Three local para athletes – Karabo Cassius Morapedi (boccia), Khumo Pitso (T46 high jump) and Louzanne Coetzee (1 500 m) – have been included in the initial 26-strong team to represent South Africa at the Paris 2024 Summer Paralympic Games in France.
The South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (Sascoc) announced the squad on Monday, 8 July.
This year’s Paralympic Games will take place from 28 August until 8 September.
The multi-coded sporting event will see approximately 4 500 athletes from around the world showcase their talent, competing in various events.
This will be Coetzee’s third appearance at the Paralympics, with the first at the 2016 Summer Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and the second at the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics; winning a silver medal in a new Africa record of 4:40.96 and a bronze medal in the T12 women’s marathon in a new T11 world record time of 3:11:13.
The pair of Morapedi and Pitso will be making their debut at the forthcoming Paralympics, and will be hoping to continue impressing on the global stage.
