If you thought all that concerned COP 17 was talk, talk and more serious business, well think again. A myriad of fun and games are featured on Durban’s beaches, ranging from beach soccer, cricket and volley ball, all in conjunction with proceedings of the climate change talks in Durban. Tasked by Sport Tech, a Durban-based company with vested interest in the development of sport, young lads pace through the heavy beach sands of Durban. Bay Beach Games manager Xolani Cebekhulu says the open-to-all invite for the five-a-side soccer matches form part of the social aspect for the COP 17 event, saying anyone attending the November 28-December 9 event are welcome to take part in the games. –> Taking a breather after officiating in one of the games, referee Zakhele Dlamini, confims that a single game is played over 10 minutes, with no intervals in between. In the event of a draw, he says all members of each team will take turns in a penalty shootout for a decider. Interesting is Cebekhulu’s statement that some of their players have previously been spotted by big name Premier Soccer League teams like KwaZulu-Natal’s Golden Arrows, a probable motivation to those willing to huff and puff on the sands. Cebekhulu says apart from the games having a social undertone, attendants can chit-chat on issues surrounding Climate Change. Sport Tech works with Danone and Safsa in the further development of players. Part of the games featuring on the COP 17 beach calendar is volleyball, which was somewhat of a no-show today and cricket. Under the watchful eye of Kuen Milne, Bay Beach Cricket Station is usualy abuzz with attendants.He says on a good day when they have managed to amass enough numbers for a game, they run through the crease and keep the score as wickets fall. An all rounder himself, Milne says players stand a chance to be spotted by scouts, but he’s quick to mention that cricket has been a sport he latches onto from time to time, not something he wants to make a career out of, although his childhood was mostly charactirised by sports. As proof, he played cricket while still a learner at Hillcrest High School.
Educating the young ones about recycling
Not to be outdone, a stone-throw away is a performing arts stage with live music pounding. Potential revellers gather, Djs prepare the decks for an afternoon show aimed to end just after 6pm, while sound engineer Luke Brookes ensures all is well ahead of the performances. He quips, “Sound coming out of microphones has to be of good quality, attendants can’t afford to listen to an artist playing an acoustic guitar on a poor sound.” The chap is clearly passionate about his trade, and further adds that their company, Gear House, has done international gigs for big-name acts like Bryan Adams and Deep Purple. –> Creative Director Thembinkosi ‘Prof’ Zulu says the event is run by Slingshot Productions, co-owned by three partners. Prof says the performances are in two phases, the afternoon one, which basically features upcoming artists and Djs as well as the evening event which showcases South Africa’s household artists, with Johnny Clegg leading some performances on certain days. An interesting aspect of the games is that they not only offer a social aspect, but there’s an education link to them. An example is the kiddies’ play-place where Outdoors Team is offering entertainment in the form of wall climbing, zip-wire, the zor-ball as well as paint ball. Outdoors’ Fani Shange says the idea behind the games is to raise awareness among people that much can be done without using electricity, but rather by using body energy.He makes example of the zor-ball, which encourages a lot of movement to get it rolling, the water fountain which illustrates the importance of water purification as well as the effects of the sun on water, leading to hydration. There’s also the Kids’ Zone, which mainly deals with educating the young ones about recycling. All beach events run in conjunction with COP 17 talks, are free and will end on December 10.
– By Tshepo Tsheole, Durban
