JOHANNESBURG, July 15 (Xinhua) -- The South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (SASCOC) said Monday that they will use the coming African Games to warm up for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.
SASCOC said this when they announced the Team South Africa for the 12th edition of the African Games to be held in Morocco from August 16-31.
"The African Games is a very important event in our calendar, the highest pinnacle of competition in the continent. As it comes a year before Olympics, it is a benchmark for our athletes on their road to Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games," said SASCOC President Gideon Sam.
South Africa decided to send 153 athletes and officials to compete in 11 out of 26 sports - athletics, swimming, archery, badminton, canoeing, cycling, judo, table tennis, tennis, beach volleyball and weightlifting.
Sam admitted that in the past they had dispatched about 300 athletes but this year they faced financial constraints.
He said, "Though the team is lean, it is a strong team of experienced athletes and we mostly included the athletes who will use these games as a qualifier for Olympic Games."
