Seychelles to host African Optimist Championship

Seychelles to host African Optimist Championship

“The competition was originally scheduled for September, but due to an issue with the shipping of boats, we had to reschedule to this new date,” said the Chairman of the Seychelles Yachting Association (SYA), Michel Bristol, during a press conference held on Wednesday at the Olympic House.”

The African Optimist Championship will take place in Seychelles from October 12 to 19, 2024. The competition, which will see 76 young sailors from 16 nations compete, will be held in Seychelles for the second time, following the 2019 event.

“The competition was originally scheduled for September, but due to an issue with the shipping of boats, we had to reschedule to this new date,” said the Chairman of the Seychelles Yachting Association (SYA), Michel Bristol, during a press conference held on Wednesday at the Olympic House.

The change in date has affected the number of participants, dropping from 20 teams and 102 participants to the current 76. The Optimist African Championship comprises two championships: the Optimist Individual African Championship, which Paulo of Angola won, with Dean Mathiot being Seychelles’ top performer, finishing in 17th place. Yves Fock-Heng finished 18th, Luca Marzzochi came 22nd, and Fabio Bertola-Thevenon placed 26th. The other competitors from Seychelles were Stephanie Lalande, Laurent Contoret, Jakirah Radegonde, and Travis Ho-Peng.

The second event is the Optimist Team Racing African Championship.

The Optimist is a small, single-handed sailing dinghy intended for young people up to age 15. It is one of the two most popular sailing dinghies in the world, with over 150,000 boats officially registered with the class, and many more built but never registered. It is sailed in over 120 countries and is one of only two sailboats designated as an International Class by World Sailing exclusively for sailors under 16. While the competition is called the African Championships, sailors from nations outside Africa will also compete.

Bristol explained that to attract more participants, the organizers felt it was important to open the tournament to other nations, which would make the teams more competitive. Chairman of the organizing committee, Alain Alcindor, shared that there will be two categories for prizes: an overall class featuring all the sailors and an African class reserved for African sailors.

During the event itself, a lot of help is needed. Alcindor launched a call for volunteers with boats to assist, stating, “We will need a lot of boats,” and added, “We don’t need big boats, but more of those that organizers and coaches can use to go out and watch their athletes.” Those willing to help can contact Alcindor at telephone number 2722328 or the SYA through Facebook or WhatsApp.

The venue for the competition is also being prepared. The organizers expect everything to be in place by September 4, with athletes set to arrive in Seychelles on September 5.

Seychelles will be represented by six sailors: Dominic Esparon, Michael De Speville Mason, Elisha Moustache, Melchoir Constance, Fabrice Julie, and Noah Michaud. The 2023 edition of the event took place in Morocco, where Gino Pichetti of Argentina was the grand winner. Seychelles was represented by Odysius Melanie, who finished 52nd, while Joshua Allcorn came 63rd out of 89 participants.

When the event last took place in Seychelles, in 2019, Ronancio Paulo of Angola won, with Dean Mathiot being Seychelles’ top performer, finishing in 17th place. Yves Fock-Heng finished 18th, Luca Marzzochi came 22nd, and Fabio Bertola-Thevenon placed 26th. The other competitors from Seychelles were Stephanie Lalande, Laurent Contoret, Jakirah Radegonde, and Travis Ho-Peng.

By S.N