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Samoa’s boxing coach died in Paris’ Olympic village after the 60-year-old went into cardiac arrest, authorities said on Saturday. The IBA governing body sent its “sincere condolences to the family, friends and colleagues” of Lionel Elika Fatupaito following his sudden death on Friday, the day of the opening ceremony. He was treated by emergency services, but they were unable to save him, according to the local prosecutor, who stated that he died of “natural causes”. “Lionel’s dedication and passion for the sport has left an indelible mark on the boxing community,” the International Boxing Association (IBA) said in a statement.
“His legacy will continue to inspire future generations. Our thoughts and prayers are with the Samoa team and everyone affected by this profound loss.”
Olympic boxing in the French capital began on Saturday.
Meanwhile, hosts France set up a dream rugby sevens final with two-time Olympic champions Fiji on Saturday as Antoine Dupont inspired Les Bleus’ comeback in a 19-5 semi-final victory over South Africa.
The home team’s expectations were high in a packed Stade de France, but the first half was a little disappointing. A light Parisian drizzle caused handling errors and ended goalless.
French coach Jerome Daret benched star Dupont, as he did for most of the tournament, but released his main star at the start of the second half.
But it was the Blitzboks who opened the scoring, with Tristan Leyds taking advantage of some lackluster defending to score from the corner.
France responded quickly, with a run from Varian Pasquet that set up Rayan Rebbadj to score under the posts, a shot that was crucially converted to give France the lead.
Dupont’s quick thinking set up Rebbadj for his second with seconds to spare, leaving the boisterous home crowd ecstatic.
An acrobatic effort from the impressive Jordan Sepho after the buzzer put the icing on the cake and sent the hosts into contention for the gold medal.
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
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