Tick tock, tick tock… that’s it, the opening day of the 11th edition of the Indian Ocean Island Games has finally arrived. In a few hours, the opening ceremony will officially launch this competition which took place this year in Madagascar until September 3rd. In all, 452 Reunionese athletes will defend the colors of their region.
Tananarive – the Malagasy capital – has been in turmoil for several days. Last brush strokes, last preparations… everything is (normally) ready for this big day.
For the President of Coji, Minister of Youth and Sports in Madagascar, André Haja Resampa, “the Malagasy State will live up to the required standards and therefore to its commitments”.
Read also – Madagascar: the Games of the Islands will be held (and it is sure) from August 25 to September 3, 2023
– A large-scale ceremony –
This evening, the opening ceremony will take place, marked by the arrival of the flame and the burning of the cauldron of the Barea stadium.
Special effects and pyrotechnics, immersive projections, mapping, lasers, drones… More than 4,213 extras will show the islands “the particularity” of Madagascar”, explains the Express de Mada. Several local artists will perform on stage.
Among the delegations that will parade and therefore compete – in addition to Reunion – Mauritius, Madagascar, Mayotte, the Comoros, the Seychelles and the Maldives.
Alizée Morel, swimmer from Reunion and Mathéo Gilbert Galard, para-athlete in athletics will be our flag bearers.
After the parade of delegations, the President of COJI, the Minister of Youth and Sports Haja André Resampa, will open the ball, followed by the President of the International Island Games Council, Antonio Gopal, and the Head of State, Andry Rajoelina, will officially open the JIOI.
“The Head of State’s speech is eagerly awaited, because it will be an opportunity for him to show that, despite the late start of the renovation work on all the sports infrastructure, everything is ready on D-Day with the will and the Malagasy miracle”, note our colleagues.
Read also – Games of the Islands: the Reunionese delegation in the starting blocks
– 452 athletes, 19 disciplines…
452 is the number of Péi athletes who will represent Reunion, all in 19 disciplines (and this, whereas at the start, there were to be 800).
Athletics and disabled sports, 5×5 and 3×3 basketball, boxing, badminton, table tennis, football, cycling, swimming and disabled sports, weightlifting, handball, judo, wrestling, rugby 7, karate, petanque, tennis, volleyball, kickboxing and taekwendo are the sports represented. Here is also the competition calendar.
Read also – Island Games 2023: several disciplines withdrawn from the program
Referees, officials, medical staff and volunteers… in all, more than 700 members make up the Club Réunion team.
Find all the information on the Games website.
Read also – Games of the Islands: Reunion knows its first opponents
– And several hiccups –
If finally this year the JIOI leave on 19, it was not won. the base at 24, then 17, then 19, the number of authorized disciplines often varied.
Accommodation was also a source of concern for the Reunion delegation. If at the base, everyone was to be grouped together in one and the same hotel, the idea was abandoned.
Likewise on the infrastructure side – for a long time and even until the last minute, nothing was quite ready, leaving the leagues and committees in uncertainty. During a press conference, Claude Villendeuil said, “the work has begun but we are not convinced that it will be in the most modern conditions possible, even if we are convinced that the sites will be operational.”
Sixteen Malagasy federations had also sounded the alarm on the lack of equipment and unfinished infrastructure. Faced with this situation, regional cooperation was then organised. “We are working to help them as much as possible to be able to provide them with the equipment they need to ensure the competitions”, said Claude Villendeuil, president of the Regional Olympic and Sports Committee of Reunion.
There were so many uncertain points that even league presidents wondered whether or not these games would take place.
Read also – Games of the Islands 2023: questions still pending and sports ethics (no doubt) undermined
– Despite the hiccups… the party will be there –
What is certain is that during this sports week, the seven islands of the Indian Ocean will compete to try to win first place and collect the most medals.
“We must play down, this sports festival will be convivial, that’s what we must remember”, noted Claude Villendeuil.
But let’s not stop there, Reunion is there and will show what it is capable of.
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2023-08-24 23:07:39
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