Team SA departs for Melbourne
6 March 2006
The 245 men and women comprising Team South Africa left for Melbourne on Sunday for the 2006 Commonwealth Games starting on 15 March. Team SA placed sixth on the medals table at the 2002 Manchester Games, and is looking to raise the bar even higher this time round.
As a multi-sports event, the Commonwealth Games rank second only to the Summer Olympics, and all 71 Commonwealth countries are expected to have teams in the Games' host city, Melbourne, from 15 to 26 March.
South Africa will be participating in all individual sports on the Games programme, namely: athletics, aquatics (swimming, diving and synchro), badminton, lawn bowls, boxing, cycling (road,
track and mountain biking), gymnastics (artistic and rhythmic), shooting, squash, table tennis, triathlon and weightlifting.
On the team sports front, Team SA will be in action in men's and women's hockey, basketball, netball and rugby sevens.
"Since its return in 1994, South Africa has built a proud tradition of participating in the Commonwealth Games, and was placed sixth on the medals table at the Manchester Games in 2002," said Sascoc second vice-president Berrington Mkhize.
"It is our mission to, at the very least, have a repeat of this outstanding performance in 2006 and, who knows, even raise the bar this time around."
A special characteristic of the Commonwealth Games is the full integration of certain events for elite athletes with disability, Mkhize said, and Sascoc had "reserved places in the team for those athletes who will merit selection to compete in the athletics, swimming, table tennis and weightlifting events".
Team South Africa
consisted of a core of excellent medal contenders as well as some "young and upcoming athletes who are showing real and proven potential as the stars of the future," Mkhize said.
South Africa at the Games
South Africa first competed at the Commonwealth Games in Hamilton, Canada in 1930, but was barred from 1958 to 1990 because of the country's apartheid policies.
At the 1998 Games in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, the South African team won 34 medals, including nine golds.
At the 2002 Games in Manchester, South Africa picked up 46 medals, including nine golds. Australia topped the medals table with 206 in total, including 82 golds, while hosts England finished second with 165 medals, including 54 golds.
South African swimmer Natalie du Toit claimed a major honour in Manchester when she was presented with the first David Dixon award for outstanding athlete of the Games.
Du Toit, 18 years old at the time, set two world records
and won gold in events for elite athletes with disability - and also made history when she contested the final of the 800 metres freestyle for able-bodied athletes.
SouthAfrica.info reporter
| 
