Tshwete games: 196 f ly Bay f lag

A total of 196 athletes from the Nelson Mandela Bay Sports Confederation will be taking part in the third edition of the Steve Vukile Tshwete Games, which start on Wednesday and finish at the Buffalo City Stadium, in East London, on Friday.

The team includes coaches and technical officials from six sporting codes – boxing, football, netball, goal ball, rugby and volleyball.

Team NMB finished second at the games last year, behind OR Tambo district.

NMB team project manager and chef de mission Sibongile Fondini said the team had been training hard for seven months and were confident they would go one better this time around.

“As NMBSC and all our stakeholders, namely Nelson Mandela Bay municipality and the department of sport, recreation, arts and culture, we really wish them all well and urge them to give their all on the field of play and also to act as great ambassadors for Nelson Mandela Bay.”

The games are held annually to identify new sporting talents and players that might represent the province at the National Games.

Speaking at the media launch, Eastern Cape sport, recreation, arts and culture MEC Bulelwa Tunyiswa said the purpose of the games was to encourage and promote mass participation in sport, especially in disadvantaged communities.

“The games are named after Steve Vukile Tshwete, who was the champion of sport development to the youth of the Eastern Cape and played a significant role in the unification of sport in the country, particularly rugby.

“If he was still alive, he would have turned 80 this year and it’s befitting that we keep celebrating and highlighting the immerse contribution he has [made] in sport.”