Bryanston club honours Paralympic bronze medallist through partnership
Club hosts glamorous partnership event for welcoming South African Paralympic bronze medal winner Lucas Sithole to Bryanston.
South African paralympic tennis bronze medallist Lucas Sithole recently had the red carpet rolled out for him by the Bryanston Sports Club, where he’s been welcomed to train and base himself.
Sithole is one half of the tennis pair who brought South Africa the nation’s first Paralympic medal in tennis at this year’s games from August 28 to September 8 in France.
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In an intimate dinner hosted by the club and the Nyatee Foundation on October 17, the club presented community development programmes and sponsorships that will come into being through a partnership between the club and Sithole.
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The head of marketing and brand strategy for the Nyatee Foundation in Bryanston, Itumeleng Molotsi, shared the foundation’s motivation behind supporting Sithole, as well as how he came to be a beneficiary of theirs.
“Bryanston Sports Club has become the platform where Sithole will be doing most of his training. He will now be based in the Bryanston area as a resident,” Molotsi explained. “We have many programmes and structures that focus on sports development – which is why we partnered with Lucas Sithole as a foundation. A key reason why we are here is to launch the Lucas Sithole Community Development Programme, for which he will embark on a rural and township school tour.”
Molotsi excitedly shared how Sithole would visit schools to talk about tennis.
“Remember, tennis remains a rare sport in townships because the facilities are quite minimal, so Sithole will be going into schools and talking about the sport of tennis as a career. We want to use these facilities as the platform for engagement. For instance, if we partner with Vodacom, then their staff will come and play here at Bryanston Sports Club with Lucas, more for motivational purposes.”
The club chairman Ian Snowball spoke about what influenced their decision to welcome the Paralympic bronze medallist to their sports facility.
“Winning a bronze medal at the Paralympics is no small feat. It requires years of hard work, sacrifice, and an unyielding spirit,” Snowball said. “Sithole has shown us that anything is possible with passion and perseverance. He embodies resilience, determination, and excellence. His dedication to tennis has not only brought him personal success, but has also inspired countless young athletes across our nation. This is something that we as a sports club appreciate, and what we’re looking to develop.”
Also present at the event were the Gauteng MEC for Education, Sports, Arts, and Culture Matome Chiloane, Sithole’s fellow Paralympic bronze medallist Donald Ramphadi, and wheelchair tennis department manager at Tennis South Africa, Patrick Selepe.
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