Wits building game-changing R250-million High Performance Centre

This was announced at an event at the university on Thursday evening, with the HPC set to be wholly funded through an investment legacy of the Skye Foundation. 

The project, which will be known as the Wits Brian and Dorothy Zylstra Sports Complex, will be a world-class, state-of-the-art sports science training, research, and clinical facility. 

Several tertiary institutions, such as the University of Pretoria (TUKS), Potchefstroom University (PUKKE), Stellenbosch University (Maties), and Nelson Mandela University (NMU) all have their own HPCs.

These facilities have been utilised by various national teams, clubs, unions and international athletes from different sporting codes, and Wits Vice-Chancellor, Professor Zeblon Vilakazi says their HPC will quickly become a national asset as well.

"It's amazing that, over the last 100 years, we were able to achieve so much [in sports] in spite of the fact that there wasn't as much funding, and even the infrastructure wasn't supported," said Vilakazi.

"So now, I believe that this will be a serious game-changer because now we'll start taking sports to the next level. You know, sports has moved from being about fun, of course it has to remain central, into being a science.

"The science of sport, physiology, human movement and anatomy, and pshycology as well, as well as health. So, we are looking at this, not just for high performance sports and elite sports performance but, as an intergrated complex that looks at rehabilitation, mental wellness and also an intergrated scholar learning approach."

The Wits Sports Complex is a flagship Wits Centenary project and will feature a sports and health building, an aquatics and rowing centre, as well as a 44-bed residence for elite athletes. 

With construction scheduled to be completed by 2025, Skye Foundation chairman Phillip Zylstra, who is the son of founder Brian, has more on why it was important for his family to be involved in such a massive project.

"To compete on the world stage today, you have to realise you're competing against countries with a lot of money, a lot of funding, and a lot of facilities, and if you want to play in that league and produce those kind of athletes, you have to be able to [keep up]," said Zylstra.

"I think this foundation is not only a building but also the academic research that will be set up in this facility, the research papers, the doctorates. 

"And you'll find, I think, international teams, players will come and train here, research people from all over the world will come and work in this centre. 

"I think that will be the secret sauce in creating an environment that will produce, one, athletes South Africa are proud of; and two, give kids a pathway from school – and I hope they can – to the world stage, because without something like this, it's really very difficult."

See what the Sports Complex is expected to look like once completed in 2025: