15 July 2021 –The South African U-23 Olympic has arrived and settled well at the Olympic Village in Tokyo, Japan ahead of the 2020 Olympics that were rescheduled for this year due to the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic.
The team left South Africa on Tuesday afternoon for the Far East and is relishing the prospect of doing well in this year’s Games.
Head Coach David Notoane and his troops travelled from South Africa via Ethiopia, before connecting directly to Japan and arrived yesterday at modern Olympic Village. The team will begin their training sessions this evening ahead of their opening match against hosts Japan on 22 July 2021 at Tokyo Stadium time 20h00 (SA time 13h00).
They will then play France at Saitama Stadium on 25 July 2021 at 17h00 ( SA time 10h00) before their last group A match against Mexico on 28 July 2021 at Sapporo Dome time 20h30 (SA time 13h00).
Coach Notoane believes that a few days of acclimatization and rest will do the boys the world of good which will inspire them to reach their goals.
“The Village is beautiful and we have been welcomed well. We have waited so long for these Games to take place and it is an honour for us all to be here. The players understand that this is a prestigious event that will definitely take their careers to the next level, as playing in the Olympics is a career highlight for every player,” said Notoane.
“We are currently jet-lagged and resting but the boys will be fine. We will in the next few days take it easy and have light training sessions before focusing fully on our opening match against hosts Japan,” concluded Notoane.
The final list of 19 players has been concluded and the Kaizer Chiefs duo of Reeve Frosler and Nkosingiphile Ngcobo will join the Olympic Team from Morocco after their CAF Champions League final, which will take place this Saturday, 17 July 2021.
19-man Olympic Squad:
GOALKEEPERS:
- Mondli MPOTO Bloemfontein Celtic (Free State)
- Ronwen WILLIAMS SuperSport United (Gauteng)
- Sifiso MLUNGWANA Golden Arrows (KwaZulu Natal)
DEFENDERS - Tercious MALEPE FC Minaj (Ukraine)
- Luke FLEURS SuperSport United (Gauteng)
- Thabiso MONYANE Orlando Pirates (Gauteng)
- Reeve FROSLER Kaizer Chiefs (Gauteng)
- Thendo MUKUMELA Cape Town Spurs (Western Cape)
- MacBeth MAHLANGU TS Galaxy (Mpumalanga)
- Katlego MOHAMME Mamelodi Sundowns (Gauteng)
- Sibusiso MABILISO Kaizer Chiefs (Gauteng)
MIDFIELDERS: - Teboho MOKOENA SuperSport United (Gauteng)
- Thabo CELE Free Agent
- Nkosingiphile NGCOBO Kaizer Chiefs (Gauteng)
- Goodman MOSELE Orlando Pirates (Gauteng)
- Kamohelo MAHLATSI Swallows FC (Gauteng)
FORWARDS: - Luther SINGH F.C Pasco de Ferreira (Portugal)
- Evidence MAKGOPA Baroka FC (Limpopo)
- Kobamelo KODISANG S.C Braga B (Portugal)