I am pleased to welcome you all to the 5th Edition of the Inter Club Youth Championship 2011 in Mauritius. I am particularly pleased to note that there is an increasing number of athletes from Rodrigues. I extend a very warm welcome to them.
Since this sports event was first launched in 2007 under my governorship, I have not stopped being impressed by the enthusiasm of our young participants both from Mauritius and Rodrigues. Their passion for sports has encouraged me to ensure that it becomes an annual feature in the nation’s calendar of sports. As I have pointed out before, the Inter Club Youth Championship is part of our Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and is in conformity with Government’s policy to democratize sports and to spot new talents.
On 10 September 2011, the Bank hosted the 3rd Edition of the Inter-Club Youth Championships in Rodrigues and we were delighted by the response and zeal shown by our young Rodriguan athletes. This year’s event was co-sponsored by commercial banks.
I am pleased to announce that we have, this year, increased the number of athletes from Rodrigues. Our aim is to give the opportunity to a greater number of youngsters to participate in the event. The Bank also intends this year to go further in its CSR by sponsoring the four best athletes from Rodrigues for a year both in the domain of sports and education.
I am equally delighted that eight athletes, four in the men category and four in the women category, from our previous Inter Club Youth Championship participated in the 8th Edition of The Indian Ocean Games held in Seychelles recently. Two of these athletes, Fabrice Rajah and Jean Ian Carre, emerged champions and have each won a bronze medal in the 110 metres hurdles race and hammer respectively. This testifies clearly that our efforts to unearth new talent and motivate young athletes have been fruitful.
The number of athletes participating in the 5th Edition Inter Club Youth Championship has increased from 800 to around 850 this year – a very encouraging sign for the future of sports in Mauritius. I sincerely hope that this event will continue to be the breeding ground for new athletes and the champions of tomorrow.
Last year no record was established. Our athletes in this competition face the challenge of having to bring in a better harvest in terms of new records.
I have full confidence that the Inter Club Championship will continue to be a reference point for the selection of champions to hold our country proud at major international sport competitions. Finally, I wish to pledge the readiness of the Bank of Mauritius to continue to bring its modest contribution to the development of the country’s young sporting talent.
Rundheersing Bheenick
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