Seychelles Robotics Team Meets President Ahead of FIRST Global Challenge in Panama
VICTORIA, Seychelles — The Head of State, President Wavel Ramkalawan, yesterday received the Seychelles Robotics Team for a courtesy call ahead of their participation in this year’s FIRST Global Challenge, an international robotics competition to be held in Panama.
The meeting at State House was an opportunity for the team to showcase its robot and seek the President’s support as it prepares to carry the Seychelles flag onto the global stage. It began with introductory remarks by the principal secretary for Education Sector Development, John Lesperance, followed by an address from the team captain, Gabriel Suzette, who also introduced the student members. The delegation presented prototypes of their robots and offered insights into their respective roles within the team, as well as their experiences and preparations.
Gabriel explained that the FIRST Global Challenge is an Olympics-style international robotics competition that aims to inspire leadership, innovation and collaboration in science and technology among youth worldwide. It brings together students from over 190 countries to solve global challenges through Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics, promoting technical excellence, cultural exchange and unity. Seychelles has been participating in the competition since 2017, and last year Team Seychelles ranked 20th out of 180 countries in Greece — one of its best performances to date.
This year’s theme, ‘Eco-Equilibrium’, emphasises the importance of biodiversity and maintaining healthy ecosystems, and includes additional challenges such as research projects, outreach activities and innovation-based initiatives. President Ramkalawan officially handed over the competition kit to the team, and encouraged them, saying: ‘You represent the innovative and resilient spirit of Seychelles. No matter the outcome, you have already made Seychelles proud by daring to dream and working hard to make that dream a reality.’
