THE article in 'Nation' recently regarding the conflict going on in athletics has just brought fourth some of the problems why Seychelles is not really progressing in high level sports. In most of the sports federations there are conflicts about who is really in charge of what and this attitude is spilling over to the athletes in those disciplines.
As has been the case in many areas in Seychelles, sports have not been an exception. Members of any federation should not forget that their aim is to promote and ensure that their respective disciplines develop and produce quality players so that Seychelles can be represented in international competition. Competition amongst sportsmen is good because it helps them improve and strive for the best, but when leaders are also competing for position of power, the important issue is lost in the confusing atmosphere. Sportsmen should not be placed in positions where they have to boycott events just because it is being organized by a particular group or persons. We have seen what happened with basketball not too long ago, where teams were left hanging around while the federation sorted itself out, this should be seen as a lesson for others.
For a while now athletics had lost its popularity with only minimal participation in any competitions organized and this year it was refreshing to see a change. Schools were being encouraged to set up their own teams to compete and students have really shown interest. Now that there is some progress, the leaders should take a good look at their own attitude towards the sports. Athletes compete for the love of the sports and not to boost anybody's ego or image.
This is true for other sporting events, coaches and managers are there to guide their teams and in so doing contribute to the betterment of sports. Spectators are there to provide support and boost team morale. So if everybody plays their role as they should, Seychelles would have made a lot of progress in sports. Now that we have the CJSOI coming in a month or so let us work towards that goal.