Herman and Van Dyk Renamed Sportsmen of the Year
21 / 10 / 2011
The swimmer Heerden Herman and the hand cyclist Ernst van Dyk were again named as Maties Sportsman of the Year and Sportsman of the Year for People with Disabilities. The announcements were made at Maties Sport's annual Sport Colours Dinner held at the Protea Hotel in Techno Park on 12 October. Both received the award in 2010.
Van Dyk, a nine-time winner of the prestigious Boston Marathon's wheelchair race, heads up SUSPI's Events Division, while Herman is a Stellenbosch University student who was also schooled in the town at Paul Roos Gymnasium. Both athletes also make use of SUSPI services and expertise as part of their preparations for international competition
Argentinian Sevens Squad Trains In Stellenbosch
17 / 10 / 2011
The Stellenbosch University Sport Performance Institute (SUSPI) recently facilitated a training camp for the Argentinian National Sevens team as part of the squad's preparation for the 2011/12 IRB Sevens World Series.
The team was in Stellenbosch for a week and resided in SUSPI's sport hostel which is situated a mere 5-minute walk from the main sport campus at Coetzenburg. In addition to training fields, the team also made use of SUSPI's Gymnasium and recovery facilities. Apart from the range of facilities available to international teams, the Argentinian squad had the additional advantage of being able to train with and against the Springbok Sevens team which has been based at SUSPI since 2007.
As a result Paul Treu's men were also able to hone their skills against their South American counterparts, as both squads will be looking to have successful upcoming seasons on the international circuit. The IRB World Series will commence on 25 November with the Australian leg of the competition. Thereafter the series will shift to Dubai (2-3 December), to be followed by the South African leg in Port Elizabeth during the period 10-11 December. The series will then break until February 2012, after which another six legs will be played into May.
The sevens circuit has a rich reputation for grooming future stars in the fifteen man code, with Springbok Gio Aplon being a notable example having been a critical member of Paul Treu's squad previously.
SUSPI Exploring African Options
17 / 10 / 2011
With the world's collective eye beginning to turn increasingly towards next year's Olympic Games in London, it is clear that the African continent offers a rich array of sports business and training opportunities. This is the view of SUSPI CEO, Ms Gugu Ntuli, after a recent visit to the 10th All African Games in Maputo, Mozambique.
Ntuli formed part of a Stellenbosch University Sport Performance Institute (SUSPI) delegation that visited the Games in order to showcase SUSPI and Stellenbosch University's overall sports offering, while simultaneously gaining insight into the state of high performance sport on the continent. The delegation also included Prof Julian Smith, Vice-Rector: Community Interaction and Personnel, as well as SUSPI Senior Executives Chris Steyn and Sas Bailey.
The Games were held during the period 3-18 September, and comprised a total of 20 sport codes. South Africa ultimately topped the medals table with a total of 156, of which 61 were gold medals. During their 3-day visit the SUSPI delegation was given the opportunity to interact with a number of prominent role players within African sport, including representatives of Angola, Zambia, Nigeria and Mozambique, to name a few.
"SUSPI is committed towards establishing future partnerships with National Olympic Committees on the continent since we believe that there exists great scope for the forging of mutually beneficial sporting relationships in Africa," says Ntuli. "The All Africa Games visit also provided us with some valuable opportunities to assess the needs of other federations with regards to preparing and developing their athletes over time, and we certainly hope to play an increasing role in this regard in the future."
In addition to the aforementioned interaction with African representatives, the visit also provided a valuable means to strengthen existing relationships with South African entities such as the Department of Sport and Recreation (SRSA) and the South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (SASCOC). "These entities played a valuable role in assisting the SUSPI delegation on its visit to Mozambique, and we are very thankful for their valuable support," said Ntuli.
The visit to the All Africa Games has already begun to bear fruit, as SUSPI has received a reciprocal visit from Mr Iliasse Fakir, a representative of Perola Negra Lda - a sports marketing and management company based in Maputo. The basis of this visit was the exploration of future collaboration between SUSPI and Mr Fakir's organisation, and according to Ntuli “some very positive groundwork has been established in this regard".
"We have also lined up some similar reciprocal visits to Stellenbosch by groups and individuals that we met in Maputo, and we look forward to further exploring the collaborative possibilities in this regard," she said.
Van Dyk Captures Gold At World Championships
17 / 10 / 2011
Ernst van Dyk, one of the world's most recognisable athletes within disability sport, recently added another accolade to his dazzling array of international achievements when he captured the gold medal in the Men's H4 race at the 2011 UCI Para-Cycling Road World Championships held in Roskilde, Denmark.
Van Dyk, a nine-time winner of the prestigious Boston Marathon's wheelchair race, heads up SUSPI's Events Division - a role which allows him to utilise his considerable knowledge and experience gained through competing at top international events around the globe.
His latest triumph has certainly signaled a warning to his main rivals in the handcycling discipline. Van Dyk is the current Paralympic Champion in the road race, having won gold in Beijing in 2008, and will certainly be looking to retain that title in London next year. The race in Roskilde was a keenly contested affair, with Van Dyk finishing ahead of Belgium's Wim Decleir and Germany's Norbert Mosandl in a sprint finish. He completed the 61.5 km course in a time of 1hr 45mins 52sec.
