(Seychelles News Agency) - A lucky couple from Seychelles will soon head to Paris for the 2024 Olympics after winning a lottery held by the Mauritius Commercial Bank (MCB) Seychelles.

Nimhan and Bernice Senaratne were presented with the plane tickets in a small ceremony at the bank's headquarters in Victoria on Thursday.

The prize includes a four-day all-inclusive package and attending the closing ceremony of the games, along with the diving and beach volleyball events.

"I was very surprised when I received the call and wasn't sure that it wasn't a prank call, but when I heard the excitement of the MCB team behind the call, I knew it was real," said Nimhan Senaratne, after receiving his prize.

"I've been a loyal customer of MCB for over a decade now and we of course as a couple we are very pleased with this opportunity and I think it is going to be a dream getaway for us," he added.

Aside from experiencing the Games, the couple will also attend a special St Germain Food Tour. The package will also include transportation in Paris, meals and drinks, excursions and an allowance of SCR10,000 ($727) for both.

Nimhan said his wife and him are not really sports fans but nonetheless, they are looking forward to the opportunity, which will be like a second honeymoon for them

This opportunity came through the "Fly to the Olympique Paris 2024" promotional campaign held by MCB from March 15 to May 31. This was done through the usage of MCB Debit or Credit cards for Point of Sales (POS), or online payments. The winners were decided by a draw.  

It is not the first time that MCB has held the 'Cashless Initiative' and since 2021, various clients of the bank have benefitted from it.

In 2021 five lucky winners won SCR5,000 ($365) for a year and in 2022 one lucky winner was flown to Qatar for the 2022 FIFA World Cup to attend the third place playoff game. In 2023, one customer won SCR100,000 ($7,276) with 20 other clients each winning SCR10,000 ($727).