The Secretary-General of the Commonwealth, The Rt. Hon. Patricia Scotland QC, accompanied by a delegation, paid a courtesy call on the Minister of Youth Empowerment, Sports and Recreation, Mr Stephan Toussaint, today, at the Côte d'Or National Sports Complex.

In a statement, the Secretary-General lauded the good work being undertaken by the Sports Minister and all stakeholders to promote a sports culture in the country as well as the Mauritian athletes on the international scene.

"Mauritius has won four medals for the 2022 Commonwealth Games, being held in Birmingham from 28 July to 8 August 2022," she said, adding that this was clear evidence of the determination, passion and willingness for Mauritius to achieve higher levels in the sports sector.

She highlighted that Mauritius would receive full support of the Commonwealth to organise Commonwealth sports in the near future as, according to her, the country had the necessary sports infrastructure and facilities. "Africa has not yet hosted the Games, and it would be a great opportunity for Mauritius to hold the first Youth Commonwealth Games in the region", she added.

Baroness Patricia Scotland also emphasised how sports could be used to combat domestic violence, social evils while promoting peace and unity.

For his part, Minister Toussaint said that during the visit, the Baroness had the opportunity to visit the Côte d'Or Multi-sports Complex, and the youth of the Liverpool Academy - Mauritius who had participated in the UK tour. The Minister further underlined that the support of the Commonwealth was sought for the candidature of Mauritius to organise the Youth Commonwealth Games in 2025.

As regards, the 2022 Commonwealth Games, he applauded the Mauritian athletes for having won four medals, adding that the country was expecting a few more. "This", he said, "is the best performance achieved so far by Mauritian athletes in the Commonwealth Games."