Team Jozi to regroup after losing top spot in OR Games

28 October 2015

 

The City of Johannesburg’s sporting team failed to successfully defend its bragging rights as the champion of the OR Tambo Inter-Municipality Games in Krugersdorp in Mogale City on the West Rand at the weekend.

 

Though outclassed and outperformed, the team was not overly disgraced as it went on to win a silver medal after claiming the second spot overall, losing only by a few medals to the City of Ekurhuleni.

 

Ekurhuleni excelled in codes such as netball, cycling and shooting, while Team Joburg did well in male athletics, volleyball and morabaraba. The third place went to Tshwane.

 

Now in their ninth year, the OR Tambo Games are an initiative of the South African Local Government Association aimed at encouraging a healthy and active lifestyle among municipal employees, as well as to create a networking opportunity for them.

 

The Games, named after the late ANC leader, are held every October, a month dedicated to the late former ANC president, which is also his birth month. The one-day tournament features more than 20 sporting codes, including chess, action cricket, bowling, cycling, darts, golf, morababa, netball, pistol shooting, pool, race walking, road running, table tennis, squash, volleyball, ladies soccer, men’s soccer etc.

 

All in all, 219 municipal employees in Gauteng took part in this year’s tournament, demonstrating once more the seriousness with which the competitors are taking their sport and health. The standard of the tournament has improved over the years, with most of the municipalities maximising their preparations ahead of the competition.

 

Team Joburg manager Mandla Mdlalose said though the team was disappointed at losing the top spot, it did not mean it was not the end of the world. He said the team would regroup and start planning for next year.

 

Mdlalose agreed that the standard of the tournament had tremendously improved. He said part of the reason could be that most of the municipalities were employing young people who were “very active in sport”.

“The tournament has become highly competitive,” he said.

 

A post-mortem on Team Joburg’s performance would be held next week, he added.

 

Other municipalities that took part in this year’s Games were Mogale City, Sedibeng, Westonaria, Midvaal, Lesedi, Merafong, Randfontein, West Rand and Emfuleni. Ekurhuleni will host next year's Games. Last year Sedibeng was the host.