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Samoa’s boxing coach died at the Paris Olympics village after the 60-year-old had a cardiac arrest, officials said on Saturday. Governing body the IBA sent its “heartfelt 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’s office, which said he died of “natural causes”. “Lionel’s dedication and passion for the sport have 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 team Samoa and all those affected by this profound loss.”
The Olympic boxing in the French capital started on Saturday.
Meanwhile, hosts France set up a dream rugby sevens final with double Olympic champions Fiji on Saturday as Antoine Dupont inspired a Les Bleus comeback in a 19-5 semi-final win over South Africa.
Expectations of the home side were at fever pitch at a packed Stade de France, but the first half was somewhat of a letdown. A light Paris drizzle prompted handling errors and it ended scoreless.
French coach Jerome Daret started star man Dupont on the bench, as he has for most of the tournament, but unleashed his main playmaker early in the second half.
But it was the Blitzboks who opened the scoring, Tristan Leyds taking advantage of some lacklustre defending to score in the corner.
France hit back quickly, a darting run by Varian Pasquet setting up Rayan Rebbadj to score under the posts, a try that was crucially converted to give France the lead.
Quick thinking by Dupont set up Rebbadj for his second with seconds to spare, sending the boisterous home crowd into raptures.
An acrobatic effort from the impressive Jordan Sepho after the buzzer put the icing on the cake and sent the hosts into the gold medal match.
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