Chinese Embassy injects money into cash-strapped SA National Climbing Federation team heading to Guizhou
The South African National Climbing Federation has selected a team which will next week travel to participate at the 2024 International Federation of Sports Climbing (IFSC) Youth World Championships which take place in the People’s Republic of China later this month.
The IFSC Youth World Championships will commence on August 22 in the city of Guiyang, the capital of Guizhou province, in the People's Republic of China.
Due to financial challenges bedevilling the sporting code, the South African National Climbing Federation has been running several campaigns to raise money to support the team heading to China, including a BackaBuddy fund-raising campaign.
On Friday, Ambassador of China to South Africa Wu Peng hosted a prestigious ceremony for the South African team and handed over a cheque of R200,000 to boost the team’s finance, and wished the athletes well during their sojourn in Guizhou province.
“Next week, the young climbers here will travel to Guizhou, China, for the World Youth Climbing Championships. I see the same courage and confidence in you as in Olympic champions. I wish you great success and hope you will carry forward this cherished China-South Africa sports friendship,” said the Chinese top diplomat.
“Like South Africa, China is a country with diverse landscapes and a rich, multi-ethnic culture. The province you are about to visit, Guizhou, is located in southwest China. Known for its picturesque scenery and numerous ethnic groups, it is often called ‘Colorful Guizhou’ akin to South Africa's ‘Rainbow Nation’.
Besides its pleasant climate and beautiful landscapes, Wu added that Guizhou is famed as an “outdoor sports paradise”.
“Guizhou features varied and rugged terrain, making it a prime destination for extreme sports and outdoor activities like mountain biking, marathons, hiking, and rock climbing,” he said.
Wu added that Guizhou represents a "success story of poverty alleviation." It used to be one of China's poorest provinces, with widespread and severe poverty.
“Thanks to the strong leadership of the Chinese government, we have achieved historic success in eradicating absolute poverty. By 2022, 9.23 million people in Guizhou had been lifted out of poverty, accounting for about one-tenth of the 98.99 million people lifted out of poverty nationwide, creating a remarkable achievement in poverty reduction,” he said.
“You might have heard of Guizhou's ‘Village Super League’ and ‘Village Basketball Association’, which are cultural and sports activities spontaneously organised by farmers after their living conditions improved. I heard that Cape Town in South Africa has adopted the Guizhou ‘Village Super League’ model and launched an event called the "South African Village Super League." I am looking forward to seeing it.”
The veteran Chinese diplomat reiterated that the essence of strong national relations lies in the close ties between people, and the future of China-South Africa relations depends on the two countries’ youth.
“I understand that this is your first visit to China. I hope you take full advantage of this opportunity at the World Youth Climbing Championships to challenge yourselves and strive for excellence. Meanwhile, take the time to observe and understand China, and let your experiences and reflections contribute to the enduring "comrades plus brothers" friendship between China and South Africa, adding youthful energy to our bilateral relations,” he said.
“Before you depart, I want to share a song from the 2008 Beijing Olympics: ‘Beijing Welcomes You.’ ‘With dreams, anyone can be extraordinary; with courage, opportunities and miracles arise.’ I wish you all a delightful and successful trip to Guizhou, China, and may you achieve great results.”
With the sporting tide of the Olympics spirit enveloping the globe, the Chinese ambassador added that he was delighted to see trailblazing South African athlete Tatjana Smith winning the gold medal in the women's 100-meter breaststroke.
“Along with our heartfelt congratulations, I was particularly moved by the photo of her embracing Chinese silver medallist Tang Qianting which has received widespread acclaim online. This moment is a vivid testament to the strong and enduring friendship between the peoples of China and South Africa,” said Wu.
Receiving the donation, South African Youth Climbing Team manager, Carmen Bouwer said she hopes that the athletes heading to China will bring critical experience on their return to South Africa, as the end of the sporting extravaganza.
“Since we started negotiations with the People’s Republic of China, we have only received the best service. We are completely humbled by the experience and by the generosity of the Chinese embassy.
“On behalf of the South African Climbing Team I would like to say thank you for the generous offer and the generous donation to our team. It will really go a long way in helping these athletes achieve, and to bring back the necessary experience to South Africa.
“On behalf of the parents, I am a parent myself, this is an unbelievable experience and we just want to say thank you from the bottom of our hearts. Thank you,” she said in conclusion.
On its website, the South African National Climbing Federation states that it is the custodian and administration centre of sport climbing in South Africa. Its objective is to improve the standard of competition climbing and develop sport climbing across South Africa.
IOL