As 2017 draws to a close, there are still some exciting events ahead, such as the SuperSport Series and Vodacom National Championship wheelchair basketball tournaments
The year after the Paralympic Games is always a quiet one, however, there are a few competitions left for this year. Unfortunately, the World Para Powerlifting and World Para Swimming Championships that were due to be hosted in Mexico have been postponed due to the horrific earthquake. Our thoughts and prayers go to the people of Mexico – and we hope that the competition will still take place. The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) will keep everyone informed.
On the domestic scene, two Wheelchair Basketball Tournaments were recently concluded: the SuperSport Series and the Vodacom National Championships. The SuperSport series was one of the most closely contested series in a long time with the following teams taking part:
AGA Lions
Ricoh Pumas
Diesel Electric Services Eagles
KwaZulu Marlins
Eastern Cape Suns
Good Hope Construction Saints
After three rounds of great competition and closely fought semi-finals the Diesel Electric Services Eagles claimed third spot in a thrilling match that went into overtime. The AGA Lions took the final in a hotly fought contest against the KwaZulu Marlins. A big shout out to SuperSport for their continued support and both the third play-off and the finals were televised live on SuperSport.
The Vodacom National Championships were held in Tongaat in KwaZulu-Natal. The North-West Province won the finals against Gauteng, while Gauteng took the three-on-three title that was also on offer. This event is growing rapidly worldwide and I believe will make a big impact in the future, as it is fast, furious and exciting.
I recently attended the International Paralympic Committee General Assembly in Abu Dhabi, where Sir Philip Craven’s term as President came to an end and we had to vote for a new President, Vice President and Board members.
When Sir Philip took over in 2001 the IPC was almost broke and struggling to survive, but under his leadership the Paralympic Movement is now thriving and one of the most respected sports organisations in the world. He leaves a huge legacy for the others to follow.
The new President is Andrew Parsons from Brazil, someone I’m lucky enough to call a friend, and even though he has massive shoes to fill I know that he will do an excellent job. Good luck Andrew!
Next year will be a big one, as the qualification for Tokyo 2020 will start – and I for one am looking forward to the Road to Tokyo. I have a meeting there at the end of the month so my next column will cover some of what went on.
Leon Fleiser has been involved with sport in the disability sector since 1992, when he started playing wheelchair basketball. He captained the national team to the Sydney Paralympic Games and the 2002 World Championships. He started working for Disability Sport South Africa in 2001 as a Coordinator for High Performance. It merged into SASCOC in 2005 and he is now the Manager for Team Preparation and Academy Systems. He has delivered Team South Africa to numerous Olympic, Paralympic, Commonwealth and African Games.
