CE at UP will continue to financially support the three athletes, all between the ages of 14 – 18 until they leave the academy. This has given CE at UP an opportunity to significantly change the lives of these young men.

Deon Herbst, CEO of CE at UP noted: ‘It has been a fantastic opportunity for us as a company to give back to the youth of the country. These talented young men have a lot of potential and we are glad that we can in some way make a difference to their future.’

These youngsters, who were identified by the TuksSport Academy, occupy the top ranking positions in their respective age groups.

Since opening its doors in 2002, the TuksSport Academy has contributed to the development of young sports people to feed the youth and senior national teams. The academy currently has 190 school going learners and 121 students who study full time through the University of Pretoria or CE at UP.

Talented young athletes between the ages of 13 and 18, who have been identified by the academy, are removed from their traditional school environment and placed in the controlled environment of the TuksSport School, based at the University of Pretoria’s campus at the High Performance Centre.

The integration of latent talent, good sports facilities and world class coaching and sports science has shown that these young athletes can successfully compete on the world stage. The reality across the globe is that most world-class performers come from lower middle income brackets. Similar initiatives abroad are heavily subsidised to ensure that all young talented athletes have the opportunity to be developed to their full potential. The TuksSport Academies receive no subsidy or sponsorship and rely solely on commercial support.

Comprehensive reports covering academic progress, sport-specific results and personal growth are available at the end of every school term.