Disability sport in gains momentum in Limpopo

Limpopo – Advocacy of disability sport was in the spotlight during the South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (SASCOC) Disability Sport and Classification Commission (DiSCC) workshop, held at the Olympic Towers, headquarters of Department of Sports, Arts and Culture in Polokwane recently.

The workshop was facilitated by Limpopo Sports Confederation (LSC) Secretary General, Puleng Mmotla, who hosted Secretary General of Gauteng Sports Confederation, Yaseen Lombard in an all-day workshop that was organized with an intention to share information, best practices and knowledge to effectively apply the Disability Policy meaningfully.

According to Mmotla, the workshop was organized to promote the spirit of ‘Leave No One Behind’, which seeks the realization for sport development that will cater everyone regardless in the communities irrespective of their physical appearance.

“The DiSCC workshop is a platform to unpack key concepts and the application of the Disability Sport Policy which was adopted in 2022. The workshop rallied visually impaired, physically disabled, deaf and intellectually impaired athletes to ensure they receive priority when programmes are designed and funded to promote inclusivity: women, persons with a disability, youth, aged and rural communities,” said Mmotla.

Addressing the workshop, Lombard, who is also a member of the DiSCC, said the gathering was about integration of ability and disability.

Lombard explained that over the years, the athlete’s disability was underlined over his or her ability.

He pointed out SASCOC’s Chairperson, Moekie Grobbelar, who is an Olympic bronze medalist for weightlifting, and that some of Moekie’s as an example after her accomplishments in international competitions, saying she could not be matched by most of abled bodied people.

Lombard also raised key challenges of access and inappropriate facilities which are often installed without first consulting persons living with disabilities.

“We have also assembled sport federations in Limpopo to share insights of the legislations and guidelines to address accessibility to training facilities, provision of equipment such as wheelchairs, making buildings accessible, providing hearing aids and protecting and promoting the rights of people with disabilities,” insisted Lombard.

Other key recommendations during the workshop included exploration of partnership opportunities with universities in order to increase the number of registered classifiers and avail facilitation of training opportunities by identifying optometrists, audiologists, physiotherapists and biokinetics to undertake the classifier certifications and skills transfer opportunities.

In conclusion, General Secretary Mmotla urged sport administrators and athletes to familiarise themselves with the SASCOC Disability Policy, which is readily available for distribution through the official WhatsApp groups of LSC. He advised members of the public who may be interested to get the copy of the policy to call or text him on 076 360 2091.