On Friday, July 26, 2024, Lionel Elika Fatupaito, the respected coach for the Samoan Olympic boxing team, died due to a severe heart attack in the athletes’ village in Paris, France. The heart attack took place around 10:20 in the morning while Fatupaito was in his room with one of his athletes. He was 60 years old.
Despite the swift response of emergency services, they were unable to revive him. French officials confirmed his death was due to natural causes.
The International Boxing Federation (IBA) expressed its condolences to Fatupaito’s family, friends, and colleagues. The IBA’s statement emphasized Lionel’s dedication and passion for boxing, stating that his influence on the community would continue to guide future athletes. They also sent their thoughts and prayers to Team Samoa and all those affected by his sudden departure.
Fatupaito’s death is a significant blow to Samoan sports circles, particularly the national boxing team. Pauga Talalelei Pauga, the President of the Samoa Association of Sports and National Olympics Committee, paid tribute to Fatupaito, referring to him as one of Samoa’s top boxing coaches and a fervent supporter of Olympic principles. He also shared that the entire Samoan sports community’s thoughts are with Lionel’s family, his boxers, and friends and acknowledged that his absence would be deeply felt.
Participating in their 11th successive Summer Olympic Games, Samoa is represented by heavyweight boxer Ato Plodzicki-Faoagali. Plodzicki-Faoagali earned his place in the Olympics after his victory in the 2023 Pacific Games in Honiara, Solomon Islands. In a heartfelt social media post, Plodzicki-Faoagali expressed his sorrow, noting that words failed to capture his emotions and wishing his coach Lionel eternal peace. He shared their last photograph together taken just the day before and reminisced about meeting Coach Lionel at 15 when he was trying out for Samoa’s Youth team. He remembered Lionel as a generous and kind mentor who provided his time, resources, and wisdom.
The Samoan delegation will feel Fatupaito’s loss intensely. The team held a prayer session before their competitions to honor their late coach. The Samoan Olympic Committee sought to comfort the 24 athletes in the delegation as they readied for their events, underscoring the significant influence Fatupaito had on the team and the wider sports community.
This is the sixth occasion in modern history that a coach has died during the Olympics. The previous incident happened during the Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Olympics in 2016 when Stefan Henze, a German canoe slalom coach, died from injuries he sustained in a taxi accident. The other four coaches were Israeli hostages who died, together with seven other Israeli athletes and officials, during the 1972 Munich Olympics massacre.
Plodzicki-Faoagali, who had a close relationship with Fatupaito, shared his sadness and pledged to honor his coach’s memory by delivering his best performance at the Olympics. He discussed how much his coach would be missed, reflecting that Fatupaito was the calm presence in their corner and that he would feel his absence profoundly. He remains one of the top contenders for a medal in the heavyweight division.