BOIPELO Awuah, the Northern Cape’s street skate champion, had her dream to represent her adopted country at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games shattered when she fractured her leg during a training session on Monday.
The injury was considered severe enough to force her exit from the South African team camp in Japan and it is anticipated that she will arrive back in South Africa on Friday morning.
Awuah, 15, whose family are naturalised South Africans, hails from Ghana and is a Grade 10 pupil at Northern Cape High.
Earlier this year she had worked hard at her craft and picked up enough tournament points in local, national and continental skate events to qualify for Olympic participation.
Sipho Mampe, director in the Northern Cape Department of Economic Development and Tourism (NCEDT) and project manager for the Kimberley Diamond Cup (KDC), confirmed that Awuah was returning home following her injury.
He also said that the NCDET had supported Awuah as part of a greater plan to brand the Province as a premier tourist destination.
“As part of that tourism branding project we had assisted Awuah to take part in several key local, national and continental competitions and street skating events. Because she was the best in Africa she automatically qualified to be at the Olympics.
“Once there she was under the guidance of Sascoc (South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Congress). We paved her way through funding,” he added.
Awuah was easily the youngest athlete among the group of South African athletes who had set off for Tokyo earlier this month.
The NCEDT has planned a welcome party for Awuah on Friday morning on her return.