The Indian Ocean Islands Games (IOIG) have aroused a deep sense of solidarity and patriotism among all the different sections of which the population is composed. A similar national feeling and enthusiasm for unity were expressed in 1985 when the IOIG were organised for the first time in our country. As a matter of fact, the majority of our citizens are quite prepared to demonstrate that the existence and preservation of different cultural identities cannot represent a handicap to the allegiance to our common banner and to the achievement of a common goal. Many of our fellow-patriots believe that the daily and perpetual struggle for a better mode of living is more important than any other factors based on segregationist considerations. However, in a pluriethnic society, the lust for power may constitute the most dangerous threat to national unity in accordance with the principale of divide and rule. The performance of our athletes in different disciplines has to serve as a definite lesson to the country?s administrators to the effect that the best results are obtained when the rules of meritocracy are observed. What would have been the consequences if the quota system were applied to sports, if representation in our teams were affected in the same way as advisers are nominated or appointment made in certain professional sectors? Finally, the gold medal obtained in football, the most popular field of sports, clearly defeats the common belief that foreign expertise is essential for improvement and success. Akbar Patel and Désiré L?Enclume have proved to our leader that competency and skills exist in our country itself. In many other fields, it is unfortunate that local specialists are, for obscure reasons, quite often neglected and disregarded and many have, consequently, been constrained to emigrate.

Diplal MAROAM