Mauritian athlete, Ketty Lent, was rewarded with a cash prize of Rs 180,000, yesterday, by the Minister of Youth Empowerment, Sports and Recreation, Mr Jean Christophe Stephan Toussaint, for her commendable performance at the Commonwealth Weightlifting Championships 2024, during which she won the Gold Medal. Her two coaches were each rewarded with a cash prize of Rs 36,000.

The ceremony was held at the Helvetia Youth Hub, during which the Sports Minister launched a newsletter, entitled, 'L'apothéose', elaborated by the Mauritius Recreational Council.

In his address, Minister Toussaint dwelt on the achievements of his Ministry since 2019. He spoke about the commendable performance of Mauritian athletes in various competitions over the last years. He also recalled that during the 2019 Indian Ocean Island Games, held in Mauritius itself, Mauritius won a total of 224 medals including 92 Gold, 79 Silver and 55 Bronze. He expressed pride that Mauritius was ranked first on the medal table out of seven countries.

Besides, he pointed out that during the Indian Ocean Island Games 2023, Mauritius won a total of 283 medals, including 91 Gold, 89 Silver and 103 Bronze. Mauritius, he emphasised, ranked second out of seven countries, which he said, was again an incredible achievement.

The successful performances of other athletes, including Noemi Alphonse and Anais Angeline at the World Para Athletics Championships Kobe 2024, Yovanni Phillipe at the Paralympic Games 2024, and Ketty Lent at the Commonwealth Weightlifting Championships 2024, were also applauded by the Minister.

Moreover, Minister Toussaint indicated that his Ministry remains committed to ensuring that all athletes are given job postings where they can share their experience. He dwelt on the wide range of the sports training facilities being offered to athletes preparing for competitions at the Côte d'Or National Sports Complex.

As regards his Ministry's mandate to promote youth empowerment, Minister Toussaint underlined that a massive revamping process of Youth Centres has been undertaken. A budget of Rs 165 million has been disbursed over the last three years to this end, with the revamping of 12 Youth Hubs already completed, and ongoing works being carried out at six Youth Hubs, he furthermore informed.

Various activities, such as the National Youth Award, are continuously organised to encourage the participation of Mauritian youth, he added.