President Danny Faure received Seychellois swimmer, Ms Felicity Passon, the top winner of gold medals in the 10th Indian Ocean Island Games, this morning at State House. She was accompanied by her parents and sister.

The President congratulated Ms Passon on her great success and expressed how she has made Seychelles proud. He said that he hoped she would inspire other young people, to persevere and believe that anything is possible if they work hard.

During the meeting, the Head of State and Ms Passon discussed the highlights of the competition during the 10th Indian Ocean Island Games. Ms Passon who is also following a degree in Psychology with the Southern Methodist University in the United States of America, also spoke a bit about her studies and how she manages her time with her demanding training schedule.

She expressed how grateful she was for the continuous support from everyone, especially her family and the community. Ms Passon won seven gold medals, three silver and one bronze to become one of Seychelles’ top-performing athletes in the 40 year history of the Indian Ocean Island Games. She also participated in the World Championships held in South Korea immediately afterward.

She hoped that her achievements as an athlete serve as an example of what is possible for other young people, especially those on La Digue where she grew up. She said that she wanted to create more awareness around the full scholarships available for athletes to pursue higher studies in America.  

The Seychellois swimmer is now training hard to qualify for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.