[imagesource:facebook]

Team SA was greeted with a fitting hero’s welcome when they landed in OR Tambo with a very impressive 49 medals following a successful campaign at the Special Olympics World Summer Games in Berlin, Germany.

The team excelled across a wide variety of disciplines, bagging 22 gold, 20 silver, and seven bronze medals amongst them.

Our heroes competed against 7 000 athletes hailing from 180 countries in this year’s games. As a result of their outstanding performance at the 2022 Special Olympics South Africa National Summer Games held in Limpopo, Team SA earned their spot in this year’s competition.

During the course of the three-day games, our 64 athletes showcased their talents in eight different sports which include athletics, aquatics, basketball, boccie, football, futsal, netball, table tennis, and ten-pin bowling.

In total, the games brought together 3 000 coaches and 20 000 volunteers from 190 countries to put on a spectacle that received too little attention from local and world media.

The team was met at OR Tambo by Deputy Minister Mafu alongside Minister Dlamini Zuma, Bogopane Zulu and Dr Phosa.

Deputy Minister Mafu welcoming the Special Olympics South Africa team this morning at OR Tambo International Airport
alongside Minister Dlamini Zuma, Bogopane Zulu and Dr. Phosa.#Berlin2023 #UnbeatableTogether #ChooseToInclude pic.twitter.com/YCLtA82BHe

— Department of Sport, Arts and Culture (@SportArtsCultur) June 27, 2023

Also there to welcome the champions was Tsepo Mhlongo, DA Shadow Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture, who said: “Their dedication, skill, and unwavering spirit have brought immense pride and joy to our country.”

Despite being sidelined in the media after a tumultuous few weeks, Team SA did our country proud. Welcome home, and bloody well done!

[source:sapeople]