Two top boxers leave for Rostov Scholarship Placement.
Two top local boxers left the Country on Wednesday Morning bound for Rostov-on-Don in Russia for a one-year placement.
The pugilists that is making this trip is led by 2024 Boxer of the year, the hard hitting Joshua Cousin accompanied by Dasheil Fanchette, gold medalist at the last Island Games in Madagascar in 2023.
The two young boxers will be attending an initial one year scholarship at the Rostov State University of Economics where they will be following academic but more importantly high level training during this period of time made available by the Rostov-on-Don boxing Federation as they gear up for Olympic qualification for Los Angeles 2028.
This placement has been made possible through close collaboration involving the local Russian Embassy, the Department of Youth and Sports, NSC and the Mayor of Victoria’s office, the Seychelles Boxing Federation, including the Rostov-on-Don City Administration and office of the Seychelles Honorary Consul in Russia.
The two boxers signed their formal contract, a fortnight ago which was culmination of four months of planning and negotiations involving all the stakeholders.
The Principal Secretary for Youth and Sports Ralph Jean-Louis accompanied by members of the Boxing Federation including its chairperson Jacques Bonne, Secretary General Edmond Folette, Ruudy Joseph, Principal Sports Officer at NSC, family members, as well as outgoing Sportsman of the Year Keddy Agnes were present at the Seychelles International Airport to give moral support while seeing off the two boxers and wishing them all the best in their scholarship.
PS Jean-Louis said that he was really happy that months of planning had finally come to fruition “I’m glad that months of negotiation has resulted in such an exciting project and our aim is that the boxers use this opportunity to study but also to enhance their boxing career with the goal of extending this scholarship for three years up to the next Olympics which we hope they can make the qualification as we chase the dream of our first Olympic medal” PS Jean-Louis stated.
As for the Secretary General of the Boxing Federation Mr. Folette, he expressed his appreciation that this project has materialized after being in the doldrums for many years.
‘We feel privileged to get such opportunity after many years where we have not benefited with such chances. Therefore I would like to thank everyone that has made this possible and we look forward to send other boxers on such programs in the near future,” Folette said.
Cousin and Fanchette are expected to begin their schooling as of next week where they will focus on academic in the morning and physical training in the afternoon for the first semester as this project extends a long tradition of successful cooperation between Seychelles and Russia in boxing training.