Upon qualifying for the World Short Course Championships South African swimmers were told they would have to pay close to $1000 USD (R8 000) out of their pockets to attend the event.
In October North-West University heard about this situation and decided to sponsor the team in the range of $42,000 USD (R360 000) so that the money the athletes could be refunded.
In a press release from South African Swimming Mr Jace Naidoo, the President of South African Swimming extended his thanks again to the University along with their other sponsors, the Lotto and SASCOC.
Dr. Theuns Eloff, Vice-Chancellor of the North-West University has not hid how excited he is to help, “This is a young team heading to the FINA World Short Course Championships in Istanbul, but one brimming with potential and one that will be at its best come the Olympic Games in Rio 2016.”
“As a university, that is what we want to invest in: youth that are still determining the limits of their own boundaries. To watch these immensely talented athletes achieve their full potential is very exciting. Our national swimming team has always been a showcase for the best that is this country has to offer. They have, without a fault, showed perseverance, determination and resolve. Through their numerous achievements and by the sheer weight of their accolades they exemplify an attitude that we all, as South Africans, can be proud of.”
“For the NWU it is a privilege and an honour to be part of a building process that, I’m sure, will culminate in a medal tally to be proud of come Rio 2016.”
Earlier this week it was announced that Olympic Gold Medallist Cameron van der Burgh along with his Olympic teammates Roland Schoeman and Suzanne van Biljon would withdraw from the competition due to injury.
With those losses the South Africans will be looking to Olympic Gold Medallist Chad Le Clos to carry the load. Le Clos will be swimming both the 50 and 100 butterfly in Turkey. Currently he is ranked first in the world in the 100 butterfly (49.60) and seventh in the 50 (22.86).
Earlier in the week Head Coach Graham Hill downplayed expectation and in today’s press release Mr Dean Price, High Performance Coach for Swimming South Africa did the same.
“This team is a very young team and we hope it is the beginning of great things for these Swimmers. We need international exposure in order for us to build a strong squad for the 2016 Olympic Games. The standard of World Swimming is phenomenal at the moment and the young swimmers we are sending to Istanbul, should be our big contenders in three years’ time. This is definitely a building phase for us and the main focus here is for these youngsters to try and make finals. Any performance beyond that will be a bonus.”
