Lionel Elika Fatupaito, the well-respected boxing coach of the Samoan Olympic team, died on Friday, July 26, 2024, in Paris, France, following a severe heart attack in the athletes’ village. The incident took place around 10:20 a.m. while Fatupaito was with an athlete in his room. Despite the swift response from emergency services, Fatupaito could not be resuscitated. French authorities confirmed that he died of natural causes. He was 60 years old.
The International Boxing Federation (IBA) extended its deepest sympathies to Fatupaito’s family, friends, and associates. According to the IBA’s statement, Lionel’s dedication and passion for boxing had a significant impact on the community, and his legacy will continue to inspire upcoming athletes. The IBA also reached out to Team Samoa and all those affected by his death with their thoughts and prayers.
With Fatupaito’s passing, the sports community of Samoa, particularly the national boxing team, has suffered a significant loss. Pauga Talalelei Pauga, President of the Samoa Association of Sports and National Olympics Committee, honored Fatupaito as one of Samoa’s top boxing coaches and a staunch advocate of Olympic values. He expressed the sympathies of the entire Samoan sporting community for Lionel’s family, his boxers, and friends, and acknowledged that he will be sorely missed.
Samoa is participating in its 11th consecutive Summer Olympic Games, with heavyweight boxer Ato Plodzicki-Faoagali representing the nation. Plodzicki-Faoagali secured his Olympic position after his victory in the 2023 Pacific Games in Honiara, Solomon Islands. Sharing an emotional message on social media, Plodzicki-Faoagali expressed his sorrow over his coach’s passing, saying words couldn’t express his feelings and wishing Lionel eternal peace. He remembered their last photo together, taken just the day before, and recalled meeting Coach Lionel at 15 when he was trying out for Samoa’s Youth team. He remembered Lionel as a kind and generous mentor who shared his time, resources, and wisdom.
The Samoan delegation has been left with a void due to Fatupaito’s death, and a team prayer was held before their competitions in honor of their late coach. The Samoan Olympic Committee provided support to the 24 athletes in the delegation as they prepared for their events, emphasizing the significant impact Fatupaito had on the team and the wider sports community.
The death of Fatupaito represents the sixth instance of a coach dying during the Olympics in modern history. The most recent incident before this took place during the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics when German canoe slalom coach Stefan Henze died from injuries sustained in a taxi cab accident. The other four coaches were Israeli hostages who were killed, along with seven other members of the Israeli Olympic team, during the Munich Olympics massacre in 1972.
Plodzicki-Faoagali, who had a close bond with Fatupaito, shared his grief and pledged to honor his coach’s memory by delivering his best performance at the Olympics. He talked about how much his coach would be missed, noting that Fatupaito was a calming influence in their corner and that he would deeply feel his absence. He remains one of the top contenders for a medal in the heavyweight division.
