royale, Pointe Larue/Plaisance, Mont Fleuri/English River and Belonie/Beau Vallon – and the one for Praslin/La Digue. It is at this point that the Talent Development section starts its work.

Youth national teams

Training programmes for different sports disciplines will be drawn up in collaboration with federations and associations so as to establish a reservoir of gifted and medically-certified young players. The athletes will get to learn the basics of the different sports before going into more specialised training which will be quite tough.

Each training centre will have a co-ordinator and they will have to follow an in-service course before starting to work with the young athletes.

The athletes will not only follow training sessions, they will get to compete among themselves in a league in the U15 and U18 age groups to have national teams in both age categories. Each national team, according to DG Wong, will get to play at least one international match each year so that the HLS can evaluate the progress made.

Meanwhile, any senior sportsmen or women who shine in international competitions will get to join the scheme and will get the same benefits like the others who are already on the programme.

As for international exposure in the near future, DG Wong explained that the Seychelles Amateur Athletics Federation had already been asked to submit their demands to SNOC which will try to get them into different regional training centres.

There is also the possibility, according to Mr Wong, that the country's women's volleyball team, winners of last year's African Nation's Cup, will get assistance to participate in other top level international competitions.

Regarding talks that the HLS has not been able to give financial help to local athletes who are currently training abroad, Mr Wong said that "no such complaint had reached my office."