Olympics team wins all

The winners: Young athletes received medals for their participation in the Mini Olympic Games organised by the UCT Educare Centre.

Olympics fever hit UCT on 22 August when the little ones at the UCT Educare Centre staged a much scaled-down Games of their own.

Unlike the South African team in Beijing, which managed only one medal between them, all 50 young athletes at the UCT Educare event took home a medal.

Desray Ferhelst, teacher at the centre, said the event was part of "a learning that goes beyond the classroom" to make children aware of what was happening around the world.

The children were taught about the origins and history of the Olympic Games, as well as about the host country, China.

Then they took part in different sporting codes, which included everything from running to jumping and crawling.

"This was important because kids are familiar with the sport champions," Ferhelst explained. "They know who Natalie du Toit is, they know who Mbulelo Malaudzi is. And they (the children) are the future stars of this country."

The centre has held similar events in the past to coincide with marquee occasions such as the Rugby and Cricket World Cups, Nelson Mandela's 90^th birthday party and the elections.