Morningside Country Club opened its first disabled bowling tournament in hopes to create awareness of the community of disabled athletes’ request for the same respect and attention as abled players.
The club invited disabled bowlers from all over the country with one goal in hand – to unite communities and to establish a foundation for the disabled bowling committee in Morningside. Over 15 members of the disabled bowling committee participated in the tournament on November 14.
Robert Zimmermann, the president of the Johannesburg Bowling Association (JBA), was all smiles while members participated in the tournament. “We as the JBA are showcasing the talents of the disabled bowling members from all walks of life to show the world that they are more than capable of playing amongst some of the able people. We aim to increase the participation within this area because it lends itself [to it]. Some of the people travelled as far as [from] the West Rand just to come and support the cause. We are trying to establish four of these tournaments per year,” said Zimmermann.
The presence of the scorching hot sun did not stop the participants from having the time of their lives as a few laughs and banters were thrown at each other on the bowling pitch.
Pietro Caliechio, one of the participants who received an award and a gift for coming first, was excited to share his joy with his family and members of the Morningside Country Club and the Johannesburg Bowling Association.
“It was all about the company rather than winning today. If it was all about winning, we wouldn’t have played this game. It is nice to see disabled people being able to enjoy and play sport with other people, I am grateful for this opportunity,” concluded Caliechio.
