SASCOC have announced the youth team that will be participating in the 2nd Summer Youth Olympic Games (YOGs) in Nanjing, China from 16-28 August, 2014.
South Africa will be represented by 54 athletes in 14 sporting codes, ranging from athletics to wrestling. The 2nd African Youth Games held in Gaborone, Botswana in May served as a test to what the prestigious Youth Olympic Games will be like for some of the sports. For athletics, Botswana was a qualifier and the athletes who won their events obtained direct qualification for the Nanjing Games.
In the previous and inaugural Youth Olympics in Singapore four years ago, swimmer Chad le Clos walked away with an impressive five medals and will this year be one of the Games Youth Ambassadors appointed by the IOC.
Sporting codes that Team South Africa will partake in at the Games are: Aquatics, athletics, canoeing, equestrian, golf, gymnastics, hockey, judo, sailing, shooting, swimming, tennis, triathlon and wrestling.
Announcing the squad, SASCOC President Gideon Sam said: "The Youth Olympics is an event that fills me with great excitement as we hope to unearth our future Olympic stars.
"We hope that Team South Africa will provide more than one star who will go on to shine at the very highest level.
"I must also remind the team that the YOGs are not purely about sport but, with the abundance of cultural and educational programmes featured, also an opportunity to embrace the international world and grow stronger as a person and ambassador. May you all make a name for yourselves in Nanjing."
SASCOC CEO Tubby Reddy also wished the team well. "For some athletes, Botswana was a test of what the team will experience in Nanjing. I think this team is a strong one considering that we won over 90 medals at the African Youth Games, so we would also expect a good performance in Nanjing.
"I would like to urge Team South Africa to follow in the footsteps of Chad, our Youth Olympic Games ambassador who did the country proud in Singapore and scooped up those five medals. Le Clos has gone on to improve on that excellence as evidenced by the fact that he is now an Olympic gold medallist.
"The games coincide with our celebrations of 20 years of democracy and freedom so let us raise our flag high and live the legacy of Nelson Mandela,"
"I am confident that the team will do the nation proud and fly the South African flag high," Reddy concluded.
TEAM SOUTH AFRICA
ATHLETICS
Males
Jason van Rooyen, Ronald Rakaku
Females
Gezelle Magerman, Jo-Anne van Dyk, Leandri Geel, Taylon Bieldt, Yolandi Stander
Officials
Coach/Coach Manager - Chris White, Coach – Hendrik (Pierre) Blignaut
CANOEING
Donna Hutton
Coach/Code Manager - Debra Bird
CYCLING
Males
Alex Limberg, Ivan Venter
Females
Relebohile Pebane, Maia Rawlins
Coach/Code Manager – Tyrone Johns
EQUESTRIAN
Alexa Stais
Coach/Code Manager – Lorette Knowles-Taylor
GOLF
Kyle McClatchie, Kaleigh Telfer
Coach/Code Manager – Gavin Raynolds
GYMNASTICS
Males
Muhammad Mia
Females
Mammule Rankoe, Shannon Gardiner
Officials
Coach/Code Manager- Hendrik Scholtz, Coach – Nina Ervedosa
HOCKEY
Males
Cody Van Wyk, Garth Turner, Jacques Bleeker, Luke Schooling, Matthew Martins, Nqobile Ntuli, Sbongumenzi Dlungwana, Ryan Crowe, Tevin Kok
Females
Buhle Zondi, Natalie Esteves, Cheneal Raubenheimer, Simone Strydom, Demi Harmse, Kaydee Miller, Marizen Marais, Kristen Paton, Marie Louw
Officials
Code Manager -Andrea Bernstein, Coaches- Bongani Tshutshani, Neville Rothman
JUDO
Unelle Snyman
Coach/Code Manager- Mark Desfountain
SAILING
Calvin Gibbs, Megan Robertson
Coach/Code Manager- Rob Holden
SHOOTING
Sybrand Laurens
Coach/Code Manager – Anne Morton
SWIMMING
Males
Brent Szurdoki, Christopher Reid, Jarred Crous, Joshua Steyn
Females
Justine Macfarlane, Marlies Ross, Nathania van Niekerk, Michelle Weber
Officials
Coach/Code Manager -Igor Omeltchenko, Coach – Linda de Jager
TENNIS
Lloyd Harris
Coach/Code Manager – Patric Tsunke
TRIATHLON
Nathan Le Roux, Jamie- Sue Vermaas
Coach/Code Manager – Jonathan Rambelow
WRESTLING
Males
Elbert Steyn, Reynhardt Louw
Female
Leanco Stans
Coach/Code Manager – Nico Coetzee
20 Years at #1: Your best source of news about the Olympics is www.aroundtherings.com, for subscribers only
Últimas Noticias
Brigitte Henriques: “The important thing is that the women who are elected should be chosen for their ability, not because we are looking for modernization in terms of gender”
“When I was a girl I couldn’t find a club to play soccer in because most of them didn’t work with women,” Henriques tells Around the Rings during an in-depth interview in Crete, Greece.
The Hula Report: Winds of Change for ANOC in Crete
New leaders coming for peak Olympic group. Whether other candidates emerge in the months ahead, a contested election for the ANOC presidency will be a first for the organization.
Gilles Gilbert Gresenguet, presidential candidate for AFCNO: “We must take advantage of Paris 2024 to bring the Olympic Games back to French”
The elections take place November 18, and Abakar Djermah Aumi, president of the Chad Olympic Committee, is also aiming to win them.
USOPC announces 613-member 2020 U.S. Olympic Team
Roger Federer pulls out of Tokyo Olympics: "I am greatly disappointed"
(ATR) Federer cites "a setback with my knee" for the decision.
