USSA News Delegation preparations continue, readying for Chengdu Preparations for this summer’s Chengdu 2021 FISU World University Games are in full swing, with Team South Africa fully focused on sending their best athletes to the competition and making their mark on the global stage. At the recent Head of Delegations meeting, South Africa’s Deputy Head of Delegation Thabo Moilwa and Project Manager Dumisani Dondashe formed part of the 79-strong global delegation involved in the five-day forum, where participants were informed about various aspects of the Games, were able to visit the sports venues around Chengdu as well as participate in a social programme around the city. Project Manager Dondashe was left impressed by what he experienced in Chengdu. "The LOC [Local Organising Committee] and the government of the People’s Republic of China have done a great job, with the renovations and building of new facilities," he told fisu.net. "They have been ready for two years and we are really happy for them that this event can now finally take place. Let’s get the Games going!" RSA 1Following his return from China, Dondashe and fellow University Sports South Africa staff have now turned all their efforts into readying up for the tournament ahead of the final squad announcement on June 28th. Several training camps have recently been concluded around the country, with assessments now taking place to determine the final selection of athletes. "We are looking to select approximately 150 athletes, who will take part in athletics, archery, badminton, diving, fencing, gymnastics, tennis, judo, swimming, basketball (men) and waterpolo (women)," Dondashe reveals. "We have a general selection policy that we use as a barometer, coupled with sports code selection criteria that speaks to qualifying times and international, continental and national ranking of athletes." South Africa brought home 18 medals from the Napoli 2019 FISU Games, earning them a first-ever top 10 spot on the final medals table, a target Dondashe believes they can improve upon this year. "One thing is for sure, we are aiming to win 18 medals or more and ensure that we are in the top 10 once again," he says. "I am very confident that our judo, archery, athletics, and swimming athletes will be among the medals. Overall though, we are pushing for a podium finish in Chengdu." Based on recent results, participation, and achievement, Dondashe believes South African university sport is in a healthy state as the federation looks to continue growing in future. "We are ranked amongst the best organisations in the world, and we continue to compete in no less than five FISU World University Championships," he says. "We had women boxers being awarded medals at the recent [2022] FISU University World Cup Combat Sports, we were equally the first-ever country to send a blind athlete to the 2018 FISU Cross Country Championships in Lausanne. We have whet our appetite in terms of hosting major events: we’ll be hosting squash in 2024 and soon an announcement around an event in 2024 will be communicated, while we’re already looking ahead to the 2026 FISU Championships. "We are also hosting the FASU [Federation of Africa University Sports] 3x3 Basketball Championships, and in May we host the FISU-FASU Strategic Dialogue and General Assembly. We shall continue to position ourselves in Africa as a strategic partner and an ally for fellow African countries. This being said, there is still a lot that we aim to do with our sister countries in Africa to ensure that we continue our development." Posted by Fabio De Dominicis on 22 May, 2023. Source: FISU