Programme Director,
The South African government is committed to contributing to the nurturing and growing sport talent in the African continent, and specifically in its own sub-region. To this end the Zone VI Games, which brings together young athletes from countries in the region to compete in a range of popular sports, is an important event and one that South Africa supports wholeheartedly. It plays an important role to show the rest of the world the talent pool that exists in Africa especially, Southern Africa.
You are a team of athletes that our people are proud of. All South Africans, black and white, are behind you in your endeavours to succeed in these games.Our people know and are convinced that through your continuous participation in games like these, you are on your way to top performance in world sport.
Your brothers and sisters in 2008 went all out and put South Africa in greater heights. Out of ten Southern African countries, South Africa became first.
They won 56 gold medals, 40 silver and 14 bronze. This was definitely a first class South African Team.
The nation is expecting you to do more.We all say with you, the 2010 TeamSA can and will do us proud.
Go out there, this time we need more than 110 medals we won in 2008.
South Africa is proud of you!We trust you and we depend on you!
The contingent of TeamSA that went to the Commonwealth in Delhi made us very happy, we are proud of them.
They came back to their father land, South Africa, with 33 medals. Out of this 33 medals, we grabbed 12 Golden.
These South African Greats came fifth in the overall medal standing in the international platform with high standard.
They understood that South Africa is the Beacon of Africa.We have to stand firm not to disappoint those who believe in us.
We want you to emulate that spirit and dedication. South Africans are a respected nation in Africa and the world.
It is a sporting nation with huge sporting talent. South African athletes are feared world wild wide because of the commitment and dedication in sport, because of their trust to themselves and their team mates.
Sport in our country has revealed incredible potential and success to some world class sports people like Naas Botha, Gerrie Coetze, Gary Player, Hezekiel Sepeng, Natalie Du Toit, Caster Semenya, Baby Jack Matlala, Simphiwe Shabalala and many more South African greats.
Recording their successes in past years, one is left to acknowledge how these South African greats have managed to build on the foundation of their potentials when many in Africa and the world who kicked off their careers at the same time as these greats either hung boots or gloves; or even play in lower grades.
Thus, we trust that for each team member a winning performance at the games will be a step towards medal glory on the world sports stage, and that your years of training and preparation will pay off well.
This will assist the nation in its endeavour of nation building, social cohesion and unity and changing the quality of life of all South Africans to the better.
We hope that you compete in the 2010 edition of the Zone VI games will equal or better the standard set by the team that competed and won in the previous Zone VI games that was held in Potchefstroom in 2008. As such you have an important task to achieve the benchmark set by the South African teams that have competed in the past editions of the games.
We trust that you have managed to build a solid foundation of ‘team spirit’.What makes a team? A team has to have the same aim. It is to win the game or/and the competition. Everyone on the team should understand that and believe in it. A team has to work together and support each other to achieve its goal. They depend on each other’s efforts, input and strengths in order to succeed. Whether they win or not, they share everything together including responsibilities, rights and rewards.
A good team appreciates and values the different abilities and talents; potentials and personalities that come together to give them the added or comparative or absolute advantage.Each individual plays his or her part to give victory to the team.
At the same time, the coach knows that creating a great team is not just about sharpening skills, but also about building team spirit. The coach tries by all means to select and put the players in a winning frame of mind. He/she looks for ways of cultivating the “Camaraderie” or “Comradeship” between them through doing things that has nothing to do with learning how to play the game more skillfully.
Many great teams lost in important competitions because of negative thoughts about themselves or others or about bad vibes between each other. Positive winning teams know how to keep things positive and how to succeed. When one player or athlete make a mistake that costs the team dearly, his/her mates pat him/her on the back and encourage him/her rather than kick him/her when he or she is already down.
We urge you not to disappoint us by involving yourselves in unscrupulous behaviours. Your country is a signatory to the Anti-Doping Conversion. We believe in you that you won’t contribute in the behaviour that will embarrass you and your country.
You have trained enough. You prepared well and you are confident. Nothing can stop you.
We wish you a safe passage to Swaziland, a successful participation in the event and a triumphant return on its completion.
I thank you!
