Lionel Elika Fatupaito, the respected coach of Samoa’s Olympic boxing team, died on Friday, July 26, 2024, in the Olympic Village in Paris, France, from a severe heart attack. Fatupaito, aged 60, was in his room with an athlete when the incident occurred at approximately 10:20 a.m. Despite the immediate response of emergency services, Fatupaito’s life could not be saved. The cause of death, confirmed by French authorities, was natural.
In response to Fatupaito’s death, the International Boxing Federation (IBA) expressed deep sympathies to his family, friends, and colleagues. The IBA’s statement highlighted Fatupaito’s dedication and passion for boxing, acknowledging the lasting impact he had on the sport. The organization also extended its thoughts and prayers to members of Team Samoa and all those affected by his passing.
Fatupaito’s death represents a significant loss to Samoa’s sporting community, particularly its 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 staunch supporter of Olympic principles. Pauga stated that the entire Samoan sporting community’s thoughts are with Fatupaito’s family, the boxers he coached, and his friends, and acknowledged that he will be greatly missed.
Samoa is participating in its 11th consecutive Summer Olympics, represented by heavyweight boxer Ato Plodzicki-Faoagali. Plodzicki-Faoagali secured his Olympic place by winning the 2023 Pacific Games in Honiara, Solomon Islands. In a poignant social media post, Plodzicki-Faoagali expressed his sorrow over the loss of his coach Lionel, stating that words could not express his emotions and wishing Fatupaito eternal peace. He recounted their last photograph together taken just the day before and remembered meeting Coach Lionel at age 15 while auditioning for Samoa’s Youth team, describing him as a kind and generous mentor.
The Samoan delegation deeply feels the loss of Fatupaito. They held a team prayer before their competitions to honor their late coach. The Samoan Olympic Committee provided comfort to the 24 athletes in the delegation as they prepared for their events, underlining the significant impact of Fatupaito on the team and the wider sports community.
The death of Fatupaito is the sixth time a coach has died during the Olympics in modern history. The previous incident took place during the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics, where German canoe slalom coach Stefan Henze died from injuries in a taxi accident. The other four coaches were Israeli hostages who died, along with another 7 Israeli athletes and sports officials, during the Munich Olympics massacre in 1972.
Plodzicki-Faoagali, who shared a close relationship with Fatupaito, expressed his grief and determination to honor his coach’s memory by delivering his best performance at the Olympics. He expressed how much he would miss his coach, noting Fatupaito’s calming presence, and acknowledged his deep feeling of loss. Plodzicki-Faoagali remains one of the leading contenders for a medal in the heavyweight division.
