Durban- The Department of Sport, Arts and Culture (DSAC) is taking a group of athletes to Durban to represent the province at the National Summer Games for the Intellectually Impaired (SASA I.I) from 11- 16 April.

The National Summer Games for the Intellectually Impaired and the Deaf is an annual event aimed at affording disabled athletes an opportunity to participate in sport on their own in an environment free of intimidation from main-stream athletes.

“The athletes selected for the Provincial team made their way from local competitions to District and Provincial levels. Provincial selection took place in February with participants coming from special schools and centers across the Province” departmental spokesperson Shirley Montsho said.

The event is a partnership between DSAC and the Provincial Department of Education, with the objective being to increase participation in sport and to identify talent.

“The athletes have done fairly well at national level, with three soccer players already preparing for the National Training Camp, and one Cross country athlete preparing to be part of Team South Africa in Poland at the end of April” Montsho said.

About 97 selected athletes from the Province will be competing in Black Pool, Indoor Rowing, Table Tennis, Swimming and Cricket.

“Our constitution is based on the Freedom Charter and thus discourages inequality in any form to our people,” said MEC for Sport, Arts and Culture, Ms Tebogo Modise. “It is partly from that perspective that the Department promotes and strives for equality in sports.”-TDN
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