Lionel Elika Fatupaito, the esteemed boxing coach for the Samoa Olympic team, passed away on Friday, July 26, 2024, after suffering a massive heart attack in the athletes’ village in Paris, France. He was 60 years old. The incident occurred around 10:20 a.m. while Fatupaito was in his room with an athlete. Emergency services responded quickly, but Fatupaito could not be revived. French authorities confirmed that he died of natural causes.
The International Boxing Federation (IBA) expressed deep sympathies to Fatupaito’s family, friends, and colleagues. In their statement, the IBA highlighted that Lionel’s commitment and enthusiasm for boxing had a lasting impact on the community and that his legacy would continue to inspire future athletes. They also conveyed their thoughts and prayers to Team Samoa and everyone affected by his passing.
The passing of Fatupaito is a major loss for the Samoan sports community, especially the national boxing team. Pauga Talalelei Pauga, President of the Samoa Association of Sports and National Olympics Committee, honored Fatupaito by describing him as one of Samoa’s finest boxing coaches and a strong supporter of Olympic values. He also expressed that the thoughts of the entire Samoan sporting community are with Lionel’s family, his boxers, and friends, and noted that he will be deeply missed.
Samoa is participating in its 11th consecutive Summer Olympic Games, with heavyweight boxer Ato Plodzicki-Faoagali representing the nation. Plodzicki-Faoagali secured his spot in the Olympics after winning the 2023 Pacific Games in Honiara, Solomon Islands. In an emotional message on social media, Plodzicki-Faoagali expressed his grief, saying that words couldn’t capture his feelings and wishing his coach Lionel eternal peace. He reflected on their final photograph together taken just the day before. He also reminisced about meeting Coach Lionel at 15 while trying out for Samoa’s Youth team, describing him as a kind and generous mentor who shared his time, resources, and wisdom.
The loss of Fatupaito has left a void in the Samoan delegation, which held a team prayer ahead of their competitions to honor their late coach. The Samoan Olympic Committee reassured the 24 athletes in the delegation as they prepared for their events, emphasizing the profound impact Fatupaito had on the team and the broader sports community.
Fatupaito’s passing marks the sixth time a coach has died during the Olympics in modern history. The most recent incident occurred during the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics when German canoe slalom coach Stefan Henze died from injuries sustained in a taxi cab crash. The other four coaches were Israeli hostages killed during the Munich Olympics massacre in 1972.
Plodzicki-Faoagali, who had a close bond with Fatupaito, conveyed his sorrow and resolved to honor his coach’s memory by giving his best performance at the Olympics. He expressed how much his coach would be missed, mentioning that Fatupaito was the calm presence in their corner and that he would feel his absence deeply. He remains one of the top contenders for a medal in the heavyweight division.
