Top UWC Athletes Honoured
It took Cedric Achilles about 10 minutes to name the long list of some of the University’s sporting achievements in 2014 and beyond. Achilles, the acting head of sport at the University, was welcoming guests at this year’s annual sports awards, hosted to celebrate the outstanding performances of athletes.
Among those who were honoured was UWC Ladies superstar and Banyana Banyana midfielder, Leandra Smeda, who was announced as the sportsperson of the year, and the Athletic Club which was chosen as the club of the year, to name a few.
Achilles noted that every conscious effort of athletes to excel in the various sporting codes, and in helping others to grow, contributes in many ways to the building of our institution.
“By recognising and celebrating the achievements of our sporting idols we also help to inspire our next generation of athletes and administrators. It gives them the confidence that with the same qualities of courage and commitment, anything is possible”.
Professor David Fisher, acting deputy vice-chancellor for Student Development and Support, noted that in a very diverse student population such as UWC, sport can be a very successful catalyst not only for uniting the student population, but also as a means of building the confidence of the student body. “Thus the principles embedded in sport are crucial to the development of wholesome character. How we respond to adversity, losing, winning and success on the field provides the tools to respond to these facets of life off the field,” he said.
Fisher added that although a large proportion of our students come from impoverished backgrounds, there can be no doubt about their inherent athletic talent. “It is the vision of the office of the DVC-SDS to promote programmes which enable the early identification of these talented individuals (already from school level), and to hone this talent to its full potential, and in this respect, to give expression to what it means to be a community engaged Institution,” he said.
In addition to its existing world class facilities, the University is investing millions of rands into upgrading its infrastructure and coaching resources in order to improve UWC’s competitiveness and brand as a winning university, and Fisher called on all stakeholders to “step up to the plate”.
