Two students from the University of Venda received a warm send-off when they were bidden farewell before jetting off to Beijing for the 2008 Paralympic Games.

The two, Sydwell Mathonsi and Kgothatso Montjane, will represent SA in the Open Women’s and Open Men’s division of the wheelchair tennis competition. Montjane recently became the first South African Wheelchair tennis player to qualify for the Paralympics.

It is not their first time to represent the country abroad as they were in Italy in June for the World Wheelchair Tennis Cup Tournament under the banner of the International Tennis Federation.

Mathonsi is a fourth-year BSc (Recreation and Leisure Studies) student, while Montjane is doing her third year of the same degree.

Bidding them farewell, the vice-chancellor and principal of the university, Prof Peter Mbati, said the University was very proud to have produced athletes of international standards while having limited resources. He said that, despite practicing without resources, they rose against all odds and became shining stars. He urged the duo to work hard in order make up for the disastrous performance the country had displayed at the Beijing Summer Olympics, where not a single gold was won by the country.

“Go out there and represent the country and not only the university,” he said. He urged more and more young people to take part in sport as it is through sport that they can lead a good quality life. Mbati also promised to pay special attention to the challenges facing sports on campus.

Mr Kirsten Nematandani, director of sports at the university, said he was worried that South Africa had not been doing well at the Beijing Olympics. “You are our hope and we have all our trust in you that you will bring something to console us back home. We hope you will carry our flag and do your best to represent us,” he said. Nematandani said the university had been producing top-class athletes over the years, who have represented the country internationally on numerous occasions.

Adv Enoch Maphwanya, director of student affairs at the university, praised the students for a job well done. “You have done us very proud as a university and we just hope and wish that you bring something back for our university and the country at large,” he said.