From water skiing to tug of war… SA team set for World Games

A SQUAD of 39 athletes have been named to represent Team South Africa at the 2013 World Games in Cali, Colombia, from July 25 to August 4.

The team will take part in nine sports in the Games, a quadrennial highlight for the non-Olympic sporting codes.

Sports that Team South Africa will compete in are: Aerosport, archery, cue sport, gymnastics, lifesaving, orien- teering, rugby sevens, tug of war and waterskiing.

As expected, the bulk of the squad will come from the team sports, namely tug of war and rugby sevens.

Two of these sports brought back medals from the last edition of the World Games, in Kaohsiung City, Taiwan, four years ago.

Ryan Brennan (lifesaving) and the rugby sevens side both brought back bronze while Heinrich Sam won silver in barefoot waterskiing.

In Taiwan, South Africa competed in 13 sports codes.

Prior to that, at the 2005 World Games in Duisberg, Germany, South Africa brought home five medals, including silver in rugby sevens.

Many of the current squad have already got World Games experience under their belts, and Tania Wimberley, South Africa’s first athlete to compete at the 2009 Games, is included in a management-coaching capacity in the orienteering code.

So too are Vuyo Zangqa and Neil Powell. They were both sevens rugby players in Taiwan and are now coach and assistant coach respectively.

“The World Games are a true celebration for the sporting codes that don’t get to expe- rience the Olympic Games.

“However the pride and passion shown by competitors is just as fierce and our athletes will know that they are up against the very best in the world in Cali,” said SA Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (Sascoc) president Gideon Sam. Aero sport: Christopher Teague Archery: Gabriel Badenhorst. Cue Sport: Manuel Francisco, Nicola Rossouw. Gymnastics: Bianca Zoonekynd. Lifesaving: Paul van Achterbergh, Rudolph Visser, Armand Marais, Barend van Niekerk, Daniel Malan, Megan Stephens, Carmel Billson, Guinivere Rogers, Samantha Plumb, Jayne Broderick. Orienteering: Michael Crone. Rugby Sevens: Jama Ulengo, Philip Snyman, Werner Kok, Kyle Brown, Reuben Johannes, Willem Strydom, Stephen Dippenaar, Mark Richards, Seabelo Senatla, Steven Hunt, Ruwellyn Isbell, Cornal Hendricks. Tug of War: Ane Ras, Bea Terblanche, Claudia Rix, Kim Carstens, Kittie Terblanche, Kobie Phillips, Leonell Steyn, Rene Ras, Yolandi Rabe. Waterskiing: Dylan Mitchell, Gabriella Viljoen.