Republic of Mauritius- Athletes and coaches awarded cash prize in recognition of their outstanding performance

Furthermore, 15 athletes who participated, on 25 August 2019, at the 3^rd Open Kyokushinkai Ambassador of Japan Cup in Mauritius, were each awarded Rs 5 000 under the ‘Prix de l’effort et de l’encouragement’. The objective of the cash prize ceremony is to recognise and reward the efforts and performance of Mauritian sportspersons as well as to encourage and support their sporting endeavours at regional, continental, and international levels.

The Minister of Youth and Sports, Mr Stephan Toussaint, who was present on that occasion, commended the beneficiaries for their remarkable performance as well as the parents of athletes for their unflinching support and encouragement. He spoke about the importance of supporting one’s child in sports since participation in sports can be very beneficial at several levels. It can foster responsible social behaviours and greater academic success, and is an appreciation of personal health and fitness. Participating in a team can also give children or youth an important sense of belonging, he added.

Speaking about measures taken to foster a culture of sports and develop a vibrant and growing sports economy, Minister Toussaint recalled that a series of transformative initiatives have been elaborated in order to create the necessary environmental factors and enablers to ensure that the sports economy thrives on the long term.

It is recalled that the cash prize winners participated in several competitions namely: African Games in Morocco; Kenya Internationals 2019; Association de Francophone in Ivory Coast; All African Championship 2019 in Nigeria; 2^nd India Open International Boxing Tournament; and, Open International Tennis Federation Petit Camp in Mauritius.

The Cash prize scheme

The Government through the Ministry of Youth and Sports encourages athletes to achieve the highest level of performance in the international arena. The Cash Prize Scheme is an incentive package awarded by the Government through the Ministry to athletes who have achieved excellence in major international competitions at World, Intercontinental, Continental and Regional levels.

The Ministry of Youth and Sports has reviewed the quantum of cash prizes of the existing scheme to provide a new dynamism to the high-level sports sector and to give more encouragement to athletes to achieve the highest level of performance in major international competitions. The Cash Prize Scheme aims at providing a financial reward to those athletes who have obtained a medal at major international sports events.