(Seychelles News Agency) - Boxer Keddy Agnes and swimmer Felicity Passon have been crowned Seychelles' Sportsman and Sportswoman of the Year 2023.

The two athletes, who were both not present at Friday's Sports Award ceremony, were both represented by their mothers, who picked up their prestigious trophies from Seychelles' President Wavel Ramkalawan at the event held at the Berjaya Beau Vallon Bay Hotel.

The top local boxer, Agnes, had a great 2023, where he was able to win a gold medal at the Indian Ocean Island Games (IOIG), as well as a silver medal at the African Championships in Cameroon. He also finished third at the Olympic qualification tournament in Senegal.

Agnes is currently out of the country, competing in an Olympic Games qualifying tournament, ahead of representing Seychelles at the African Games next week, which will be held in Accra, Senegal.

This is the second time he wins the Sportsman of the Year award, after first clinching it in 2018.

The winners and their representatives with President Wavel Ramkalawan and Minister Zialor. (Seychelles News Agency) Photo License: CC-BY

For Passon, she has managed to retain her title, which she won the last time the awards were held for 2019, after a difficult few years, where her comeback to the sport has been nothing short of remarkable.

Passon had a stunning performance on her return to action at the last Indian Ocean Island Games in Madagascar, winning one gold, eight silver and two bronze medals.

The Sportsman and Sportswoman Awards ceremony is an annual event that recognises athletes who have excelled in their sports discipline in Seychelles, an archipelago in the western Indian Ocean. The athletes are selected first as the best in their respective disciplines by their federations and associations.

The event on Friday, also for the first time saw a people's choice award given out, where the public was given a chance to vote for their favourite athletes.

Here it was long distance runner Iven Moise who made history by winning the award after the public decided that his 2023 performances were worthy of the accolade.

Moise won two gold medals at the IOIG, while he also ranked 5th in the 5000m race at the Jeux de la Francophonie, in Kinshasa, Congo. Moise was also not present to pick up his award, which was presented to his wife instead.

Moise won the People's Choice award. (NSC Seychelles) Photo License: CC-BY

There also awards presented to the youth, where windsurfer, Jules Kandasamy picked up the award for Best Young Male Athlete, after a breakthrough in 2023, where his biggest achievement was finishing second overall in the Under 15 boys' junior category at the PWA Youth & Junior Slalom World Cup, held in Alacati, Turkey.

For the girls, it was young swimmer, Angelina Smythe, who took home the Best Young Female Athlete award, after a performance in 2023 where she won two silver medals at Hamilton Summer Sizzler Dubai, along with a bronze medal at the IOIG.

Awards were also handed for the best coach, where Rival Payet, a boxing coach, who works with the newly crowned Sportsman of the Year, won, while football referee Hansley Petrousse was named as the Official of the Year.

During her speech during the ceremony, the Minister of Youth, Sports and Family Affairs, Marie-Celine Zialor, touched on the value of appreciation and discipline, explaining to the athletes that while they are being shown appreciation, they remain role models for many youths in Seychelles.

"I think it's important for us to understand the sacrifices that these athletes make," she said.

 "For them to get here, they have to compete against others and come out as the best. They leave their families, to compete during the weekends and to go overseas, and they even suffer a lot physically and are even criticised if they fail to perform. This is why this event is held, where all that they go through, can be rewarded," Zialor concluded.

With the awards ceremony now over, for some of the athletes, the training continues as Seychelles now gears up for the upcoming African Games, which will begin on March 8.