Team SA ‘most transformed squad in our history’

With 50 days to go before the start of the 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games, the South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (SASCOC) has announced an initial squad of athletes to represent Team SA at the showpiece.

Athletes across 16 sports were named to represent Team SA, although this is not the final list. The qualification process for the sports for the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games is almost final, but there is a possibility that additional codes and athletes will still qualify before the 29 June 2022 deadline. Some sports are also still finalising their squads.

The sports named were: Para Athletics, Beach Volleyball, Boxing, Cricket (Women), Cycling, Gymnastics, Hockey (Women), Judo, Lawn Bowls, Netball, Para Lawn Bowls, Swimming, Para-Swimming, Table Tennis, Wheelchair Basketball, Triathlon, Para-Triathlon, Rugby Sevens and Weightlifting.

Team sports that will be going for glory in Birmingham include Netball, men’s and women’s hockey and men’s and women’s Rugby Sevens. The women’s cricket competition will be in the T20 format where Team SA will go in as medals prospects despite strong competition from Australia and England. In Rugby Sevens, the men won the gold medal at Glasgow 2014 and will be looking for a repeat performance in Birmingham.

A total of about 190 athletes were announced to fly the South African flag in Birmingham, including swimming Chad Le Clos who needs one more medal to overtake Australia’s shottist Phillip Adams as the most decorated Commonwealth Games athlete of all time.

They are currently tied on 17 medals.

The Chief Executive Officer of SASCOC, Ms Nozipho Jafta, explained the importance of the Commonwealth Games.

“To us, Birmingham Commonwealth Games presents an opportunity for those athletes with Olympic ambitions to stake their claim for Paris 2024 and LA 2028.

In 2010 in Delhi, Chad Le Clos won gold at the Commonwealth Games and two years later won gold at the 2012 London Olympics. In 2018 Tatjana Schoenmaker also announced her arrival on the big stage with gold at the Gold Coast’s Commonwealth Games and then she went on to win gold and World Record at the Tokyo Olympics. Khotso Mokoena won Silver in Melbourne in 2006 and was the only medallist in Beijing 2008.

“My heart bursts with pride when I look at the composition of Team SA that is going to Birmingham. Birmingham 2022 will have the largest ever female and para sport programme in history and Team SA will contribute significantly to this.”

SASCOC President, Barry Hendricks stated, “It’s with immense pride to be able to announce the most transformed Team SA squad in our history. It is testimony to the dedication and commitment from the athletes and their Federations to all in the sporting community.”

“We have come a long way and our ongoing commitment is to not just go to Birmingham and make up the numbers. We are there to compete and bring back medals and we are doing it with a squad that, for the first time, has a higher female representation than male,” he said.

The Honourable Deputy Minister of the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture, Ms Nocawe Mafu, congratulated the Team and wished them well as they prepare to go to Birmingham.

She reiterated that National Federations should place further emphasis on addressing transformation so that South Africa sends balanced and all-inclusive teams to International sporting events.

The Deputy Minister confirmed that Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games’ medallists would be rewarded to acknowledge their success.