Olympic spirit prevails among German Schools

A week-long sporting jamboree came to an end on Thursday with the successful hosting of the 17th German Schools Olympiad by the Deutsche Hohere Privat Schule (DHPS) in Windhoek.

Close to 300 learners and teachers from six German schools in southern Africa as well as Ghana attended the biennial event, where new friendships were forged while the Olympic spirit of friendship, solidarity and fair play was upheld.

According to Tina Cruys, the PRO of DHPS, the German Schools Olympiad started in 1986 and has been held every second year since then, making this year’s event the 17th one.

“The goal is to bring the schools and learners closer together and we also have an orchestra week which we will host next year. The schools compete in various sporting disciplines, but the main aim is to build friendships and to strengthen our existing bonds,” she said.

The German schools from Cape Town, Pretoria and Johannesburg attended the event, as well as Hermannsburg in KwaZulu Natal and the German Swiss International School in Accra, Ghana.

They competed in various sporting disciplines ranging from athletics and swimming to ball games such as soccer, basketball, volleyball and handball.

Although the final results were not available on Thursday, the Cape Town German School fared the best in the various sporting disciplines, while DHPS came second in most.

But as Cruys said, the emphasis was on the Olympic spirit and on building friendships and this was displayed in abundance.

“We’ve had an amazing vibe amongst the different schools and the camaraderie displayed was really special,” Cruys said.

“One event that stood out for me was the boys u19 high jump where a Cape Town and DHPS athlete pushed and encouraged each other to new record heights, despite being competitors,” she added.

Jorn Hoffmann, a teacher of the German Swiss International School in Accra said they had thoroughly enjoyed the experience.

“This was my second German Olympiad after I attended the last one in Pretoria two years ago and it has been absolutely awesome. For the kids it’s all about the Olympic spirit and making new friendships. We didn’t have many learners to choose from, but brought anyone who could run or throw a ball along,” he said.

“The Olympiad has been amazing and we have received a very warm welcome from all the schools. The organisation has been very professional and I can’t thank the organising committee enough,” he added.