The Gauteng Department of Sport, Arts, Culture and Recreation is proud to once again be sending a team to represent South Africa at the Tricolour Games taking place in Italy this month.
The team of 132 young athletes from across Gauteng, aged 16 and under, will join the more than 1000 other athletes from over 20 countries. They will for the first time in their lives, have an opportunity to compete at such a high level with their counterparts from across the globe.
The 7th edition of the TriColor Games, themed “Sports can change people. People can change the world”, takes place from 24 to 30 July 2023 in the City of Reggio Emilia. Team Gauteng will take part in Chess; Football; Rugby; Basketball; Swimming; and Athletics.
This will only be the second time the province is part of the games which takes place every 4 years. The first time was in 2018 where only 90 athletes were sent.
This year’s Team Gauteng is made up of athletes selected from last year’s (2022) OR Tambo/Soncini Social Cohesion Games with a few selected by their respective federations.
Gauteng’s presence at the games is a result of a Memorandum of Understanding(MOU) between the province and the Reggio Emilia region to elevate economic, social and technological cooperation, including the use of sport to share knowledge and best practices.
South Africa and the city of Reggio Emilia have a rich shared history through the formidable friendship formed between Oliver Tambo Giuseppe Soncini in solidarity in the fight to end apartheid. The strong bond of alliance has endured and continues to foster cross geographical and generational friendship and collaboration, promoting social cohesion and mutual support, learning and sharing of knowledge.
This exchange programme enables skills development for children and coaches engaged in structured sports, as well as the trading of indigenous cultures and information.
Meanwhile, Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi will grace the honours function held for the team, to give recognition to athletes, managers and coaches who will be representing the province at the game