Everything about Mauritius

Sports in Mauritius

Mauritius sports comprise of adventure sports including trekking, kayaking, water sports and mountain biking. The island's fabulous sporting opportunities blend with its fascinating scenic beauty and myriad beach activities to make it a perfect holiday destination.

The various sports in Mauritius can be categorized as:

• Adventure Sports in Mauritius
  • Water sports in Mauritius: The water sports are the main attractions of the island which include surfing, scuba diving, deep sea fishing, water-skiing, kayaking, snorkeling, catamaran sailing amongst others
  • Trekking, mountain biking, horse riding and horse racing are some of the other adventure sports that are widely practised in Mauritius.
• General Sports in Mauritius
  The island also offers an excellent opportunity for general sports in Mauritius. The different general sports existing in Mauritius are:
  • Football
  • Tennis
  • Rugby
  • Golf

Specific types of sporting activities occur at specific times of the year in the island. Some of these sports are played for leisure and some are played at a professional level, such as tennis, soccer and golf.

Football in Mauritius

It is one of the most popular sports practiced in Mauritius. There are 11,000 registered players including the male and female footballers. There are two stadiums in the country, which host international matches and 6 stadiums to hold matches for the domestic league championship.

Football in Mauritius suffered a set back due to the government's ban on the teams divided on racial and ethnic lines. The ban lasted for a period of eight months. The official governing body of Mauritian football, the Mauritius Football association (MFA), has helped to promote football in Mauritius. However, this new format of Mauritian football has lost its popularity as compared to the previous Mauritian football league.

Mauritius at the Olympics

It has come up with commendable performances right from 1984, when the country got a chance to participate in this prestigious event for the first time. Mauritius has traditionally qualified for archery, weightlifting, swimming, boxing and athletics.

Mauritius left a mark in the 1988 Summer Olympics, which was held in Seoul in Korea, when Maryse Justin participated in the Women's Marathon from Mauritius. Mauritius was also a part of the Summer Olympics of 1992 that was held at Barcelona in Spain.

During the 1996 Summer Olympics at Atlanta, Mauritius participated in a number of events. Gilbert Hashan of Mauritius participated in the Men's Hurdle, and Ajay Chuttoo took part in the Men's Marathon. Richard Sunee was a competitor in the Flyweight category, Steve Naraina competed in the Bantamweight category and Josian Lebon competed in the Featherweight category of Men's boxing.

The 2000 Summer Olympic Games was another important event so far as Mauritius' participation is concerned. A number of important sportsmen from Mauritius participated in events like Men's Long Jump, Women's Hammer Throw, Men's Single Badminton, and Women's Single Badminton among others. Mauritius also participated in the 2004 Summer Olympics.

The fact that Mauritius participates actively at the Olympics clearly shows the country's love for sports and also its challenge to compete with other countries.

Tennis in Mauritius
Mauritius Lawn Tennis Association is the governing body of Tennis in Mauritius. Among the Mauritius sports, tennis is widely enjoyed by the inhabitants of Mauritius. Tennis in Mauritius occupies a very important place so far as Mauritius Sports is concerned and was introduced in Mauritius by the British in 1893.

Mauritius Lawn Tennis Association was founded in the year 1910, but officially received its affiliation on 3rd April, 1991. The name of the association was changed from Mauritius Lawn Tennis Association to Mauritius Tennis Federation on 29th of March, 2001. Since then it has been acting as the sole body vested to promote the game in Mauritius.

Mauritius participated in the Davis Cup for the first time in 2000. Since then, Mauritius proved its worth in a number of important tennis events. All kinds of important assistance are provided to the professional tennis players. Some of the Mauritian tennis players of worldwide fame are Alexandre Daruty, Kamil Patel, Marine Giraud, Astrid Tixier and Bruno Gorayah, who have contributed immensely in making the Mauritian tennis so popular.

Champs de Mars Race Course

Being one of the best places for horse racing events in Mauritius, it draws a huge crowd every year and lots of tourists from all around the world. Champ de Mars Racecourse is a highly rated horse race competition venue in Mauritius.

Champ de Mars Racecourse bears a rich historical background. Horse racing in Mauritius was introduced in 1812 by British Colonel Edward Alured Draper. His main aim behind the formation of the Champ de Mars club in Mauritius was to develop a healthy relation between the French and the British. Champ de Mars Racecourse was set up in the year 1812 on 25th June. This racecourse was the first to organize the first horse race match in Mauritius.

Drinks are offered to the guests on their arrival to the gallery box. Hot and cold canap�s are also offered coupled with various drinks such as rum, gin, vodka, beer, whiskey, wine and soft beer.

Mauritius Rugby

It has gained popularity among the Mauritius sports with the establishment of the Dodo Club in 1928 by a small group of Rugby players. Blue Ducks, Dodo, the Navy, SMF, Buffalos, HMS Mauritius and the Stags were some of the rugby clubs that trained Mauritians.

Mauritius participated in various rugby tournaments held between 1992 and 2001 and proved its worth. The Mauritian television for the first time aired the third World Cup rugby championship held in South Africa in 1995. Three coaching centers were also established in different parts of the island in order to train the local inhabitants to master the game.

The Stags Club, previously closed down due to shortage of playing equipments, was renovated in the year 1998 in order to meet the growing demand of rugby in the island. Many matches at the national and the international level were played and finally in 2001 the three regional clubs, The Curepipe Starlight, Western Cowboys and Northern Pirates were formed. Presently Mauritius has four clubs, 6 referees, 354 licensed players, 18 coaches and 3 coaching centers.