The 2024 Summer Olympic Games are underway in Paris, France, and amid the excitement of global competition on Friday, tragedy struck one of the national teams in attendance.
As Fox News reports, Lionel Fatu Elika, coach of the Samoan boxing team, died due to an apparent cardiac arrest at the age of 60 at the Olympic Village where athletes are housed.
Reports suggest that though Elika received emergency treatment on-site in the Olympic Village after collapsing in what was later determined to have been cardiac arrest, he was unable to be saved, and his cause of death has since been attributed to “natural causes.”
A statement was subsequently released by the Samoa Association of Sport and National Olympic Committee (SASNOC) confirming Elika's tragic and unexpected passing.
The official release included reactions from Pauga Talalelei Pauga, president of the Samoa National Olympic Committee, who praised the late coach.
“Lionel was one of Samoa's top boxing coaches and a great believer in the Olympic ideal,” Pauga declared.
Pauga went on, “Our thoughts and those of the entire Samoan sporting community are with Lionel's family, his boxers, and friends. He will be greatly missed.”
The International Boxing Association also issued a statement in the wake of the sad event, extending “heartfelt condolences to the family, friends, and colleagues of Lionel Elika Fatupaito, the national boxing coach of Samoa, who tragically passed away during the Paris 2024.”
According to People, the well-respected coach had traveled to Paris to support the competitive efforts of boxer Ato Plodzicki-Faoagali, who has since offered words of tribute for his beloved mentor.
Taking to Instagram to express his emotions, Plodzicki-Faoagali write, “No words can express how I feel but rest in love coach Lionel.”
The boxer also posted a photo depicting a smiling Elika to his account, which he captioned, “Our last picture together before you passed yesterday Grand Master.”
In a more detailed post to Facebook, Plodzicki-Faoagali detailed his relationship with the late coach, saying, “I first met coach Lionel when I was 15 trialling for Samoa's Youth team. He was a kind and generous coach, not only with his time, material things, but also his knowledge.”
Referencing the joint support he felt from the coach and his own father throughout his competitive endeavors, Plodzicki-Faoagali said, “You will be sorely missed coach, your dream was to attend an Olympics with me and dad, now you've left too early."
The grief-stricken athlete added, “Rest well old man, gonna miss you out there, you were the calm one and dad the storm of our corner.”
