Sports stakeholders come together at Alumni Reunion 2024

The Blue Room at UWC Stadium was lit up with remembrance and celebration on Saturday, September 21, as sports alumni were reunited after decades.

This event was part of a series of reunion programs that took place over the weekend with the aim of strengthening relationships between sporting alumni and raising awareness of existing sporting and fundraising initiatives at UWC.

The event was well attended by stakeholders from sporting organizations locally and internationally, including the South African Rugby Union (SARU), the South African Football Association (SAFA), the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (SASCOC ). ).

A series of guest speakers, led by Professor Anesh Singh from UWC's Department of Institutional Advancement; Dr. Lyndon Bouah, chief director of the Sports & Recreation Department of Cultural Affairs & Sports; Mrs. Ilhaam Groenewald, CEO of Maties Sport; and Professor Marion Keim, the UNESCO Chair for Sport, Development & Peace and Olympic Education.

Later, guests were addressed by Professor Tyrone Pretorius, outgoing Rector and Vice-Chancellor of UWC, who has a long history in sport and academia at UWC.

A tribute was paid by Raymond Martin, a UWC alumnus whose journey was highly championed by Professor Pretorius.

With fond memories of sporting achievements and student gatherings inspired by the sports and politics of the time, the event was a success and resulted in positive audience engagement as the speakers took the stage.

Ilhaam Groenewald put women in sports in the spotlight as a result of the successful collaboration of committed individuals over the years.

She mentioned the contributions to women's football by Jerry Laka, then Banyana Banyana Head Coach, and the growth of women's rugby by contributors such as Faiek Hendericks and Mandisi Tshonti.

Ilhaam also recognized Genevieve Lentz, an in-house table tennis referee at the 2021 Tokyo Olympic Games, Kayla Richards, who was part of the team in Paris as a physiotherapist, as well as sportswomen such as Themi Kgatlana, Amo Motau, Kaylin Swart, Leandra Smeda and Sitangele Gamede who Banyana Represents Banyana since 2010.

Ilhaam also mentioned UWC's promotion to the Varsity Cup in 2019, under the leadership of Peter de Villers, Deon Davids, the late Chester Williams and now Paul Treu – a shared dream between herself and the late Professor Brian O'Connell.

She emphasized the value and presence of academic leadership in sports organizations.

“Professor Tyrone Pretorius was also president of University Sport of South Africa. The impact of a Vice-Chancellor taking the reins and ensuring that those at the very top of higher education are part of steering university sport should never be underestimated.”

Ilhaam's list of thanks also included the evening's attendees, such as Dr. Bouah and his chess achievements.

There were many warm responses from the audience as Dr. Bouah recalled his first trip to the Philippines to play chess, and the 1976 uprising in South Africa, as mentioned in Cornelius C. Thomas's book Wakker woke en aan die fire.

Professor Marion Keim's speech spoke of strong intersections between academia and sport, and made apt mention of UWC's Masters Program in Sport & Development, the only one of its kind, both locally and internationally.

Professor Keim also shared moments from the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, with a video presentation shedding light on UWC's contribution to co-hosting and chairing the 2024 International Olympic Games at the Paris Education, Sports and Peace Conference , as well as collaborative partnerships with the Olympic World Library for research, education and community engagement in sports.

The highlight of Prof. Keim's speech was an announcement by Prof. Madiba, UWC Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Student Development and Support, on the establishment of the Sports Policy and Sport for Development Mapping research programme.

The program is a joint initiative of UWC and the International Olympic Committee (IOC), in collaboration with the African Union Sports Council, the UNESCO Chair on Sport, Development and Peace, and UWC's Olympic Studies and Research Action Group.

Professor Pretorius closed the event with a fitting comment in light of Heritage Month and UWC's intergenerational sustainability: “The great challenges of our time, poverty and global warming, cannot be addressed by a single institution, but by a cohort of countries and universities. By nurturing our international reputation with these global partnerships, we can ensure that future generations can continue to live at our university.”