University Sport South Africa president, Nomsa Mahlangu says the upcoming University Games is an opportunity for young athletes to make a name for themselves.
South African Olympians, Akani Simbine and Tatjana Schoenmaker won their first-ever international medals at the University Games.Speaking to broadcaster Robert Marawa on #MSW, Mahlangu says the Games provide an important steppingstone for athletes. A lot of the people that have come through the system have been able to succeed on and off the field. It’s all about giving the necessary support to athletes. Sporting careers are not that long and so we need to encourage people to develop their skills, so they have something to fall back on once they retire.
Nomsa Mahlangu, USSA President Universities are at an advantageous place because we have a lot of the resources that are needed to develop sports people. We also have psychologists on hand, and we continue to play a crucial in the development of athletes. People that have gone on to win Olympic medals that have come through the university system and some of those athletes continue to use university facilities to train.
It is really unfortunate that we are where we are. This is something that could have been avoided because the federation knew they were going to the World Cup from the moment they qualified. A lot of people will forget this saga once the tournament starts, and people will forget the turmoil they have gone through and start questioning the players if they do not perform well.When Banyana came back from Afcon, the airport was packed, they played a match a few days later and the stadium was empty.