Ninth Sport port Festival launched

Oudtshoorn, 29 May 2019 – The 9^th annual Oudtshoorn Sport Festival, that will take place on 7 June 2019 till 6 July 2019, was launched at the Oudtshoorn Bowling Club on Monday this week.

The sport festival is organised by the Oudtshoorn Municipality as a leading partner in conjunction with the Western Cape Department of Cultural Affairs and Sport (DCAS), that gives financial support towards the festival, the Oudtshoorn Sport Council, Eden Sport Council and the Regional and Provincial sport federations that host major sport events in Oudtshoorn.

“The main objective of the sport festival is to promote the Greater Oudtshoorn as a preferred sport destination within the Southern and Western Cape, promote sport tourism and social cohesion,” said Ian Laubscher, Oudtshoorn Municipality’s sport development officer.

Mayor Colan Sylvester, in his keynote address identified sport in the greater Oudtshoorn as an important development tool that also enhances the economy of the town. “Sport has an ability and a way to speak to children in the language understandable by children, sport has also a social component in it, it builds unity and relationships.”

“Since the Greater Oudtshoorn is a Sport Mecca in the Region, we as Council, are tying within our town’s priorities in the Integrated Development Planning (IDP) to focus in sport to make it one of the top focus areas taking the town forward.”

Mayor Sylvester highlighted the importance of the impact the Sport Festival has to boost the town’s economy. “The feet that will be in our town, are not only feet that walk around the town, but also feet that keep the financial cycle active in town. The Sport Festival is one of the contributors to employment opportunities in the Greater Oudtshoorn. It also promotes our tourism as another important economic component in town, ours is to continue to improving our facilities and think creatively so as to stay a preferred sport destination in our region.”

Sylvester also congratulated the organisers, administrators and partners who are working behind the scenes to bring the Sport Festival in town. “You are making our work of marketing our out town much easier,” he said. “The wide marketing and exposure you are exerting through sport brings more tourists to our town and the economic value and spin-offs the sport bring in our town is recognised.”

Jean Neethling, a senior official from the DCAS echoed the Mayor’s sentiment on the role of sport in economic development in the Greater Oudtshoorn. “The impact the sport and sport tourism has on our economy is very important. It is our department’s objective to promote sport.

“In April this year, we allocated funding to 35 federations for development and hosting of major sport events in the Garden Route District. Oudtshoorn Sport Festival is one of the festival that we support. It is always a pleasure to work with the Oudtshoorn Municipality, every year, the Oudtshoorn Sport Council, the federations and clubs. We will the Sport festival all the success,” said Neethling. 

Laubscher announced the following programme for the Sport Festival: