Photo: Orange actu, retrieved from globalvoices.org

Excerpt from globalvoices.org

From August 25 to September 3, 2023, Madagascar will host the Indian Ocean Island Games for the third time.

The Indian Ocean Island Games (JIOI) are sports games where athletes from various Southwest Indian Ocean islands gather for a multi-sport competition. Mauritius, Seychelles, the Comoros, Madagascar, Mayotte, Réunion and the Maldives all participate in this event.

The Indian Ocean Island Games originate from the Regional Olympic and Sports Committee (CROS) of Réunion, which suggested holding sports games in the Indian Ocean region, known as the Indian Ocean Games, as part of its 1974 objectives agreement. This idea was subsequently adopted by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in 1976. Its first edition was thereby held in Saint-Denis, Réunion in 1979 as the Indian Ocean Games. Following its first edition, it later became known as the Indian Ocean Island Games.

The JIOI is a quadrennial event. According to the Indian Ocean Island Games Charter, there must be ten or more sports disciplines, two of which must be athletics and swimming.

Madagascar, which previously hosted the JIOI in 1990 and 2007, will thereby be the host country for the third time in 2023 for its 11th edition. For this occasion, the organizing committee has selected “Victory in Unity and Diversity” as the games’ motto, which is sung proudly in the official 2023 Indian Ocean Island Games’ anthem.

Games that strengthen regional integration

During the JIOI, organizers undertake to fulfill various objectives: to establish friendship and mutual understanding between the people of the Indian Ocean Islands; to foster regional cooperation with the participation of athletes from various member islands, without racial, religious or political discrimination, for the region’s sport development. These games also foster regional solidarity by establishing a common technical, refereeing and organizational training schedule. Mini games are also held with the participation of the International Games Council (CIJ) member islands to promote Olympism and respect international rules.

The 11th edition will have 17 sports disciplines on the program: athletics, basketball, boxing, badminton, cycling, soccer, weightlifting, handball, judo, karate, wrestling, swimming, rugby sevens, tennis, table tennis, pétanque, and volleyball. To ensure the safety of all athletes involved, the organizing committee suggested the competition only be held in Madagascar’s capital city of Antananarivo.