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UFS contingent flying national flag at Commonwealth Games

26 July 2022 | Story Jóhann Thormählen | Photo Supplied

The University of the Free State duo of Robert Summers (left) and Caden Kakora have been playing badminton together since junior level. They are part of the South African badminton team at the Commonwealth Games.

“A reflection of the commitment and hard work by all stakeholders under challenging circumstances over the past few years.”

This is how Maryka Holtzhausen, Acting Director of KovsieSport, describes the journey of sportsmen and sportswomen from the University of the Free State (UFS) taking part in the Commonwealth Games.

She says the UFS is very proud of the current and former Kovsies who will be flying their national flag at the showpiece in Birmingham, England, from 28 July 2022 until 8 August 2022.

South Africa and Lesotho represented

A total of eleven athletes and coaches with UFS ties, featuring in seven different sporting codes, will be competing at the Games.

Ten of them will represent South Africa and are part of the 251 athletes included in the final squad, while one will participate in the colours of Lesotho.

Anneke Bosch (women’s T20 cricket), Shindré-Lee Simmons (women’s hockey), Khanyisa Chawane, Lefébre Rademan (netball), Neil Powell (rugby sevens coach), Yolandi Stander (discus; athletics), Jovan van Vuuren (long jump; athletics), Robert Summers, and Caden Kakora (badminton) are all in Team South Africa.

Simmons, Rademan, Stander, Summers, and Kakora are current students, while Bosch, Chawane, Powell, and Van Vuuren are former Kovsies. Simmons also recently represented South Africa at the FIH Women’s Hockey World Cup.

The UFS triple jumper Lerato Sechele, who is the secretary of the Lesotho Athletes Commission, will represent Lesotho.

The Kovsie first-year student Elmien Viljoen (karate) will in turn be in action for South Africa at the Commonwealth Karate Championships, which takes place in Birmingham from 7 to 8 September 2022.

Power of sport

A proud Holtzhausen says their achievements also bring a future responsibility.

“It creates a sense of pride within the UFS community, but also instils a new responsibility to continue to strive for excellence and create opportunities to increase the UFS contribution on the highest levels.”

According to the former Protea netball captain, who represented South Africa in three Commonwealth Games, the power of sport is clearly visible at such an event. Holtzhausen played for her country at the 2010 Games in Delhi, in 2014 in Glasgow, and in 2018 in the Gold Coast.

“The Commonwealth Games eliminate all kinds of boundaries in South Africa, even between sporting codes.

“It brings Team South Africa together: athletes, team officials, supporters, and spectators unite in their love and passion for sport.”

News Archive

Monkey research attracts international attention

2016-07-11

Prof Trudy Turner from the University of
Wisconsin-Milwaukee and Prof Paul Grobler
from the Department of Genetics at the
University of the Free State, together with one
of the students researching monkey genes.
Photo: Siobhan Canavan

For this year’s Summer School programme, Prof Paul Grobler, from the University of the Free State Department of Genetics focuses on research about the conflict between monkeys and humans in areas where monkeys are regarded as problem animals.

Global expert part of research

This year, Prof Grobler is hosting a group of students and lecturers from the United States of America (USA). The group includes Prof Trudy Turner from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (UWM), a global expert on vervet monkeys. She has been working with the Department of Genetics at the UFS for the past fifteen years, and has also been appointed as an Affiliated Professor in the department.

“The Summer School programme is an opportunity for the American Primatology students to gain practical experience in Africa,” says Prof Grobler.

International interest in Summer School

This year’s Summer School programme involves four lecturers and nine students. The lecturers are from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (UWM), the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Boston University, and Central Washington University.

“We use the genetic information to determine
how monkeys historically infiltrated the
different areas in South Africa.”

This year’s focus is on the genetic structure of the monkeys in South Africa, and research that is being done on the differences and similarities in monkeys from different areas. “We use the genetic information to determine how monkeys historically infiltrated the different areas in South Africa,” says Prof Grobler.

Local nature reserve acting as host

The group will perform field work, including observing monkeys in the Soetdoring Nature Reserve, as well as laboratory work in the department, where they will be assisted by two laboratory technicians.

Two years ago, Prof Grobler and his department tested this idea on a smaller scale, and now they hope to make this a regular event.

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