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The Saint-Martin Center for Excellence and Education through Sport (CEES) aims to prepare tomorrow's athletes and adults, and to support and develop the region's youth.
SEVEN SPORTING DISCIPLINES
Supported by the Collectivité de Saint-Martin, this innovative sports project acts as a veritable incubator. Its aim is to support young athletes from Saint-Martin's sporting scene in their transition to specialized structures, such as training centers or "pôles espoirs".
"This is not a center open to the general public," warns Charles-Henri Palvair.
Indeed, the CEES' mission is not to replace the work carried out locally by clubs, leagues or associations, but to select and support the highest potential athletes. "The role of the CEES is to welcome young people identified for their sporting and academic abilities into our performance pathway via the Centres Sportifs Territoriaux (CST)".
To date, 7 sporting disciplines are represented:
- Athletics
- Basketball
- Cycling
- Soccer
- Gymnastics
- Tennis
- Sail
At the CSTs, 75 student-athletes benefit from genuine individualized support to enable them to fulfill their academic, sporting and social projects. "We proceed in order of priority and according to the three "S" principle. First we look at their health, then their schooling, and finally their sporting skills. Depending on their needs, they can then benefit from support classes or physiotherapy sessions. It's a multi-disciplinary approach," explains the Managing Director.
SLEEP AND NUTRITION
But Charles-Henri Palvair knows that the role and involvement of parents is crucial. "There can be no top-level athlete without top-level parents. Conferences will therefore be organized to better inform parents about the nutritional and physiological needs of young athletes. Sleep and nutrition are two very important factors that need to be taken into account at home".
In addition to its support program, CEES also has a fund for the payment of an Aide à la Mobilité d'Excellence Sportive (AMES). The aim of this scheme is to provide student athletes with financial support to help them achieve their sporting goals in the Caribbean region or abroad. CEES' role is not confined to monitoring student-athletes. Through its "training and employment" department, it is also developing support to enable technical managers to become more professional through diploma courses in sports coaching. As Charles-Henri Palvair explains, the objectives are manifold: "in particular, to improve the skills of supervisors and guide them along the path to employment".
Charles-Henri PALVAIR
General Manager
Basketball coach and former director of youth, sport, culture and community services for the Collectivité de Saint-Martin, Charles-Henri Palvair has been Managing Director of CEES (Centre d'Excellence et d'Éducation par le Sport) since November 2022. A structure that this sports enthusiast has been calling for for over a decade.
"The CEES is dedicated to raising the profile of sport in Saint Martin, and to instilling through sport the values that are dear to me and that have driven me since I was very young... I owe my salvation to sport, to the encounters that forged my destiny. Since then, I've been determined to give back what I've been given," confides Charles-Henri Palvair.
2022: Creation of CEES in November 2022
2023 : Launch in January 2023
- Territorial Sports Center
- Creation of CTOS: the Territorial Olympic and Sports Committee of Saint-Barthélemy and Saint-Martin
May 2025: The association becomes a public establishment of the Collectivité de Saint-Martin.
SOURCE: Le Pélican - January 2025 / page 16
