The President of the Republic, Mr. Wavel Ramkalawan met Seychellois professional basketballer, Mr. Abdel Sylla who is currently on holiday in the Seychelles. Mr. Sylla plays for French club Herminie Nantes Atlantique in the Pro B league since 2019.

The President congratulated Mr. Sylla on his achievements, saying that he has made the country and people extremely proud. He encouraged Mr. Sylla to inspire others in sports so that they too reach their goals, and give them the motivation and guidance to succeed, especially for the upcoming Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games and the 2023 Indian Ocean Island Games.

The meeting centered on Mr. Sylla’s schedule in France as a professional player and the development of sports in Seychelles. As a Seychellois who wants the best for his country and people in sports, Mr. Sylla also had the opportunity to share with President Ramkalawan some important mechanisms to help those in sports deal with their mental strength. Furthermore, identifying factors influencing the extent they can reach in their respective disciplines, including self-determined motivation, environmental and surrounding factors, along with other personal forces such as persistence and optimistic thinking. 

“I believe our sportsmen and women in Seychelles are very talented. They just need to reinforce their discipline and work hard to achieve their goals. By having the discipline, commitment, and working on their mental strength, they will achieve a lot,” said Mr. Sylla in an interview with the local press.

Also present for the meeting yesterday morning was the Minister for Youth, Sports, Family, Mrs. Marie-Céline Zialor who described Mr. Sylla an exemplary and an ambassador for Sports.