Cresset House residents to scores a spot at the Special Olympics
MIDRAND – Wenezel and Cornick will be on the team representing South Africa competing against players from 169 other countries.
Two residents of Cresset House for the mentally disabled in Glen Austin have been selected to play bocce in next year’s Special Olympics World Games in Abu Dabhi, United Arab Emirates.
Bocce is an Italian game. The basic principle of the sport is to roll a bocce ball closest to the target ball, which is called a palina. The duo, Richard Wenezel and Bradley Cornick, received gold medals at the Special Olympics South Africa, Summer Games, which took place at Wits University on 5 April, securing them a spot in the Special Olympics World Games. Evans Dibakwana also won a bronze medal for the 100m run but unfortunately could not make it to the global event.
“The first week after we received the invitation I was so excited, I could barely sleep for the whole week. I think it is the first time in Midrand that athletes are chosen to be part of the Olympic Games. This makes it even more remarkable,” said the coach for Cresset House and the Gauteng team, Kobus Cornelissen.
Wenezel and Cornick will be on the team representing South Africa competing against players from 169 other countries. Cornelissen said they will be practising every Wednesday until the Olympic Games begin. “We need to come back with medals and make the country proud. I also hope that I would be considered to coach the national team that will represent the country at the Olympics,” he said.
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** A previous version of this article reported that Cresset House for the mentally disabled is located in Carlswald. It is, in fact, located in Glen Austin.
