Nicholas Spinnato, a former French aid worker who had worked for 11 years in the Seychelles left us on Monday 19 December.

Arrived in Seychelles 11 years earlier, Mr. Spinnato had returned to his native country, France, on July 1, 1994.

While in the Seychelles, Mr. Spinnato spent several years in initial training with physical education teachers. We remember the program ‘easy sports’, one of the methods used in the development of sport in the Seychelles.

“I was lucky enough to know all the physical education teachers and train them and then go to all the schools. It was by going to all the schools and districts that I really got to know Seychelles,” Mr Spinnato said in an exclusive interview titled “I would like to say thank you and goodbye to everyone” published on 25 June 1994 in this same newspaper.

He had also worked on the preparation of athletes, officials and on the organization of the 4th Games of the Islands of the Indian Ocean (IOIG) which the Seychelles had organized in 1993. These Games were a great success.

“I believe that the success of these Games remains a very great moment. I cannot think of the Games while forgetting Ronald Wong, Jean Larue, Colin Quatre and the whole team that was around us to prepare and carry them out,” he said in the same interview.

Mr Spinnato also had an important message for the athletes and leaders: “Seychelles are moving forward and if the athletes and leaders realize their abilities, I think Seychelles can do very, very well for the next Games. . »

“Preparation should begin now, and at all levels, using the assessment that exists here to prepare for the next Indian Ocean Island Games (1998). It takes six years to make a champion. The next Games are in four years. It means that somewhere, there are potential champions who are there and you have to take them out and help them. The results must be even better than last time in the Seychelles. So, everyone get started now! Athletes like Danny Beauchamp, Paul Nioze, Roland Raforme and Rival Cadeau get what they deserve because they trained well and seriously, and they succeeded. I think that in the Seychelles there may still be athletes of this level.

Seychelles NATION sends its sincere condolences to all those affected by the passing of Mr. Spinnato.

We offer you the interview in its entirety.

Source: Seychelles Nation