City hosts schools winter sport games

A contingent of more than 4 400 athletes, technical officials, school sport coordinators, personnel and athletes swooped down on Polokwane during the weekend to participate in the provincial schools winter games for primary and secondary schools and schools for learners with special needs.
The 3 500 athletes participated in chess, khokho, jukskei, rugby, hockey, tennis, football, netball and volleyball. The provincial School Sport Winter Games was organised by the departments of Sport, Arts and Culture and Education.
According to Veronica Choshane, Chief Director Sport and Recreation, the purpose of hosting the 2016 Provincial LSEN, Primary and Secondary Winter Games was to identify the schools and athletes that will represent Limpopo Province during the 2016 National School Sport Winter Games from 9 to 15 July in Durban.
Around R600 000 was budgeted for catering, accommodation, venues, facilities, public liability, equipment, transport, tents, toilets, mobile fridge, chairs, tables, security personnel and a public announcement system for the event.
In order to align school sport codes to the relevant seasons, the 2016 Sport Championships are played in winter, summer and autumn and these games are a culmination of games played at school, circuit, cluster and district levels. During these games, talented athletes are identified by federations through the Limpopo Academy of Sport and monitored by the Limpopo Sport Confederation. The identified athletes will be recommended to sport focus schools for further nurturing and development. These games also promote the culture of continuous participation in sport as pronounced in the Sport and Recreation Plan.
Various venues were used in Polokwane, Seshego and Westenburg where learners participated in the different sport codes.
Results
Chess: Winning schools in the chess competition were Dendron Primary School, boys’ u.13, Brussels Ngoako in the girls’ u.13, Seripa and Madie High Schools in the u.15 events and Masedibu High School won both the boys’ and girls’ u.18 categories. Seven learners from each age category will represent the province in the SA Championships

Khokho: The winner in the different boys’ and girls’ u.14 categories were Nape Primary School and Monyong Secondary School won both the girls’ and boys’ u.18 categories.
Jukskei: Dendron Primary School won both the boys’ and girls’ u.14 categories and Dendron High School won the girls’ u.18 category, with Mohlatlego High School winning the boys’ u.19 category.
Rugby: Only two categories participated in rugby and Mamarama Secondary School won the boys’ u.15 and DZJ Mtebule High School the u.15 girls’ category
Hockey: The u.13 boys and girls from Sunrise Primary School won the hockey and Kgopodi Primary the boys’ u.14 and Ben Vorster High School’s u.14 girls won their categories. Seven out of the 15 girls’ u.14 players representing the province at the SA’s will be from Ben Vorster.
Tennis: Kgopodi Primary and High Schools won the tennis in the boys’ u.13, and u.17. as well as the girls’ u.13 categories. SJ van der Merwe High School won the girls’ u.17 tennis and Thoyandou and St Brendons won the boys’ and girls’ u.19 categories.
Volleyball: In the volleyball for the deaf, Setotolwane won the u.19 category for boys and Tshilidzini Special School the u.19 girl’s competition for the deaf. Tshilidzini also took the honours for the u.19 netball for the deaf. Volleyball matches in other age groups were won by Pheeha, Mphetsebe, Malebo and Lephai Secondary Schools.
Netball and Football: Bana ba Thari won the u.16 South African Schools Association for the Intellectually Impaired (SASA) netball competition and Piet Joubert School the u.19 netball competition for schools with special needs (MMH). Piet Joubert also won the u.19 boys’ and girls’ football competition for schools for children with special needs. Other winning schools for netball competitions were Ben Vorster, u.14 girls, Millenium Combined, u.16 girls and football were Nwassori u.16 girls, Capricorn High, u.17 boys, Xibukujani Secondary, u.17 girls and in the SASA ii Boys, Fulufhelo won the u.16 boys and Hellen Franz the u.14 boys football competitions.

Featured Photo: Refilwe  Setwaba pledges the oath on behalf of the athletes, supported by Peter Maluleke, Master of Ceremonies at the event. 

NELIE ERASMUS
>>nelie.observer@gmail.com