Team SA will be putting their best foot forward at Tokyo Olympics

Olympic Team South Africa has officially started the 100-day countdown to the start of the Olympic Games with the launch of the historic veldskoen as their official shoe.

In his former capacity as minister of sport Fikile Mbalula, once said that the South African Olympic team uniform wasn’t visually pleasing.

He’s since taken up a different portfolio but the South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (Sascoc) appear to have considered his comments with the signing of a new sponsorship for the official off-track shoe for all SA Olympic and Paralympic athletes.

It makes the sports kit more appealing with a touch of something historically South African, the veldskoen.

Sascoc has partnered with shoe manufacturing company Veldskoen Shoes to get all the athletes in the Olympic and Paralympic team wearing the suede shoes off the field at the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Announced at the 100-day countdown press conference today at Olympic House in Johannesburg, this particular pair looks different from the original with identifiable sole and trimming in the numerous standout colours of the  the SA flag.

The boots are unisex and also come in children’s sizes.

The shoe plays a particularly meaningful role in South African history. It’s said the veldskoen was first documented by European settlers who came to southern Africa more than 400 years ago.

According to Khoisan tribal folklore, it’s been argued the shoes were made 1,000 years before that to accommodate the effects of the African climate on the feet, making them the first officially identified South African shoe.

Nick Dreyer, CEO and founder of Veldskoen Shoes, said: “We want people to show their support for our teams regardless of whether they’re watching in the stadium or from home.”

He wants the fun to be shared with a call for businesses to purchase veldskoens for their work teams in a bid to promote team spirit and unite South African’s while rallying support for Team South Africa.

Nick continues: “Businesses can buy veldskoens for their work teams and share in the spirit of being South African, by partaking in Veldskoen Fridays.

“It’s one day of the week when we want the whole country to wear their vellies to work.”

The opening ceremony of the Tokyo Summer  Olympic Games will take place on 23 July 2021 run for just over two weeks, closing on 8 August 2021.