Sascoc comes to Gymnastics Club’s rescue

Was it not for the financial support from the South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (Sascoc), the Golden Lions Gymnastics Club would have missed out on taking part in the international 2013 Gym for Life Challenge in Cape Town recently.

Marilyn Glade, one of the parents says it was a huge effort to get 21 gymnasts to Cape Town, accommodate them, feed them and pay for petrol and toll gates. The gymnasts also left Cape Town at midnight after the event and drove home in order to save money.

“Fortunately Tubby Reddy, CEO of Sascoc made available the organisation’s two mini busses and the parents hired two drivers for the trip,” she says.

Golden Lions Gymnastics won a gold medal at the international event that was held in the Cape Town International Convention Centre where more than 1 500 gymnasts took part. By winning gold, Golden Lions Gymnastics qualified for the finals.

“There can only be one overall winner and an Austrian club won the event, but I am so proud of my gymnasts. They received huge applause from the spectators, gymnasts and coaches from all over the world,” coach Natalia Prokopchik says.

She says that the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) mentioned the club in their report, calling them “Freshness Golden Lions”.

Sports Minister Fikile Mbalula failed to keep an undertaking to pay the club for a demonstration at his R27m 2012 SA Sports Awards last November.

The gymnasts who come from Florida, Newlands, Westbury and Claremont were for an unknown reason excluded from “Team Gauteng” whose gymnasts all received some form of financial aid and the club’s owner, Wessel Oosthuizen, has asked Central Gauteng Gymnastics Association and the SA Gymnastics Federation for clarity.

“At least five of our gymnasts will take part in next year’s World Age Group Games in France and as soon as we have paid our Cape Town debt, we shall start raising funds for the 2014 event,” Glade says.