Cape greats officiate at Tokyo Olympics

IF YOU want to talk about the best of the best representing South Africa at the Tokyo Olympics, then its school principal Dr Kevin du Plooy who is one of the technical officials for weightlifting.

Du Plooy, 62, of Kuils River, serves on the executive board of the Western Province Weightlifting Association, and nationally he is the president of the South African Weightlifting Federation. Internationally, he serves on the executive board of the Commonwealth Weightlifting Federation, as well as the Weightlifting Federation of Africa.

He has also taken part in previous international sports events, and was the category two International referee in Tunis and in Morocco.

But it is the first time that Du Plooy is officiating at the Olympics taking place in Tokyo. Here, he has witnessed extreme discipline for sports and thorough protocols where Covid-19 regulations are implemented.

When he is not taking part in sports, Du Plooy is at his post as the school principal of Symphony Primary School in Belhar. He also serves on the church council of the Calvyn Protestant Church in Sarepta as an elder, and was the coach of the athletics team of the Western Province Primary Schools sports board.

He is a dad of two and is married to Gardencia Dryden, 59.

“I started in the sport of weightlifting way back in 1970. As a youngster growing up, I was always involved in sport, athletics, soccer and volleyball. Through all of this I did weightlifting. In the beginning years, we were isolated, and participation for the best was limited to national championships,” he said.

Du Plooy received his Doctorate in Education in 2016.

“As a weightlifter myself, I belonged to the then Kuils River Weightlifting and Physical Culture Club.I was coached by the late David Weber and the national coach, Alan Plaatjies, and much later, by Johnny Geduld. In 1998, I established my own weightlifting club, Kuils River Weightlifting Club, where I’m coaching at the moment. Since then the club has produced a number of provincial, national, continental and Commonwealth champions,” he said.

He does not shy away from hard work, which has led to his successes, internationally and nationally, and recalls during the apartheid years how South Africans were deprived of being

part of prestigious events.

“In 2004, I qualified as a category two international referee in Tunis, and in 2006 as a category one international referee in Morocco. You must remember, that due to us being isolated from international participation for 22 years, we have lost a great deal in terms of participation and officiating.

“We’ve only been re-admitted in

1991 after unification of the South African Weightlifting, Bodybuilding and Power lifting Federation with the South African Weightlifting Union. This amalgamated body is today known as the South African Weightlifting Federation.

“At national level I’m involved with the training of technical officials,” he said.

It all began in 2004 when he started officiating local, and later international games.

“Since then I have officiated at a number of continental championships, Commonwealth Championships, Africa and Commonwealth Games and now the Olympic Games,” he said.

This, he believes prepared him for the Olympics, which has intense and extreme discipline.

“Japan is known for its precision and discipline. These particular Olympic Games are unprecedented.

“Never in the past have countries had to prepare under such severe circumstances. The only time the Olympic Games were cancelled was during the world wars, thereafter never.

“I’am humbled by this experience. As a technical official, and serving on the jury in particular, is a very responsible portfolio because you have the power to turn a good lift to a bad lift, and in doing so, you can set the athlete up for either financial gain or ruin,” he said.

His wife, Dryden, said she admired her husband for his dedication: “He has always encouraged sports at school and believes in the importance of sports.”

Genevieve Lentz

Meanwhile, as the first African woman to be the deputy referee at the Tokyo Olympics for table tennis, Genevieve Lentz from Monte Vista is living a dream come true.

“I would not give up this monumental moment in history for anything in the world right now,” she said.

“Unfortunately, due to Covid-19, we cannot tour on our off days or off time, so I would be at the venue every day.

“I enjoy Japan. I was here before in 2009 for the World Table Tennis Championships and in 2019, I was here for the World Team Cup. On both occasions I got to see a bit of Japan.

“The experience as referee has been phenomenal. Each member of the referee team brings something unique to the team and we’ve been working well alongside the umpires.”