Rugby and soccer stars take part in wheelchair challenge
The grand final of the 2015 Vodacom Wheelchair Basketball Challenge will be preceded by a celebrity exhibition game on Saturday.
Three-time Paralympian Richard Nortje, one of South African wheelchair basketball’s favourite sons, has returned and will be in action at the 2015 Vodacom Wheelchair Basketball Challenge, at Vodacom World in Midrand, on Saturday, November 14.
After a two-year hiatus, Nortje has been lured back to the national side, the Amawheelaboys, to give the side an extra edge.
Nortje featured prominently for the Gauteng Province team that won the Vodacom Wheelchair National Championships title in Potchefstroom in September.
The team will be looking to add more silverware in 2015 as they vie for the Vodacom Wheelchair Basketball Challenge crown.
“My shoulders were tired after twelve years of playing non-stop but I am hungry to play again and it is great to be back,” Nortje said.
Nortje’s team will battle it out with North West, Eastern Cape and Kwa-Zulu Natal over the weekend, with the winner going away with a cool R100 000 in prize money.
The 34-year-old Nortje may not be a spring chicken anymore but what he lacks in youthful vigour he makes up for in experience.
Nortje also points out that although wheelchair basketball is physically demanding, it also requires a wide skill set to be competitive.
The grand final of the 2015 Vodacom Wheelchair Basketball Challenge will be preceded by a celebrity exhibition game on Saturday, with Springboks Trevor Nyakane and Adriaan Strauss taking part, along with soccer legend Marks Maponyane.
The celebrity exhibition game will take place at 14:00 ahead of the main match.
Vodacom is proud to be a sponsor of wheelchair basketball for the past 15 years.
