Children between the ages of three and five years old came in large numbers to participate in this year’s Vhembe Children Sports Day, which was recently held at Skoonplaas Stadium near Musina.

The crèches that participated in the games were from Musina, Thulamela, Makhado and Mutale. The games, which are aimed at nurturing sporting talent from a young age, are the brainchild of the Vhembe District Municipality. Sporting and athletics codes presented on the day included a peg race, 100 metres relay race and a tyre-pushing race. Boys and girls were competing against each other in similar activities, regardless of their gender.

The overall top achievers trophy went to Thulamela Municipality, who scored 66 points. Makhado followed with 36 points, with Mutale and Musina third and fourth with 14 and 9 points respectively. Rofhiwa Muleya (5) from Musina won the 80 metres category and won a gold medal.

Mr Mulalo Mudau, one of the parents who attended the event, said it was overwhelming to see children competing against their peers: “Sport plays a vital role in our children’s lives. We should always encourage our children to participate in sport more often.”  

The councillor responsible for sports in Musina Municipality, Mr Bigboy Ndou, stated that, judged by the number of crèches which participated in the competition, “we are confident that we are moving in the right direction by nurturing young talent through sports. We urge parents to encourage kids to participate in sports because there are many benefits thereof.”