Exciting provincial sporting action is on show across East London today as the annual Steve Vukile Tshwete (SVT) Games kicks off around the city.
All the regions of the Eastern Cape will be competing for provincial glory across seven sporting codes.
Rugby, football, boxing, netball, volleyball, table tennis and goal ball (a sport for athletes with visual impairments), will be battled out by the various regional teams in both the men’s and women’s divisions.
On the local front the Buffalo City teams will be hoping for a lot of support and to utilise their homeground advantage against the other teams coming from Alfred Nzo, Amathole, Joe Gqabi, Nelson Mandela Metro, OR Tambo, Chris Hani and Sarah Baartman.
“It is a very important event for the province to hold, with all of the districts coming here to take part in these games,” said Border Bulldogs Director of Rugby Dumisani Mhani, who is in charge of the rugby side of the SVT Games.
“It is a very good opportunity for all of these athletes to possibly be identified, so as to further their sporting careers.
“It is also a great occasion that is a big talent identifying opportunity for the Border and EP federations, especially on the rugby side.”
The Eastern Cape province through the Provincial Department of Sport, Recreation, Arts and Culture (DSRAC) and Local Government through the South African Local Government Association (Salga) are hosting these games for the second time.
“It is indeed with great excitement that as the sport-loving people of the Eastern Cape we are coming together for the Steve Vukile Tshwete Games in the Buffalo City,” said sport, recreation, arts and culture MEC Pemmy Majodina.
“Buffalo City prides itself for being the birthplace of this great son of Africa.
“These games are named after him due to the role he played, together with other Eastern Cape leaders, in driving the non-racial sport movement.
“The 2017 games are also very important to us as they take place during the closure of the OR Tambo Centenary and towards the launching of the Nelson Mandela Centenary.
“Our leaders, as they were leading in the broader liberation movement, they always believed that sport was an important tool in keeping our people together, and therefore served as a unifier and a builder of bridges across various races of our country.”
The SVT Games was introduced last year when the Premier Games and Salga Eastern Cape Municipal Games merged.
The games are held annually so as to identify new sporting talents and also use this platform to identify players that might represent the province at the National Games.
The official opening of the 2017 SVT Games was held at the BCM Stadium last night.
Two Sevens rugby games and the first round of the boxing began late yesterday afternoon, while the rest of the sports get under way today.
The games will be played at different venues around the city with the rugby at the BCM Stadium, football at Bunkers Hill Sports ground, boxing at Robbie de Lange in West Bank, netball at Selborne Park, volleyball at Parkside Community Hall and Gompo Hall, table tennis at Braelyn Hall and goal ball at Cambridge Hall.
The action will be played throughout the day, starting from early this morning.
Now let the Games begin
All the regions of the Eastern Cape will be competing for provincial glory across seven sporting codes.
Rugby, football, boxing, netball, volleyball, table tennis and goal ball (a sport for athletes with visual impairments), will be battled out by the various regional teams in both the men’s and women’s divisions.
On the local front the Buffalo City teams will be hoping for a lot of support and to utilise their homeground advantage against the other teams coming from Alfred Nzo, Amathole, Joe Gqabi, Nelson Mandela Metro, OR Tambo, Chris Hani and Sarah Baartman.
“It is a very important event for the province to hold, with all of the districts coming here to take part in these games,” said Border Bulldogs Director of Rugby Dumisani Mhani, who is in charge of the rugby side of the SVT Games.
“It is a very good opportunity for all of these athletes to possibly be identified, so as to further their sporting careers.
“It is also a great occasion that is a big talent identifying opportunity for the Border and EP federations, especially on the rugby side.”
The Eastern Cape province through the Provincial Department of Sport, Recreation, Arts and Culture (DSRAC) and Local Government through the South African Local Government Association (Salga) are hosting these games for the second time.
“It is indeed with great excitement that as the sport-loving people of the Eastern Cape we are coming together for the Steve Vukile Tshwete Games in the Buffalo City,” said sport, recreation, arts and culture MEC Pemmy Majodina.
“Buffalo City prides itself for being the birthplace of this great son of Africa.
“These games are named after him due to the role he played, together with other Eastern Cape leaders, in driving the non-racial sport movement.
“The 2017 games are also very important to us as they take place during the closure of the OR Tambo Centenary and towards the launching of the Nelson Mandela Centenary.
“Our leaders, as they were leading in the broader liberation movement, they always believed that sport was an important tool in keeping our people together, and therefore served as a unifier and a builder of bridges across various races of our country.”
The SVT Games was introduced last year when the Premier Games and Salga Eastern Cape Municipal Games merged.
The games are held annually so as to identify new sporting talents and also use this platform to identify players that might represent the province at the National Games.
The official opening of the 2017 SVT Games was held at the BCM Stadium last night.
Two Sevens rugby games and the first round of the boxing began late yesterday afternoon, while the rest of the sports get under way today.
The games will be played at different venues around the city with the rugby at the BCM Stadium, football at Bunkers Hill Sports ground, boxing at Robbie de Lange in West Bank, netball at Selborne Park, volleyball at Parkside Community Hall and Gompo Hall, table tennis at Braelyn Hall and goal ball at Cambridge Hall.
The action will be played throughout the day, starting from early this morning.
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