SA team named for Commonwealth Youth Games

The team will have representation in six of the nine sporting codes. These are: Athletics, Boxing, Lawn Bowls, Rugby Sevens, Tennis and Swimming with the biggest code in terms of numbers being Rugby sevens with a squad of 12 representatives.

Clifford Cobers, Chef de Mission for Team SA, will lead the team.

“As per the norm, we have selected the best athletes to represent our country and fly the nation’s sports flag high. Apart from the sports activities, the fact that these games are being held in the remote nation of Samoa, offers our athletes the opportunity to visit a country not often visited by South Africans.

“I therefore urge the athletes to grab this opportunity and enjoy this unique experience,” added Cobers.

SASCOC CEO, Tubby Reddy added: “The Commonwealth Youth Games, just like the Youth Olympic Games, are an extremely important part of South African sport. It’s at events like these that the stars of the future really start rising to the surface.

When South Africa competed at the 2009 CYG in Pune, India, it was at these games that Chad le Clos first started turning heads with his talent. He has since gone on to win a gold and silver medal at the 2012 Olympic Games in London.”

Sharing the same sentiments, SASCOC president Gideon Sam said: “The Youth Games, just like the African Youth Games, Region 5 Games and Youth Olympics, all serve as invaluable testing grounds where we as SASCOC are able to gauge exactly which codes are producing talent going forward and which codes still need more attention.

“At the last Games on the Isle of Man, Team South Africa took third spot with 30 medals and I don’t think the team needs any more motivation to try and equal or improve on that performance,” Sam concluded.

The holding camp for Team SA will take place in Johannesburg on August 29 and the team will travel to Apia on August 30 to compete against the other Commonwealth countries.

The team will stop over in Auckland and join the SA Bid Team in their final push at the Commonwealth Games Congress in Auckland on September 2, 2015.

The full team is as follows:

AQUATICS?

Boys: Neil Fair, Brendan Levy, Zane Waddell and James Isemonger

Girls: Erin Gallagher, Nathania Van Niekerk, Jamie Reynolds and Kaylene Corbett

Manager/Coach: Dean Price

ATHLETICS?

Boys: Kyle Appel, Tlotliso Leotlela, Mpho Tladi, Werner Visser and Burger Lambrechts

Girls: Nicola de Bruyn, Taylon Bieldt and Renate Van Tonder

Manager Coach: Christopher White

BOXING?

Ngema Ntethelelo and Nyawo Cedric

Manager/ Coach: Lodewyk Britz

LAWN BOWLS

Rowan Watkins and Aimee Schnetler

Manager / Coach: Jessica Henderson

RUGBY 7′s?

Heino Bezuidenhout, Curwin Bosch, Hacjivan Dayimani, Donovan Du Randt, Nico Leonard, Immanuel Libbok, Khanya Ncusane, Mfundo Ndlovu, Embrose Papier, JC Pretorius, Johan Visser and Damian Willemse

Manager / Coach: Marius Schoeman and Paul Delport

TENNIS

Boys: Damon Kesaris

Girls: Zani Barnard

Manager/Coach: Natalie Grandin 

GENERAL TEAM MANAGEMENT (GTM)

Clifford Cobers – Chef de Mission, Danisha Mendes, Bongi Langa and Steve Madihlaba

MEDICAL TEAM

Mamosilo Lichaba (Chief Medical Officer), Khuliso Netshivangani (Chief Physiotherapist), Colin Hill and Narayani Pillay (Physiotherapists)