Johannesburg - SASCOC president Gideon Sam on Wednesday announced the addition of 32 more sportsmen and women for the South African team to do duty at this year’s Commonwealth Games in New Delhi, India in October.

Added to the squad at the announcement at Olympic House in Johannesburg were further representatives from track and field, rugby sevens, cycling, swimming and para powerlifting.

Last month an initial Commonwealth squad of 115 names were announced, also in Johannesburg.

It’s expected that the bulk of South Africa’s medals in New Delhi will come from athletics and swimming and with Sevens rugby having being included as an Olympic code in Rio, 2016, this sporting code takes on added significance.

Eleven athletes were named on Wednesday and as expected world 800m champion Caster Semenya is among them as she continues her comeback after being cleared to compete by the IAAF last month. Also there are world 800m men’s champion Mbulaeni Mulaudzi, Olympic long jump silver medallist Khotso Mokoena and Commonwealth champions Elizna Naude (discus), Sunette Viljoen (javelin) and LJ van Zyl (400m hurdles).

Recently crowned world junior track 1000m time trial champion Bernard Esterhuizen is also in the team.

Four swimmers joined the squad: Jean Basson, Graeme Moore, Sebastien Rousseau and Charl van Zyl.

Speaking at the latest announcement Sam said the country needed to focus on its strengths. “It’s now becoming clearer that we have to move in the direction where our strengths lie. South Africa must learn to play to their strengths and I think that there’s no doubting that swimming and athletics must be the core of our medal onslaught in New Delhi.

“The other federations will still play their part, like lawn bowls that has traditionally been strong for us at previous Commonwealth Games, but the main thrust must be athletics and swimming. “I think South African sports fans are often obsessed with winning medals at each and every sport that we take part in but that can’t always be the case.

“Having said that, If athletics and swimming don’t fire on all eight cylinders then we are in trouble so we must put all our energies firmly behind them.

“I’m very happy to see the return of Caster Semenya to duty for South Africa. We have observed her progress closely since the IAAF cleared her to run and it’s good to hear her say that she’s focusing all her efforts on the Commonwealth. The fact that she’s unbeaten in her three races thus far and has improved her time on each occasion is good news for our medal effort in New Delhi.”

Sevens coach Paul Treu makes no bones about the task lying ahead in New Delhi. “We’ll be taking quite a young, inexperienced side to New Delhi and it’s going to be tough coming up against the likes of Australia and New Zealand who will be drafting in some members of the 15-man code.

“But we’re going to be working very hard from now until the Commonwealth Games because we obviously want to try and win a medal for the team.”

Treu was a player when the Sevens side won a bronze medal in Manchester in 2002 and was coaching the side in Melbourne in 2006. 
“It’s still quite a unique experience for the guys when we are part of a multi-sport event but as usual we’ll be buying into the team spirit and supporting all the other codes.

“With this in mind the World Games in Taiwan was a great learning experience last year and with sevens being part of the 2016 Olympics in Rio these multi-sport events can only be good for us a team in the lead up till then.”

Since their return to the Commonwealth, South Africa have never finished lower than 12th on the medals table. Their first Commonwealth Games after isolation were in Victoria, British Colombia where they won 11 medals to place 12th. Since then they have been represented in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (1998), Manchester (2002) and Melbourne (2006).

In Melbourne they were fifth on the medals table, winning a total of
38 medals (12 gold, 13 silver and 13 bronze) and finishing behind Australia, England, India and Canada. South Africa’s gold medals came from swimming (five), track and field (five) and one each from boxing and shooting.

A total of 17 sports will be contested at the Games: Archery, Aquatics, Athletics, Badminton, Boxing, Cycling, Gymnastics, Hockey, Lawn Bowls, Netball, Rugby Sevens, Shooting, Squash, Table Tennis, Tennis, Weightlifting and Wrestling.

Apart from these sports, 15 events will be contested across four Para- Sports codes, for elite athletes with a disability, on the inclusive sports programme. These are Athletics, Swimming, Powerlifting and Table Tennis.

Names added to the Commonwealth Games squad on Wednesday:

Athletics:
Elizna Naude, Justine Robbeson, Caster Semenya, Sunette Viljoen, Chris Harmse, Simon Magakwe, Khotso Mokoena, Mbulaeni Mulaudzi, Cheyne Rahme, Tumelo Thagane, LJ Van Zyl
Manager: Motlatsi Kekabele. Coaches: Brandan Du Plessis, Carl Preller
Para-athletes: Samkelo Radebe, David Roos
Manager/coach: Jacobus Matthyser

Cycling:
Bernard Esterhuizen

Para powerlifting:
Johannes Matthysen, Evgeni Niklaevich.
Manager/coach: Rodney Anthony

Rugby Sevens: Cecil Afrika, Ryno Benjamin, Bernardo Botha, Kyle Brown, Renfred Dazel, Branco du Preez, Christopher Dry, MJ Mentz, Chase Minnaar, Lubabalo Mtembu, Johannes Prinsloo, Sibusiso Sithole
Manager: Sebastien Prim. Coach: Paul Treu. Assistant coach: Allan Temple-Jones

Swimming:
Jean Basson, Graeme Moore, Sebastien Rousseau, Charl van Zyl
Manager: Laura Postma. Coaches: Graham Hill, Pierre de Roubaix, Cedric Finch, Dean Price

General team management
Chef de Mission: Patience Shikwambana
Manager (Logistics): Isaac Mdaka
Manager (Athlete Services): Jean Kelly
Administration: Jabu Malindi, Zandile Monyadi, Thiru Mundree, Jameson Seale, Sonja Grobler, Kayalethu Majeke