Team South Africa named for 2015 IPC Athletics World Champs

“As we near our journey to the 2016 Paralympics, this is a crucial opportunity for all athletes to prove themselves through yet more excellent performances, like we have come to expect over the years from our para-athletes.”

The South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (SASCOC) has named a 23-strong team to compete at the 2015 IPC Athletics World Championships in Doha, Qatar, from 21-31 October.

This is the seventh IPC Athletics World Championships since the event’s inception in Berlin, Germany in 1994.

The competition will feature approximately 1,300 athletes from 100 countries and will take place in the Qatar Sports Club’s Suhaim Bin Hamam Stadium.

The team of 23 athletes will gain valuable experience at this prestigious event, one of the last major track and field competitions ahead of the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games.

The team selected for Doha is a combination of richly talented athletes who all have excellent track records, having competed in various international events.

At the last IPC Athletics World Championships in Lyon, France, Team SA ended with an 18-medal haul, putting them 20th on the medals table with the Russian Federation topping the table with 52.

SASCOC Acting CEO, Vinesh Maharaj said: “We believe this team that has been chosen to represent South Africa at the World Champs is a strong team with many athletes being potential medallists in the various track and field events and we wish them well. This time around we hope for even more medals on the table compared to the previous competitions.”

SASCOC President, Gideon Sam added: “As we near our journey to the 2016 Paralympics, this is a crucial opportunity for all athletes to prove themselves through yet more excellent performances, like we have come to expect over the years from our para-athletes.”

Of the squad named for Doha, five competed at the recent African Games in Brazzaville, Congo. They were Hilton Langenhoven, Jonathan Ntutu, Fanie van der Merwe, Tyrone Pillay and Johanna Pretorius. All five of them won medals in their respective events.

The full team is as follows:

Women: Anrune Liebenberg, Chenelle van Zyl, Ilse Hayes (nee. Carstens), Zanele Situ, Louzanne Coetzee, Juanelie Meijer, Johanna Pretorius and Rouxne Vermaak (Guide)

Men: Arnu Fourie, Andrea Dalle Ave, Charl du Toit, Dyan Buis, Tebogo Mokgalagadi, Hilton Langenhoven, Jonathan Ntutu, Reinhardt Hamman, Fanie van der Merwe, Union Sekailwe, Tyrone Pillay, Gerrit Kruger, Mpumelelo Mhlongo, Lean Simon and Jan van Staden

Officials: Karin le Roux, Suzanne Ferreira, Daniel Damon, Raymond Julius and Neels Matthyser

Medical Team: Evah Ramashala and Given Baloyi.