Cape Town - The South Africa Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (SASCOC) has announced eight track and field players to represent the country in the Commonwealth Youth Games in Nassau, Bahamas next month.
The group, made up of four boys and four girls, will be hoping to better the 10-medal mark achieved by the 2015 athletics team that went to Apia, Samoa.
The team, as unveiled by SASCOC on Tuesday, comprise of Luke Davids, Jayson Weber, Lindukuhle Gora, Adam Mayo, Caroline Mosime, Marli Viljoen, Keletso Senosi and Antoinette van der Merwe.
Athletics South Africa (ASA) President Aleck Skhosana expressed his faith in the team, with the belief that they will match or even better the 10-medal mark set by the 2015 squad.
“The 2017 team is equally strong and we believe they will defend the national flag and the title won in 2015 by their counterparts,” said Skhosana.
In Apia, the athletics team raked in six gold medals, one silver and three bronze in addition to the nation’s total of 35 medals in the multi-sport event.
Skhosana, however, said he understands that all is not going to be done in sailing.
“We expect all the athletes selected in the final team to continue training harder and remain focused during the preparation phase leading to competition in the Bahamas."
Team SA's Chef de Mission, Patience Shikwambana, also wished the team well, encouraging them to lead their careers in a way that will inspire the youth.
"Go and have fun, play fair and inspire more youth to take action and get involved in sport to change their lives and become better people in future through sport,” Shikwambana said in a statement on Tuesday.
The youth tournament, which is for youngsters between the ages of 14 and 18, will start on July 19 and run until July 23, with 70 countries expected to participate.
Various sporting codes include athletics, aquatics (swimming), road cycling, rugby sevens, tennis, soccer and boxing.